The merger of the Department for International Development (DFID) into the Foreign Office was one of those worst kept secrets, a case of when not if. In effect it’s a bit of restricting, a bit of musical chairs. Of greater importance than what departments exist in government, is the effectiveness of their objectives. This means… Continue reading The end of the Department For International Aid (DFID) should encourage a bigger conversation about governments, aid and charity
Tag: Public Theology
Free School Meal vouchers over the summer will not deal with the problem of poverty
Well done to Marcus Rashford, his campaign seems to have encouraged the government to extend provision of free school meal vouchers through the official 6 weeks holiday. If that means the result is that a number of children are properly fed over the summer then that is a good thing. However, this is not going… Continue reading Free School Meal vouchers over the summer will not deal with the problem of poverty
Kings and nations tremble at his voice
I’m reposting this article from 2016. It offers reflection on how we respond to geo-political turmoil. The opening paragraph refers to the Brexit referendum, to David Cameron, Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn and Donald Trump’s election as US President. It seems pertinent today as we reflect back both on 4 years of turmoil. Brexit eventually happened… Continue reading Kings and nations tremble at his voice
Protest
Here’s our #AfternoonTea discussion on protests. Key points include There is a long tradition of marching and demonstrating as a means of making our voices heard. There are democratic freedoms allowing us to do this and benefits include that it gives a sense of action and participation beyond simply marking a cross at the ballot… Continue reading Protest
Why talk about public policy on a faith blog?
From time to time I engage with issues that are a little political on faithroots. In the past we’ve talked about Brexit, Presidential elections and the 2019 General Election (although by mailchimp as the blog wasn’t running at that point). Currently I’m engaging with the issues relating to Coronavirus and not just about the church… Continue reading Why talk about public policy on a faith blog?
Let them eat cake – thoughts on fairness and justice
This week on Afternoon Tea we are exploring questions about fairness and justice. In our first slot of the week, we talked about the difference between equality of outcome and equality of opportunity. I suggested that we might represent this simply by thinking in terms of sharing out a cake (because I like cake). Imagine… Continue reading Let them eat cake – thoughts on fairness and justice
Who judges?
Traditionally in our legal system there are distinct roles in ensuring that the Law is obeyed. The Police are responsible for enforcing the Law. This means that they seek to prevent crimes being committed by acting to pre-empt criminal activity. It means that when someone has broken the law they have the power to arrest… Continue reading Who judges?
“Do not judge…”
“Who are we to judge?” It’s one of those argument ending killer phrases isn’t it? Usually the phrase is then followed up by two other phrases. “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.”[1] “let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”[2] The deployment of these phrases are designed to… Continue reading “Do not judge…”
Cummings and Goings
As promised, here is part two of my thoughts on the Dominic Cummings case. I want to focus here on the question of how we interact with rules. The key question for DC’s future is whether or not he did break any rules. If he broke lockdown rules, then this is serious because he has… Continue reading Cummings and Goings
Learning the wrong lessons from a crisis
Don’t you long for the days of good old political knock about and debate? December, the General Election and Jeremy Corbyn’s resignation as Labour leader seems so far away now. For us political anoraks, this week should have been a big occasion. We would be looking forward to the special conference revealing a new leader… Continue reading Learning the wrong lessons from a crisis
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