For anyone interested in a very traditionally English view of religion, and its (sometimes constructive) role in society, Derb’s fascinating Q&A today is a must-read, not least because it leaves the question as to whether it is possible to be both irreligious and conservative dealt with once and for all. (Answer: of course it is). And, by the way, I suspect that there’s a lot in it (if we adjust for the passing of two centuries and the effects of two hundred more years of scientific advance) that those sensible, somewhat secularist Founders would have relished. My favourite bit, naturally enough, is the anecdote from Boswell’s Diaries, “the bit where Bozzy encounters a very old aristocrat and asks him whether, looking back on life, he can discern any pattern or purpose to it. No, says the old boy, it has all been “a chaos of nothing.” John isn’t “quite ready” to agree with that fine piece of analysis. Give it time Derb, give it time.