There’s a danger in the UK of equating policy-making with the halls of Westminster. While this undeniably a key component of UK policy making it is not the only one. In order to affect change in the UK it is essential to understand where different jurisdictions lie and act accordingly. Lobbying your …
When does change happen?
As we mentioned in our first part, political institutions are dominated by deep-rooted norms and values, and therefore are often highly resistant to change. However, this does not preclude the possibility of change under the right conditions. But this change is complex and is a result of many …
Why is change so slow?
There are almost unlimited amounts of policy problems that could be addressed by government. So why is it that some issues make it to the top of the government agenda and others do not? Why do governments make the decisions that they do? And is there any way that we can be a part of this …
Joint Interfaith Statement on the 75th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
6 August 2020 The following statement has been released by 189 organisations representing different faiths, on the 75th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As a wide coalition of faith-based communities from around the world, we have committed to speaking with one …
Peace and Pandemics
What could COVID-19 teach us about responding to the threat of nuclear weapons? How might Christians respond? It is widely acknowledged that COVID-19 has accentuated and laid bare many pre-existing issues within society, and has set a precedent for governments taking significant action when a …
Singing into a perfect storm
As leader of the Joint Public Issues Team, Rachel Lampard calls the Church to a new song of opposition against increased antisemitism. Friends of mine, who I didn’t even realise were Jewish, told me last year how worried they were about the antisemitism being stirred up in politics. Then an …
UN Security Council adopts the call for a global ceasefire
In April 2020, the JPIT partner Churches joined the UN Secretary General’s call for a global ceasefire to enable Governments to respond to the threat of Coronavirus, along with many civil society groups and over 70 nations. On 1st July, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution …
Call on the Chancellor to Cancel the Debt
This week, finance ministers from the G20 countries will meet again, and high on their agenda will be responding to the pandemic. When these ministers met in April, many of you supported the call for the cancellation of debt payments for developing countries. This was followed by an agreement for …
Holiday Hunger, Summer 2020
Each year around 3 million children – of whom 1 million receive free school meals – are at risk of “holiday hunger”. These families’ budgets have difficulty stretching to meet the added costs of having children at home full time. In many ways, this year will look very different – but the pressures …
Universal Credit is still not delivering
Today, the government spending watchdog the National Audit Office has reported on Universal Credit and has again found it wanting. The government has been very keen to say how successful they have been in enrolling people onto Universal Credit during the Covid crisis. But this report lays out …