In my article about the EHCR report on anti-Semitism I started to raise the issue of complicity. There is a level at which we all as a society (perhaps with one or two exceptions) have to recognise a level of complicity in the way that this toxic evil was allowed to get to the heartContinue reading “Complicity and saying sorry”
Category Archives: Opinion
Why we still have an anti-Semitism problem
It would be easy to sit back now and say “well that’s it, anti-Semitism is dealt with.” After all, it was a small problem affecting a few extremists in the Labour Party for a short period in their history. I am not convinced. I think the problem runs deeper and here are a few reasonsContinue reading “Why we still have an anti-Semitism problem”
The shameful case of anti-Semitism in British politics
The EHRC report on anti-Semitism in the Labour Party has now been published.[1] The headline summary is that: “The Party is responsible for three breaches of the Equality Act (2010) relating to: political interference in antisemitism complaints failure to provide adequate training to those handling antisemitism complaints harassment”[2] Before I go on with further commentContinue reading “The shameful case of anti-Semitism in British politics”
The US presidential election – how do you choose?
I’ve posted a couple of articles about the US Presidential election already and I’ll probably include a few more as we get closer to the 2nd November. Although I’m posting from Britain, I do get some US readers and there are of course some American citizens entitled to vote who live here (although they willContinue reading “The US presidential election – how do you choose?”
The election that affects us all
Often it is those most affected by a decision who get the least say in it. Think about the London Mayoral election. The Mayor has been able to impose a congestion charge and also has powers over how the London Underground functions but who is most affected by those decisions? Well arguably it is theContinue reading “The election that affects us all”
Is our approach to COVID-19 really that novel?
One of the claims that is doing the round at the moment is that not only is COVID-19 itself novel but that the approaches we have been taking to combat the virus are new. The argument is that suddenly we are using things like masks, social distancing and lockdowns to attempt to control a virusContinue reading “Is our approach to COVID-19 really that novel?”
John Piper is right -the US Presidential Election is about character and pride first
John Piper has been raising eyebrows this week. In an article, he argued that pride in a presidential candidate is as dangerous and likely to cause death as having a president with a liberal attitude to abortion laws. The surprising thing is that this in effect puts him at odds with his generation and hisContinue reading “John Piper is right -the US Presidential Election is about character and pride first”
Free School Meals – The Elephant in the Room
In the summer, Marcus Rashford launched a successful campaign to get free school meal provision extended into the summer holidays. At the time, I wrote that whilst he should be congratulated, this was not in fact a long term solution to childhood food poverty. My argument at the time was that we should be askingContinue reading “Free School Meals – The Elephant in the Room”
Following The Science … or The Sciences? How much disagreement really?
Every so often in life, you will hear someone say “well there are so many different opinions on x, therefore I am completely entitled to believe y” at which point they introduce a completely new option that no sane person in the debate would ever endorse. The belief that there are lots and lots ofContinue reading “Following The Science … or The Sciences? How much disagreement really?”
You can’t stop a virus from spreading that has already spread
This week the Welsh First Minister announced that people living in Tier 2 and 3 areas in England would be banned from entering Wales. Ostensibly this is to help prevent or reduce a spike of cases in Wales. I suspect that in reality, this is more about the type of political posturing I complained aboutContinue reading “You can’t stop a virus from spreading that has already spread”
