When Labour came to power in 1997, huge and unprecedented numbers of people were sleeping rough in every town and city across Britain. The appalling sight of people bedding down in shop doorways across the nation was widely considered a ‘national disgrace’. Labour gave a high priority to homelessness and set itself the aim of… Continue reading Rough sleeping: what Starmer can learn from Blair – by David Christie
Category: Politics
Grace, Truth & the Common Good: a lecture in honour of Frank Field
"Church-based social action has grown significantly in the last 20 years, but it needs an appraisal. Too often social action projects can become disconnected from efforts for justice, deepen a sense of dependency in those they serve, and end up drifting in a secular direction." I am very honoured to have been asked to give… Continue reading Grace, Truth & the Common Good: a lecture in honour of Frank Field
‘Am I going to be sent to Rwanda?’ Thinking Christianly about asylum
by Benjamin Welby & Andy Brims Vineyard English School, run by Croydon Vineyard church In the nondescript hotel lobby doubling as our makeshift classroom, Tariq*, a new student, lingered after class. Anxiety etched on his face, he asked: “Am I going to be sent to Rwanda? I’ve got a domestic worker visa…my wife is pregnant.”… Continue reading ‘Am I going to be sent to Rwanda?’ Thinking Christianly about asylum
Why the government has failed to ‘end rough sleeping’
Photo by James Frid on Pexels.com The Conservative Manifesto for the 2019 election said this: "We will end the blight of rough sleeping by the end of the next Parliament.” (p.30) With today’s announcement of a General Election in July, we will have a new Parliament this summer. And, as anyone who spends time in towns… Continue reading Why the government has failed to ‘end rough sleeping’
Let’s be more Frank about the politics of poverty
Last week saw the passing of one of my political heroes, Frank Field, the Labour MP who represented Birkenhead for 40 years. We were both graduates of Hull University and I first came across him when studying Social Work because of his work as Director of the Low Pay Unit and the Child Poverty Action… Continue reading Let’s be more Frank about the politics of poverty
‘What is truth?’ Pilate’s enduring question
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. As Roman Governor of Judea Pilate had to manage a region simmering with religious extremism and… Continue reading ‘What is truth?’ Pilate’s enduring question
Structural justice: we need to nationalise house building
Photo by SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS on Pexels.com In 1998 I bought a one-bed flat in Kings Cross. It cost me £62,000. The similar flat next door had been sold for £38,000 a few months before and I remember my new neighbour telling me I had been ‘diddled’. I only bought the flat because the estate where… Continue reading Structural justice: we need to nationalise house building
Overcoming polarisation, avoiding disaster – by Jonathan Thomas
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com In times of explosive and frightening polarisation one can despair of finding common ground. I grew up in such a world, a teenager in the mid 1980s, at the height of the Cold War. The US and the USSR held two competing ideologies, totally incomprehensible to each other. They were… Continue reading Overcoming polarisation, avoiding disaster – by Jonathan Thomas
Darkness cannot drive out darkness
Ever since I was at University, I have witnessed the anger and hatred that surrounds and underpins the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Nowhere in the world is there a deeper well of polarised bitterness and recriminatory violence.From Jewish friends I have learnt more about the reality of Anti-Semitism, its very recent impact on their… Continue reading Darkness cannot drive out darkness
Is the UK really polarised on immigration? – by Jonathan Thomas
My work on immigration policy for a think tank argues for a more open approach to immigration in the UK, but also one rooted in majority public consent and acceptance. The EU Referendum reminded us of the real and important differences in people’s experiences of and worldview around immigration. Those differences are quite natural and… Continue reading Is the UK really polarised on immigration? – by Jonathan Thomas
Grace + Truth 