Denying justice to least powerful
The UK government is making it harder to challenge state decisions, the chair of the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council has warned.
Scaremongering about immigration and human rights
Scaremongering about immigration and human rights is popular among UK politicians. So it was not surprising when Home Secretary Theresa May tried to exploit fears and prejudices on these topics at the annual conference of the Conservative Party (the dominant partner in the ruling coalition). But her speech did not go quite as planned.
Hope and uncertainty in Libya
In Libya, many are rejoicing as it appears the Gaddafi regime is about to fall. There are high hopes of an end to dictatorship and a new era of democracy. If this is the beginning of a time of peace and freedom for the Libyan people, it will also be a huge boost to other pro-democracy movements.
Riots, peaceful protest and the church’s role
On 14 August 2011, in church, we celebrated Mary, mother of Jesus. She first appears in the Gospels as a brave, dynamic teenager, hopeful of a better future for the oppressed through One she trusts – and willing to put her reputation and even life on the line for this.
Punishing rioters’ and looters’ families
Many people are angry and frightened at the rioting that has caused such damage in cities across England. Some favour harsh punishments. Ideas which have become popular include cutting off welfare benefits to those convicted and evicting their families from social housing. Wandsworth Council has reportedly already applied to the courts to evict a tenant whose son was involved.
Riots: looking towards underlying causes
Riots and looting have left large parts of Tottenham wrecked. The homes and possessions of some in this already disadvantaged area have gone up in smoke, and others may lose their livelihoods. As has now been extensively reported, other parts of London, and cities elsewhere in England, have also been hit.
Dangers of belief-based workplace opt-outs
The case of a Christian midwife who refused to wear trousers has again drawn attention to debates over faith in the workplace. She had been asked to leave a high dependency unit when she came in wearing her own dress rather than the scrub uniform.
Behind the Norway terror attacks
At least 92 people were reported dead in Norway, after a bomb blast and shooting spree on 22 July. There has been an outpouring of sympathy across the world for the victims, many of them young, and their families, and horror at this atrocity.
Romanticising the church?
The Church is “the visible sign of a faithful God”, declared the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was speaking at the Church of England’s General Synod on 9 July 2011, in York. He expressed the view that those present were “entrusted with the strength not to abandon and the joy of knowing ourselves not abandoned.”
Cost of conscience: naval Afghanistan objector detained
A horrific incident that happened three years ago has recently been reported in the Guardian as follows.
On 4 March 2007 a convoy of US marines, who arrived in Afghanistan three weeks earlier, were hit by an explosives-rigged mini-van outside the city of Jalalabad.
