Artwork from BCee’s album 'These Are the Days' inspired by places in Thetford that shaped Steve. This week serious disorder broke out in my hometown of Thetford. What began as protests against plans to house asylum seekers at the former RAF site in Barnham has spilled into threats and violence. Protestors have tried to force… Continue reading Thetford: these are the days for authentic Christian responses – by Steve Jefroy
Category: Politics
The problem with Andy Burnham’s pledge to end rough sleeping
Photo by Pedro Silva on Pexels.com Andy Burnham could not have been any clearer about his priorities in his first few hours as the UK’s new Prime Minister. On his first morning as PM he visited The Passage, a homeless charity in Westminster, and then announced from the steps of No10: “I will soon go… Continue reading The problem with Andy Burnham’s pledge to end rough sleeping
The personal cost of political service – by Helen Dennis
After 11 years of planning committees, resident engagement events, surgeries and political meetings in cold church halls, I have decided to hang up my councillor lanyard today. My decision to run came on the back of years in the Christian Socialist Movement (now Christians on the Left) and a formative time working in parliament for… Continue reading The personal cost of political service – by Helen Dennis
Moral excommunication & the progressive left – by Jon Swales
Something feels fractured in the UK right now. There is a new hardness in the air. You can feel it on the streets, hear it in conversations, see it in our politics. For immigrants, refugees, Muslims, and people of colour, it can feel like the ground is shifting beneath their feet. Phrases like “send them… Continue reading Moral excommunication & the progressive left – by Jon Swales
The Donald Trump of Narnia: a Shift in The Last Battle?
The Last Battle, the final instalment of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia Chronicles, is an unusual children’s book. The plot involves all the main characters being killed, some in a train crash and others in battle, and the whole ‘Narnian world’ coming to an end. It is literally apocalyptic. And at the centre of the fall of… Continue reading The Donald Trump of Narnia: a Shift in The Last Battle?
‘Bigoted woman’ or Rochdale Pioneer: Gillian Duffy changed British politics – by Jonathan Thomas
Gillian Duffy meets Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Rochdale, 2010 election campaign Everyone loves wallowing in nostalgia. And recently I was commissioned to write the story of the last 30 years of immigration in the UK. This was a period dominated at its outset by an era of expansive immigration policy under New Labour. It was… Continue reading ‘Bigoted woman’ or Rochdale Pioneer: Gillian Duffy changed British politics – by Jonathan Thomas
Personal responsibility, families & nationhood: a Christian response to the Left
The edited text of a talk I gave at Christ Church New Malden on 8th February as part of a series on Christianity & Politics. A video of the talk is below. These bible readings were read by two people, one in a red top and the other in blue. These can be downloaded on… Continue reading Personal responsibility, families & nationhood: a Christian response to the Left
Applauding idolatry: the spiritual obscenity of Trump at the National Prayer Breakfast
A guest post by Mary Geddry Trump wandered into the National Prayer Breakfast like a man who’d accidentally been scheduled for a revival service in between a rally and a grievance deposition, and proceeded to deliver what can only be described as a theological Mad Libs stitched together with ego, revenge fantasies, and intermittent references… Continue reading Applauding idolatry: the spiritual obscenity of Trump at the National Prayer Breakfast
The Polar(isation) Express: reflections on Tommy Robinson’s carol concert
My article on Tommy Robinson’s Christmas carol service created all kinds of responses. BBC Radio 4 and The Times Radio got in touch and the organisation Stand Up to Racism asked me to speak at their counter-demo on Whitehall held just before Tommy Robinson’s event. Criticism But as with any widely read article, I also… Continue reading The Polar(isation) Express: reflections on Tommy Robinson’s carol concert
Tommy Robinson’s Carol Concert: show naïve grace or face the ugly truth?
The far-right campaigner, Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, claims to have become a Christian in prison. And this Saturday, his Unite the Kingdom movement has organised a Christmas Carol service in Whitehall. John Clifton wrote thoughtful article about Robinson's challenge to the church about how it engages men. He did not approve of Robinson… Continue reading Tommy Robinson’s Carol Concert: show naïve grace or face the ugly truth?
Grace + Truth 