BRIEFING
Polluted rivers stop construction of new homes in England
MORE THAN SEVEN PER CENT OF ALL ENGLAND'S PLANNED HOUSE BUILDING cannot go ahead due to river pollution levels, with further house building banned in other areas because of low water levels, analysis by the Local Government Association (LGA) reveals. The LGA said its...
Young women ‘filled with dread’ and forced into debt
THE YOUNG WOMEN'S TRUST has released the results of its annual survey of young women, finding?a bleak picture, with young mothers experiencing particular disadvantage. The survey of over 4,000 young women aged 18 to 30 and over 1,000 young men found that over half of...
Ten-fold increase in nurse recruitment from ‘red list’ countries
THE UK IS RECRUITING NURSES from a third of the world’s most short-staffed countries, new analysis reveals. New joiners to the UK nursing workforce include personnel from 14 countries on a 'red list' of 47 from which the UK Government insists they should not be...
800,000 children in poverty in England do not get free school meals
THE CHILD POVERTY ACTION GROUP (CPAG), has published new analysis based on free school meals data released by the Department for Education, showing that children in poverty in England continue to be overlooked by government measures. Over one in three (800,000)...
UK urged to sign Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
THE FIRST MEETING OF STATES PARTIES (1MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will take place in Vienna, Austria from 21 to 23 June 2022. At this inaugural meeting, States Parties will commit to concrete actions to implement obligations under...
COMMENTARY
Thoughts on a Platinum Jubilee
THE BEGINNING OF THE FOUR DAY PLATINUM JUBILEE seems a good time to unpack some of the absurdities, pitfalls and occasional outright cruelties associated with both royalist and republican points of view. In childhood, my father told me that you can learn quite a lot...
The Platinum Jubilee and the Peasants’ Revolt
AS WE APPROACH FOUR DAYS of national events to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee it seems worth pointing out that today (30 May) marks the anniversary of the beginning of the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381. At that time, the population had been devastated by a...
Resisting the false logic of destruction
AS AN ANABAPTIST/MENNONITE PACIFIST, I recognise that I cannot expect the nations of the world to operate according to my convictions. But that does not mean that those convictions have no relevance for world affairs. For instance, I think one can critique US nuclear...
Community engagement and the unwinding of Christendom
THE EARLY CHURCH'S TEACHING on charity, David Bentley Hart reminds us, “raised the care of widows, orphans, the sick, the imprisoned, and the poor to the level of the highest religious obligation.” The duties of the bishop in the third century included taking...
The UK Government’s other problem with trust
GIVING CASH TO PEOPLE ON LOW INCOMES is arguably one of the best and most cost-effective investments a government can make. But our UK government distrusts and humiliates those in need of small amounts of cash, whilst dispensing billions to the already wealthy. At the...
MEDIA
UPDATES
Eastertide reflections from Ekklesia
IN THE PAST we have maintained a tradition on Ekklesia of publishing reflections or articles to mark the darkness and hope of Easter. That has happened on many years, though not all. This time we kick off with a longer thought piece on the troubled texts of Holy Week...
Launch: Exchange of Gifts
WE ARE DELIGHTED that our latest book, Exchange of Gifts: The Vision of Simon Barrington-Ward, edited by Graham Kings and Ian Randall, has been launched officially today. ?? The launch was at Magdalene College, Cambridge. Over 50 people were present in person, and...
No war in Ukraine: for peace and human rights
'NO WAR IN UKRAINE: for peace and human rights' - an online seminar - takes place at 5pm (GMT - 6pm CET) on Monday 24 January. This event is a joint initiative between Another Europe is Possible?and European Alternatives. There is a new threat of war in Europe.?An...