Colliding Worlds, Parallel Universes


Colliding Worlds, Parallel Universes

April already, and the blossom is out, the martins are nesting and we can feel the sun’s warmth on our necks. It’s the time of year, as Chaucer noted in The Canterbury Tales, when people long to go on ‘pilgrimages’, (or jolly outings, more likely). Chaucer wrote the Tales between 1387 and 1400, a turbulent time for the world. War and the Black Death had killed millions, there was conflict between competing popes, anti-Semitism was rife and crusader armies were fighting the expanding Ottoman Empire. Huge technological advances were being made, mainly in military hardware and the use of gunpowder. In England, having crushed the Peasants Revolt in 1381, the autocratic rule of Richard II led to his deposition in 1399.

Sounds familiar? It might well have been 600+ years ago, but there’s much we can relate to. Chaucer created some lively women fictional characters in the Tales, and there were, of course, many exceptional women living at the time. But you need to look quite hard to find them, and it will come as no surprise to you that in a search of the internet for Women 1380-1400, the first thing to pop up is an AI overview of women’s fashions of the time.

April 2026 

So, here we are in April 2026, and for many of us living in this part of the world, navigating daily life may not be quite so fraught as it was in the late 1300s. But it is strange, isn’t it? Things seem out of kilter and irreconcilable. Events depress and inspire us in turn. We seem to be waiting for something, but apprehensive about what that might be.

Easter was quite early in April this year, and Dame Sarah Mullally, the first woman Archbishop of Canterbury, delivered her Easter Day sermon in Canterbury Cathedral. She called for an end to violence and destruction and spoke about darkness and light in the Easter story. She then developed the themes more widely, emphasising the power of care during hours of darkness:

‘In the ordinary life of the world there is much that sustains us while we sleep. Last night, in hospitals around the country, nurses tended to those who struggled to sleep. In hospices, carers and loved ones will have held someone’s hand, letting them know that they are not alone. Parents will have cradled their babies to sleep. This vigil of care is the work of remaining — of staying present in the quiet and the dark.’ 

Unfortunately, it is difficult to forget that President Trump also delivered an Easter message. He stood next to a person dressed as a giant Easter rabbit and bragged to an audience of children about the stock market and the war in Iran.

St. George’s Day

April 23rd. The date that Shakespeare was born, and the date that he died. The Lyrids, a spectacular meteor shower, became visible this year after the moon had set. And of course it’s the date of St George’s Day. Another male patron saint, this time with accompanying dragon, as well as the increasingly notorious flag. The launch of the asparagus season in the Vale of Evesham was also under way, with Morris dancing and the appearance of Gus the bright green asparagus man.

These are all ingredients for traditional ‘Merrie England’ celebrations that regularly take place throughout the country. In the New Statesman, Nicholas Harris described a classic piece of fun and silliness in Ramsgate:

To medieval piping and the slap of a tambourine, George (a woman in an England rugby shirt with a colander on her head) boxed Arturo the dragon with a pair of oven gloves. When the dragon fell, we all cheered, and the locals loved the joke about a rival knight being revived with “Kentish ale” (April 2026)

But elsewhere, in English towns where red and white and union flags have been hoisted up onto lampposts at midnight, there is fear about the message they are sending. Flags have been politicised and are not easy to ignore. And, over in pretty Stratford on Avon, as the swans were gliding elegantly along the river, the Royal Shakespeare Company marked the birthday date with a savage and chilling production of Brecht’s ‘Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui’ a brutal satire about the rise of Hitler. Mark Gatiss, the lead actor, is quoted as saying that ‘This play used to be a warning from history, but now it’s just the news.’

What is to be done?

Global brutality or local malicious nastiness, a feeling of powerlessness is quite understandable, a sense that things are beyond our control. There are parallel worlds beyond our comprehension, and we don’t know what to do. But as we wait apprehensively for the next ‘thing,’ even small actions can make a difference. Local elections are imminent, we have our votes to think about, we can encourage others to use their vote, and we can hold successful candidates to account. We can read, listen, inform ourselves, write letters, discuss and offer support.

And although it may be painful, we can decide to bear witness and not to look away.

APRIL UPDATE ON THE MK FAWCETT CAMPAIGN FOR A SAFER, HEALTHIER, FAIRER MILTON KEYNES 

  • The latest Evidence Paper, a compilation of data relating to Milton Keynes and our Safer, Healthier and Fairer manifesto, is now published and can be found HERE. It was discussed with Callum Anderson MP when we met with him recently, and we will use it again when we meet with Chris Curtis MP and Emily Darlington MP in the coming weeks. 
  • We have taken our Use Your Vote leaflets and Manifesto boards to a number of outreach sessions in the lead up to the local elections. We are grateful to all the parish councils, faith groups etc who have invited us to visit their community cafes in the areas where engagement in MK elections can be lowest. We will be carrying out our usual monitoring of the Council elections and look forward to meeting with new councillors over the summer.  
  • Freedom from Violence and Abuse: A cross-government Strategy to build a safer society for women and girls. On May 13th we will be running a half-day workshop in central MK, with our friends from The VAWG Alliance Bucks and MK and Community Action: MK, focussing on what is IN the strategy and what it MEANS for you and your organisation / group. Register to attend the workshop HERE. We continue to be represented on the committee planning White Ribbon campaigns across the city.  
  • As the new enlarged Integrated Care Board (ICB) takes shape, we will continue to monitor how women’s health needs are considered. We are watching how ideas such as Women’s Health Clinics are piloted and evaluated and we are closely following the development of the city’s Women and Children’s Hospital.
  • We will continue to follow the progress and implementation of the recently approved MKCC Domestic Abuse strategy  
  • Did you see? The recent exhibition at the OU campus of the craftivism project which was part of MK’s contribution to mark the Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls on 25th November. Watch out for more venues – and suggest some! 
  • The Fawcett Society Conference will be on June 13th this year. Do consider attending – more information HERE.
  • We will continue to promote the manifesto campaign and encourage people to become more involved with the political process. We will be carrying out our usual monitoring of the Council elections, and we look forward to meeting with new councillors over the summer.
  • MKF now has a Linkedin presence as well as being on BlueSky. Please follow us on these platforms as well as at www.fawcettmk.org.uk


Location: Milton Keynes, UK

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