Nuclear weapons have been back in the news again. In the final few days before his inauguration, President Trump appeared first to challenge Russia to an arms race before then using nuclear weapons as bargaining chips in the ongoing debate over sanctions against Russia. In a climate where there is …
Blog
‘Incentives’, or walking by on the other side of the road
The Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, has said this country is going to close its scheme helping unaccompanied child refugees because “We don’t want to incentivise [child refugee] journeys to Europe”. The Home Office appears to be arguing that the cause of children fleeing conflict zones such as Syria and …
DWP Benefit Cap Announcement: More Leeches please!
For over 2,000 years medics cut people open or applied leaches to remove blood from people suffering from diseases ranging from cancer to haemorrhoids. With the wrong diagnosis and a dangerous treatment, it is not surprising that the medics didn’t do any good. The practice remained popular because …
Admiral West’s Offer to MPs
MPs are frustrated with the UK Government’s “stupid”[ref]Admiral Lord Alan West in evidence to the Defence Committee, Tuesday 24 January[/ref] secrecy over the failure of the UK’s Trident missile test in June 2016. Admiral Lord West, who previously had responsibility for the …
Responding to Trump’s Executive Order on Immigration
Churches in America have responded strongly to President’s Trump executive order on immigration. In a spirit of solidarity and shared concerns we share here a selection of the statements made by our sister Churches. Presbyterian Church …
The Triumph of Torture?
On Friday the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom stood beside a man who was calmly supporting torture as an appropriate and effective tool to fight terrorism and she said nothing. She certainly did not agree with the suggestion that torture was acceptable – but she did not openly disagree …
Supporting Asylum Seekers in Wakefield
Flora Davis from Wakefield Baptist Church tells the story of work with asylum seekers in Wakefield. Wakefield hosts the Home Office dispersal centre for the north-east of England. This means that there are always around 200 asylum seekers in the city, most of them newly arrived in the UK and all …
Personal and political action on climate change – World’s oldest Methodist Church goes green
Church members and their national church organisations are seeking to protect God’s creation for future generations through both personal and political action. Two programmes, EcoChurch in England and Wales and the Big Church Switch have been established to provide help. Both schemes are …
The failed Trident missile test is emblematic of a wider malaise
How fitting that the UK’s failed test firing of a Trident nuclear missile in June occurred as Donald Trump launched his Presidential campaign. President Trump has stated that he is not in favour of subsidising the cost of Europe’s nuclear weapons. The US-owned Trident missiles are leased …
Action on arms sales to Saudi Arabia
(Updated 6 Nov 2018) In the light of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi there is a renewed public focus on the human rights abuses of the government of Saudi Arabia. See Following the murder of Jamal Khashoggi the UK must halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia. The conflict in Yemen has killed over 10,000 …