Mark and Pete

There's an old Yiddish witticism "To make God laugh, tell him your plans." Perhaps we’re accustomed to thinking of Jesus only as “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” (Isa 53:3). His crucifixion is certainly no laughing matter. Or maybe the image of a laughing Jesus offends simply because it makes him too human. Yet Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus is able to sympathize with us because he is e...

In a recent disclosure by the Information Rights Unit we find that neck and choke holds are specifically taught by the Metropolitan Police as not to be used because of the inherent danger to the suspect. However they are used and sometimes people get hurt or killed unnecessarily. We expect to be kept safe by the police, but do they go too far - or is it the case that the police are simply doing an...

The “New Normal” may well not be normal at all. So we need to change, to know your place means to change because everything has changed. Church, work, homelife - how are you going to fit in and work it out post Covid-19? Mark and Pete have the answers. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects and ho...

If there is one thing everyone living through the Covid-19 emergency agrees, it is that it is unprecedented. Everyone is surely right about that. But what follows in politics, economics and social behaviour from that recognition? Will President Trump still be president by the end of the year, or will he lose by a landslide in November.? What will happen over the next six months, will it be more sh...

Whether it be enjoying a day out with the kids or getting some peace and quiet with the sea by your side - most of us love the coast. Rubbish, including plastic, food wrappers, paper plates and beer bottles were left strewn across the beaches in the UK, leaving people furious at the disgusting state of them. What is to be done about this outrageous behaviour and breeching of social distancing? Mar...

As lockdown measures have been eased across England, people have been returning to beaches, parks and beauty spots to enjoy the warmer weather. But they've found many public toilets are still closed, and without the option of using loos in cafes, pubs and restaurants, it has left scores of people with an urgent question - where do I go when I need to go? Mark and Peter have the answers. Become a s...

Overnight in March, the doors of every church building were closed, unilaterally. And they were not responsible. It was not their fault. But it could have a permanent effect. Lockdown was dramatic and shocking for church communities. Emerging from it will be far more nuanced, and no less difficult. Mark and Pete look at the changes in leadership and structure that could enable to churches to enjoy...

The death of George Floyd, an African-American man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has prompted a global outcry over the scale of racism and police brutality that exists today. Mr Floyd pleaded to officers “I can’t breathe”, but police officer Derek Chauvin continued to press his knee into Mr Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes. Mr Floyd was pronounced dead, and the tragedy of his death has sparked pr...

America was ready to explode even before George Floyd was killed by the Minneapolis police. The twin tragedies of 40 million people — one-quarter of the US workforce — losing their jobs and 100,000 people losing their lives during the coronavirus pandemic had turned the US into an emotional tinderbox that was waiting for a spark to set it off. Mark and Pete have the answers. Become a supporter of...

A growing number of senior Conservatives are demanding the resignation of Boris Johnson’s chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, over allegations that he broke the government’s lockdown rules on several occasions. Should Cummings go? Mark and Pete have the answers. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects...

We do not know how this pandemic will end. We do know that we will be poorer when it’s over: GDP is plunging around the world. Millions of households have missed, or expect to miss, payments on at least one bill as a result of the coronavirus crisis, and could face serious consequences as a result, the charity Citizens Advice has said. Since the lockdown started, millions of workers have been furl...

Will the US and the UK experience a "recession of historic proportions" that dwarfs the global financial crisis, well according to new forecasts which warn of a collapse in investment, surge in government debt and spike in unemployment that leaves one in five people jobless in some countries. What is going to happen. Mark and Pete have the answers. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.s...

When the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union dissolved, the Western world thought, with considerable justification, that the generational struggle with communism had ended. But in our exultation, we forgot to finish the job. Communism lived on in mainland China and is once again challenging the free world for dominance. This time, they’re doing it with our money. As we have begun to realize thes...

Captain Tom Moore has made the honours shortlist after an outpouring of support to get him a knighthood, according to reports. The 99-year-old Second World War veteran has raised more than £28 million for the NHS by walking laps of his garden ahead of his 100th birthday next Thursday. However much the Tories are now clapping for our NHS, we must remember that they are fundamentally opposed to publ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has sent millions of workers and their families, already scraping to survive, into a financial tailspin from which many will never recover. However, for the world’s richest man, Jeff Bezos, the pandemic has been a financial bonanza, sending Amazon shares, and Bezos’ personal net worth, soaring. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete...

COVID-19 has swept the world in a global pandemic of extraordinary proportions. The debate about its eventual health costs continues to rage, but one Centers for Disease Control estimate suggested anywhere between 200,000 and 1.7 million deaths could be expected in the United States alone, depending on the eventual fatality rate, and not adjusting for corrective measures currently in place (althou...

What is the True Meaning of Easter, also called Pascha (Greek, Latin) or Resurrection Sunday, is a festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. Mark and Pete look at what it truly means to them today. Mark and Pete are a bus...

Zoom is changing things encouraged by the response to the crisis. Businesses and churches are scrambling to adjust to self-isolation and remote working have turned to video conferencing to substitute for face-to-face contact. #zoom Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects and hot takes on the latest...

The emerging situation with the COVID-19 coronavirus and the many news reports around us are creating anxiety and worry for the future and our well-being. In times like these, it is especially important to remember God’s promise to be with us. But is he? Where is God in this crisis? Mark and Pete have the answers. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--...

Mark and Pete Half Cut: a new series of Mark and Pete podcasts episode where the avuncular opinionated pair cut loose and shoot the breeze. This week. Why pubs are great. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects and hot takes on the latest news plus Mark and Pete Extra  in depth commentary episodes...

The world is in the early stages of what may be the most deadly pandemic of the past 100 years. In China, thousands of people have already died; large outbreaks have begun in South Korea, Iran and Italy; and the rest of the world is bracing for impact. We do not yet know whether the final toll will be measured in thousands or hundreds of thousands. For all our advances in medicine, humanity remain...

Mark and Pete Uncensored: a new series of Mark and Pete podcasts episode where the avuncular opinionated pair cut loose and shoot the breeze. Come and listen and laugh along with two old friends. This week, what is the worst burger? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support . Supporters get updates on new projects and hot takes on the lates...

Suspended flights, cancelled tours, temporary restaurant closures, and millions of people in lockdown amid an extended nationwide holiday are just some of the results of a contagious new coronavirus - what are the long term effects of how we respond to this. Will "social distancing", to limit spread of the disease harm our society? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...

Rudy Gobert was named as the NBA's first player to contract COVID-19, also known as coronavirus. On Monday, Gobert had “jokingly” touched all of the Jazz reporter’s microphones and recorders as a sort of mockery of precautions taken by the NBA, which mandated all reporters maintain 6-to-8 feet from players and coaches. Many stupid reactions that we look at here. This episode laughs at silly reacti...

Rishi Sunak delivered what's become known as the "coronavirus Budget," as fears grow over the impact the outbreak will have on the UK economy. He is unveiled a package of measures to boost everything from the NHS to struggling small businesses and the self-employed. But how much can the chancellor actually do, and will it go far enough? Or is he going in completely the wrong direction? And what ex...