In this episode of Irreverend Faith and Current Affairs, Rev. Dr. Jamie Franklin follows up on the legal challenge to Project Spire — and delivers a proper good-news story at the end.

First: the BBC wanted Jamie in a pre-recorded debate with Professor Alan Lester. He declined and suggested credentialed historians instead. Robert Tombs took the slot. Then Lester delivered a lecture from a church pulpit in Sussex, linking opponents of Project Spire to Edward Long, the so-called “founding father of English racism,” and accusing them of “misinformation.” When Bijan Omrani asked him to name names, Lester denied the charge, refused to specify, and blocked him. Jamie lays out the sequence, rejects the smear, and issues a direct invitation: come on Irreverend and make the case properly.

Then the good news: Harry Kane wins the Ballon d’Or. Rejected by Arsenal at eight for being “too chubby,” years without a trophy, no campaigning, no preening — just relentless work, team play, humility, and fidelity to his wife and children. “Work hard in silence, let success be your noise.” Jamie argues Kane is the perfect antidote to football’s narcissists and a model worth holding up for parents and the next generation.

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