In 2010 the Coalition legislated to change the governance of police forces, introducing Police and Crime Commissioners. Ministers said that the aim was to give local communities a stronger voice in policing, and appealed for people with no previous political experience to come forward to stand in the first elections in November 2012.
There is an interesting article in this month’s Prospect magazine on the response in France to the Charlie Hebdo murders. (‘What’s wrong with France’s schools?’ subscription needed) In it, Lucy Wadham looks at French educational practice and argues that its reaction to the terror threat is threatening to make the problem worse.
“David Cameron, do you know how many food banks there were in this country when you came to power?” “Ed Miliband, do you think Britain is full?”
A tenth of 12 to 13-year old children in the UK fear that they are “addicted” to pornography, according to a new survey by NSPCC ChildLine. One in five of those asked had seen pornographic images that shocked or upset them.
In Celtic Spirituality a ‘thin place’ is any space where the veil between heaven and earth seems gossamer thin; when we find ourselves in the presence of the numinous. For me, theatre is and always has been a thin place; holy ground.
The Theos report ‘A Very Modern Ministry: Chaplaincy in the UK’ provides a comprehensive study of chaplaincy across sectors, marking a significant contribution to the field of chaplaincy studies. However, the report acknowledges the predominance of Christian voices in its account of chaplaincy, despite the development of multi-faith approaches to chaplaincy. While the report questions the continued dominance of Christian voices, I suggest that there are several factors contributing to the dearth of perspectives from minority faith groups involved in chaplaincy:
The most comprehensive audit of chaplains in the UK has found that they are now from every faith, and are to be found in casinos, shopping centres and airports as well as their more traditional habitats of hospitals, prisons and the military.
The most comprehensive audit of chaplains in the UK has found that they are now from every faith and are to be found in casinos, shopping centres and airports as well as their more traditional habitats of hospitals, prisons and the military.
Religious coverage in the media is a strange game. Last week a painfully thoughtful, nuanced and balanced pastoral letter from the Anglican bishops attracted ferocious attacks from the right wing press and conservative politicians. This week the Catholic bishops delivered a rather more fiery, short and direct letter which has attracted barely a whimper of coverage.