There are only two countries in the world where representatives of the state religion automatically get a seat in the legislature. They are the UK and Iran. A curious and, indeed, uncomfortable club of two to belong to
Sandi Toksvig, comedian, Twitter video, 3 February
I get the irony of what Sandi Toksvig says of course and it makes for good rhetoric, but really the two systems in Iran and the UK are incomparable — one based within an established and historic democracy, the other with unchecked powers upholding an autocratic theocracy
Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford, Twitter, 4 February
This Bill has arrived with us so late and so overcrowded that I had begun to think it was being managed by my good friends at Avanti trains
David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, on the Online Safety Bill, House of Lords, 1 February
It’s actually quite expensive to go to Mars. You can buy measles vaccines and save lives for $1000 (£814) per life saved. And so [that] just kind of grounds you, as in — Don’t go to Mars
Bill Gates, BBC interview, 3 February
The British political class seems more interested in nannying than in promoting stable, two parent families. Yet surely a government that issues warnings about cakes in the office and switching on kettles at home can also stress the importance of marriage?
Cristina Odone, The Spectator Coffee House blog, 1 February
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