Category: Social commentary

It is my birthday this week, so with lockdown easing, our family all got in the car to visit my parents yesterday. It was our first trip together for months. My three children were especially looking forward to a slap-up (if socially-distanced) Sunday lunch cooked by their Granny. As a bonus, we were also going… Continue reading The petrol station Samaritan: how ‘Namaste Man’ saved my birthday

On Windrush Day, today, we celebrate the contribution of so many from the Caribbean that responded to the UK government’s request for help to rebuild post-war Britain.They came, suffered ongoing racial abuse, but struggled through, becoming part of the nation’s backbone, fulfilling so many of our keyworker roles, which many of their children and grandchildren… Continue reading Something YOU can do on Windrush Day – by Adrian Lock

No-one I know wants to be called a racist. Do you? All my White friends would be horrified by the accusation. We would all sign up to a ‘progressive’ set of values that would say diversity is ‘a good thing’ and racial discrimination is a ‘bad thing’. We are all horrified by the killing of… Continue reading Confessions of a racist – by Adrian Lock

“Unless you’re part of the solution, Adrian, you’re part of the problem” said my Black female colleague. It was a statement that felt unfair and shook my sense of identity to the core. The year was 1999 and the government body I was working for was still digesting the MacPherson Inquiry Report into the death… Continue reading The Silence of the Leaders – by Adrian Lock

‘Never ask, "Why were things so much better in the old days?" It's not an intelligent question.’ (Ecclesiastes 7:10) There is often no shortage of people in churches who look back fondly on the past. In times gone by there always seems to be more vision, more energy and more faith. A similar tendency affects… Continue reading Nostalgia just ain’t what it used to be…

I have lived in Streatham, South London for 17 years. Its where all my three children have been raised and go to school. Its where we go to church, where my wife works and where countless friends live.  We are proud to say that Streatham is our community. Yesterday, a young man attacked members of… Continue reading Streatham: twisted religion cannot destroy loving faith in community

Guest post by Simon Hall Eddie Izzard gave me something to think about, but it wasn’t his jokes. I think I can count myself as a member of the Liberal Metropolitan Elite (let's call us the LME). After all, the BBC told me I was. I live in the bohemian part of town, but in one… Continue reading Eddie Izzard kicked me out of the Liberal Metropolitan Elite

The most important factor in the health of any team, organisation, club, household or relationship is this: how well are critical conversations handled? Are key issues talked through honestly? Or are they avoided and left to fester? Anxiety Difficult issues provoke anxiety for those involved. But unless tackled, they can be like weeds which grow… Continue reading Telling the truth: the importance of critical conversations

The Defence Security Equipment International (DSEI) is the world’s largest arms fair. Over 30,000 people attend from over 50 countries, including representatives from some of the most oppressive regimes in the world. It takes place in the docklands, in the East End of London. This area was the most heavily bombed part of the UK… Continue reading Painting My Protest – by Susan White