I’m sure that you—like me—are attracted to simple and dramatic headlines. Of course, the fact that we pick up a newspaper or click on a link because of these headlines makes us part of the reason journalists write in such a dramatic fashion. However, life is rarely summed up so accurately in a headline or […]
government
Common sense just isn’t that common
Just so you know this piece will end with an ask, a call to action. It won’t be hard, complicated, or academic. It’s an ordinary ask… but just make sure you don’t miss it! Logical, simple answers to problems and obvious observations are always worth making. You see, it is really easy to make sophisticated […]
Widows and Orphans: a philosophy for action
I often hear asked, “As a person of faith, how do you approach working with people of other faiths?” People generally understand the interest in dialoguing together about faith (aka ‘interfaith’) and they understand that having a faith motivates people to act, to do good, and make a positive difference. But if people hold different […]
Mind the gap! The FaithAction Manifesto 2019
Many of us will be familiar with the signs and announcements on the underground in London, to ‘Mind the gap!’. You can even buy t-shirts with the slogan, as a souvenir of London. When we hear something frequently, we can stop paying attention. In the same way, we are in danger of not paying attention […]
5 million people in the UK – are you next?
There are now 13 local authorities who have adopted the Faith Covenant created by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Faith and Society (of which FaithAction is the secretariat). That means 5 million people are covered by the faith covenant in; Birmingham Leeds Northampshire Barnet Solihull Calderale Southampton Blackpool Essex Brent Wolverhamton Preston Brighton […]
The Treaty of Versailles is 100 years old – so what?
The Treaty formally ending the First World War was signed a hundred years ago, on the 28th June 1919. Most school children in the United Kingdom will learn about this event, yet it wasn’t really a long lasting treaty, as much of what it laid out was overturned within 20 years. So what’s the point? […]
New Britain – how about it?
One day, the current political impasse will be over and our politicians will start lifting their heads from their tightly-wedged positions gazing firmly into their navels. It is, of course, a little unfair to put all the blame on Westminster: it’s not like Parliament is disunited and the rest of the country is at peace […]
The Brexit stab in the back – lessons from 1919 for 2019
Have you ever tried to explain to someone that they’ve got their facts wrong and have totally misunderstood what is going on? How about if that person felt a little threatened? How about if they were suspicious of your motives and suspected you were undermining them? How did that conversation go? Did you change their […]
We don’t need more police to tackle knife crime – we need more society
It’s great to hear a ‘common sense’ answer: they are easy to understand and they make great sound bites. Political campaigns are built on common sense slogans and administrations are hobbled by trying to make them a reality. As we look at the disturbing rise in knife crime and deaths of young people in our […]
There isn’t a problem between faiths – people who think faith is a problem are the problem!
Sometimes being on the outside of a situation gives us a better perspective; there can be real wisdom in hearing alternative voices and gaining insight. But when an outside philosophy or world-view is imposed by one group on another without any semblance of adaptation or integration, then that external perspective would be better termed ‘prejudice’. […]