Politics, Social action

Honour where it’s due: Neil Jameson & the difference between profile & real influence

I am not a big fan of the Honours system which awards Knighthoods, CBEs, OBEs and MBEs every year. Again this year there has been controversy over political bias in the awards as the director of the Conservative election campaign, Lynton Crosby, was given a knighthood. And as The Times reports, despite only 7% of the… Continue reading Honour where it’s due: Neil Jameson & the difference between profile & real influence

Ethics & Christian living, Politics

‘A revolution of the heart’ – Remembering Dorothy Day

Today is the 35th anniversary of the death of the radical catholic activist, Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker movement in the 1930s. She was a journalist who, after converting to Catholicism, worked in New York, running a house of hospitality for homeless people and working for peace through her writing, protest and civil disobedience. She… Continue reading ‘A revolution of the heart’ – Remembering Dorothy Day

Homelessness, Politics

I’m agnostic, but if it wasn’t for Christians many more homeless people would die on the streets – by Paul Anderson

Photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels.com I have worked for a variety of homeless charities for over 20 years, so generally not much surprises me when it comes to the reality of poverty and destitution. However, this week I was out doing a street count in London to assess how many people are actually sleeping on the… Continue reading I’m agnostic, but if it wasn’t for Christians many more homeless people would die on the streets – by Paul Anderson

Politics

Holy rows: why disputes between Church and Government will increase

Photo by Altaf Shah on Pexels.com This weekend saw another avalanche of media coverage about a row between the Church and the government. This time it relates to the refugee crisis. The Bishops have accused the government of dragging its feet and not responding adequately to their offers to help mobilise the churches. Stephen Cotterill, Bishop of Chelmsford, said:… Continue reading Holy rows: why disputes between Church and Government will increase

Politics

The boy on the beach: when the political becomes personal 

1972, a Vietnamese girl, Kim Phúc, burnt by napalm, flees naked and crying from her bombed village. 1989, a solitary pro-democracy protester resolutely stands in front of a line of tanks in Tiannamen Square and blocks their path. Both were just ordinary people out of thousands caught up in the turmoil and crisis of war and political… Continue reading The boy on the beach: when the political becomes personal 

Politics

We are the problem: Western militarism created this ‘refugee crisis’ – by Alan Storkey

Photo by Ahmed akacha on Pexels.com Home is where the heart is for most of the world’s population. People do not readily leave home, family, jobs, friends and their familiar life to tramp across borders and take their lives in hock in perilous crossings. Our public reflection on this issue is so shallow.  We freeze… Continue reading We are the problem: Western militarism created this ‘refugee crisis’ – by Alan Storkey

Politics

Help needed: I am a Labour member and I haven’t a clue who to vote for as leader

Photo by Markus Winkler on Pexels.com I have been a member of the Labour party since 1994 when I was in the final year of my Social Work degree. I almost joined when John Smith was leader but it was Tony Blair's ascent to the top job which inspired me to take the step.  For the first time I felt genuine… Continue reading Help needed: I am a Labour member and I haven’t a clue who to vote for as leader

Politics

All right-thinking people should now boycott The Daily Mail

Last year, I wrote a post arguing that Christians should lead the way in a boycott The Daily Mail due to its campaign against overseas aid. Today, The Mail has descended further into the pit of the worst type of journalism with this incredible election headline: It is simply incredible that any newspaper could use the… Continue reading All right-thinking people should now boycott The Daily Mail

Politics

‘He was so nearly a good man’: Tony Blair on Pontius Pilate

Tony Blair's Christian faith is most commonly associated with a comment which was not even made by him. It was Blair's press secretary, Alistair Campbell, who famously said 'We don't do God' due to his concerns about how the language of faith is so easily misconstrued. But, in contrast to the banal nonsense that David… Continue reading ‘He was so nearly a good man’: Tony Blair on Pontius Pilate

Politics

David Cameron’s Easter Message: wrong on so many levels

Photo by Harry Shum on Pexels.com David Cameron has written an Easter message to Christians. It has been published by Premier Christianity as 'an exclusive' which they summarise as 'Prime Minister David Cameron speaks up on the significance of the Christian faith.' Danny Webster, a moderate and sensible commentator on faith in public life, is savage in… Continue reading David Cameron’s Easter Message: wrong on so many levels