How should we respond to local/regional COVID-19 hotspots?

Over the last few days attention has begun to focus on a few towns and places where Coronavirus cases are on the increase again. Bolton is increasingly making it into the headlines but there are other places where this is causing concern including Bedford. The other concerning factor is that these increases tend to be… Continue reading How should we respond to local/regional COVID-19 hotspots?

What lessons will the UK learn from the COVID-19 pandemic?

At some point in the next few months, we can expect the Government to set up a review of the impact that the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic had on the UK and the effectiveness of our response to it. What kinds of things should the review look at? What lessons should we be learning? Here are… Continue reading What lessons will the UK learn from the COVID-19 pandemic?

Reflections on elections

Last Thursday was the first significant electoral event in the UK since the 2019 General Election and since COVID. As well as local council elections, there were votes for metro mayors, the devolved assemblies/parliaments and a by-election in Hartlepool. So, what did those election results tell us about he current state of the parties. Labour… Continue reading Reflections on elections

That Hideous Strength (book review)

No, not the third in the CS Lewis Sci-Fi Trilogy, although the title is drawn from that book. This is Melvin Tinker’s analysis of the cultural dangers that the church and indeed Western society more broadly are facing today. Unsurprisingly, the primary cultural dangers identified by Tinker are the post-modern approach to tolerance that blurs… Continue reading That Hideous Strength (book review)

It’s not a left-wing thing to be against racism and antisemitism

Occasionally people have a go at labelling my political leanings. Fascinatingly, I’ve been identified as “left-wing” on a few occasions recently. Now, whilst I try to stay clear of party political endorsements on Faithroots, I do touch on matters of public policy including economics, freedom of speech, etc. You may draw your own conclusions on… Continue reading It’s not a left-wing thing to be against racism and antisemitism

COVID-19: What we need to know about a possible third wave

We are currently hearing a lot of speculation about a possible third wave of COVID-19 and why this means we must be cautious about how we come out of lockdown. It has been suggested that if a third wave hits then this could lead to a return to previous restrictions and a longer period of… Continue reading COVID-19: What we need to know about a possible third wave

The proposed European Super League exposes our idolatry

The news cycle moves on. What has knocked coronavirus and a royal death off of the headlines this week? That’s right, it’s football and proposals for a European Super League. The plan is for 12 of the richest and largest clubs in Europe to break away from their national leagues to form their own competition,… Continue reading The proposed European Super League exposes our idolatry

Vaccine Passports – what are our priorities?

There’s ongoing debate about the pros and cons of Vaccine passports. The concerns are particularly coming from those who see such measures as an assault on individual liberties. This means that we’ve seen some Christian leaders speaking out against them. The fear cited is that such measures will lead to people being excluded from church… Continue reading Vaccine Passports – what are our priorities?

It’s not just whether we get out of the pandemic but how that matters

The British approach to vaccine roll out has on one level been impressive. There were two important decisions made. The first was to go in early and negotiate contracts to ensure a good supply of the vaccine. The second was the calculated risk to extend the period between first and second dose in order to… Continue reading It’s not just whether we get out of the pandemic but how that matters

When the situation is complex, keep the Comms simple

I remember someone at the start of the pandemic who was in the know (genuinely in the know, not someone who knew a friend of a friend), sharing at a briefing to church leaders that when the Government said it was following the science, this included behavioural scientists. My initial reaction to that was “uh… Continue reading When the situation is complex, keep the Comms simple