Ask me anything: 500 subscribers edition
Ah, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on...
Last week I hit the milestone of 500 subscribers. Thank you to everyone who has been reading, sharing or commenting on these posts - it’s a privilege to have you with me.
To mark that milestone, this week I’ll be running an ‘Ask my Anything’ session, for all the things you wish I’d write about but haven’t yet. We did this back in March last year, when I still had fewer than 100 subscribers (the answers are here), but with now over 500 - including lots of people I don’t know personally, or only know via social media, it should be a lot more interesting.
So ask me anything! It can be on any subject you like - current affairs, history, books, favourite pizza1 - and I will do my best to answer insightfully, concisely or, failing that, entertainingly.
To ask a question, just leave a comment. I’ll then do a post answering the questions next week.
Ask away! No question too zany! And remember, please do share this blog with those you think would like it - I rely on word of mouth for my audience and personal recommendations are a core part of that.
FAQ
Will you answer any question?
I'll try to answer any question asked in good faith. I won't answer a question if it would breach a confidence that's not mine to share, or if it's so taboo that just writing about it can get you in trouble.
I'm happy to answer most personal questions, but there may be the odd one which I'll skirt around.
In general, I'll try to answer part of a question rather than none at all, or something related, or, at worst, say I won't answer. But the odds are I will, so ask away.
Can I ask you about something you know nothing about?
Yes, but don't be surprised if the answer is very short!
How long will each answer be?
I'm anticipating one to three paragraphs, but I reserve the right to vary this.
Can I ask more than one question?
Yes. If you do I'll choose which one to answer.
How do I ask my question?
Please write it as a comment below this post.
What question should I ask?
Anything you like. Ask away!
Pepperoni and black olive
Only just discovered your Substack in the past couple of weeks and really enjoying your insights. Keep up the good work!
My question is this. You show a high degree of religious literacy and understanding of/sympathy for socially conservative views and lifestyles (many of which are religiously-informed), yet as far as I can tell you don’t have a personal faith. Could you explain a little about why that is (if that’s not too personal) and, more broadly, what do you think could be done to improve religious literacy and sympathy across Whitehall amongst politicians, policy thinkers and civil servants (as my experience is that it is often pretty lacking)?
How have you been shaped by living in Southeast Asia?