Founder of Community Cohesion and advocate of Interculturalism. Independent views for sustainable communities & political reform. Advisor @BelongNetwork
This year is the 25th anniversary of my report establishing the concept of community cohesion to tackle ‘parallel lives’, the stereotypes and fear of the ‘other’. Some good work over the years, but still no sign of the long term capacity needed for learning to live together
There are now a few attempts to control the misinformation on social media )not as yet very effective) But the other side of the coin is that we need to protect and promote the legacy media based on responsible and professional journalism. These standards have to be enforced
"The regulatory response to GB News has been very poor. There can be a GB News - that is not the issue - but they should play by the same rules as everybody else, and they do not." 🔥
ITV's non-executive director gave evidence at CMS Select Committee in a consultation about BBC.
Ethnicity used to be a major dividing line, but acceptance has improved- if only to be replaced by faith and cultural differences. We need to rethink what is meant by ‘faith in the public sphere’ and the implications of this
Last week we were joined by @Moreincommon_ to walk through new research findings that, while Brits support freedom of belief, they draw a line at harmful or divisive practices and religious privilege. You can now read all about it - or watch it back👇
https://t.co/o1utJHtEXv
So who is behind ‘France Regard’ on X? Just 510 followers but with enormous numbers of likes and retweets. With pro-Russian and Anti-Ukraine posts, makes you wonder why
😡 ZELENSKY ET SA FEMME DANS LE COLLIMATEUR : LA CORRUPTION UKRAINIENNE ATTEINT DES SOMMETS PENDANT QU’IL MENDIE DES MILLIARDS ! 🔥
Le cauchemar de la corruption en Ukraine ne s’arrête plus : maintenant, c’est la femme de Zelensky elle-même, Olena, qui risque de faire face à des enquêtes anti-corruption du NABU !
Leaked tapes, pots-de-vin, blanchiment d’argent, scandales de luxe… même son cercle intime est dans le viseur. Pendant que l’Ukraine est en guerre et que Zelensky pleure pour obtenir des centaines de milliards d’euros et de dollars des contribuables européens et américains, sa famille et son entourage s’en mettent plein les poches.
Voilà la vraie politique de Zelensky :
Une guerre sans fin financée par l’Occident
Un régime pourri jusqu’à la moelle où même sa femme est soupçonnée
Des milliards qui disparaissent pendant que les Ukrainiens paient le prix fort
C’est le même homme qui fait la morale au monde entier tout en laissant son pays devenir un véritable paradis de la corruption. Luxe, scandales et hypocrisie totale pendant que l’Europe se ruine pour le soutenir.
#ZelenskyCorrompu #CorruptionUkraine #OlenaZelenska #StopMilliardsZelensky #PaixMaintenant #ZelenskyClown #LaFranceAuxFrancais
It’s good that this is taking place but politicians have not heeded similar reviews in the past, so this needs to result in a long term plan to build cohesion and deal with the separation of communities - including schools which have become more divided
At a time when we've gone from understanding to blaming, from agreements to agendas — it can feel like no one's listening. Today, the National Conversation launches. One of the largest independent research projects of its kind. 🧵 👇
Well, my statistics lecturer used to warn about the danger of simple correlations with the example of the ‘perfect’ rise in the number of storks arriving in Denmark and the matched increase in the birth rate.
Superb by @jburnmurdoch:
“In country after country the birth rate plunged after the introduction of smartphones, no matter what the previous trend was…the modern digital media environment has had profound effects on society that have led to a decline in romantic coupling”.
https://t.co/EouWmES1zk
@TedCantle@TedCantle is correct that we need an exclusively secular approach to social funding that only allocates funding on an objective, independent and secular basis. The drift to identity-based allocations for funding is causing more difficulties than it is solving.
This grant should be stopped. By all means engage communities with science but doing so on the basis of faith, rather than place or area which would bring people together, is divisive. And in any case faith organisations should not be funded in a secular society.
Fifteen churches and Christian organisations have been awarded nearly £300,000 of grants to support engagement between #science and faith @eclasproject#ScienceAndFaith
https://t.co/gdvCuApOx6
"Treating Jewish people collectively as responsible for the actions of the Israeli state, excusing intimidation or violence against them, or glorifying terrorist movements targeting them crosses the line from legitimate political expression into antisemitism."
https://t.co/LjV9yZSMFa
Surely at this time, the problems of segregating children (and their parental networks) is all too apparent. Schools should be the bedrock of integration to build connections and tolerance
A proposed CofE school takeover in Guilford would see a non-religious primary be amalgamated into a merged church school.
Parents and children should be able to access inclusive, secular education. We’ve urged the council to reconsider👇
https://t.co/QHgR6LxSXE
This is welcome news, but it will mean confronting the underlying ‘freedom restricting harassment’ that has been allowed to solidify in some communities. It will require real commitment and the political will that has been absent in the past https://t.co/bogOlX6MYj
Government needs to think through what is meant by ‘faith in the public realm’. Faith identities for some are growing as religiosity is declining overall in the UK. Yet faith is being empowered. ‘Protests may need to be stopped in some cases, PM suggests’ https://t.co/6jVWMK1iRn
Parliament is the only working environment where alcohol is allowed, despite the importance of decisions and the abusive culture. It should be stopped and MPs and staff found drinking, in or outside, in working hours should be disciplined as in any other workplace
‘If you have people working very long hours then you ought to keep them happy, and a boozer is one surefire way to ward off rebellion.’
@RowanPelling on the benefits of MPs drinking on the job 👇
https://t.co/3L5uby8UIu
🌊 Our ocean CAN recover but only if we let it! The govt has allowed overfishing in UK waters to carry on, unchecked, for far too long. So we're sounding the alarm 🚨
Take action with us and give UK seas a real chance to bounce back! 👉 https://t.co/PiPr1NBJlV
Working together, water companies are building 10 new reservoirs over the next 15 years and beyond.
Our population is growing so we need more water. By doing the work today, we’re protecting our water supply for tomorrow.
The failure to tackle climate change by reducing emissions quickly enough makes geoengineering essential. ‘A new way to cool the Earth: give clouds a silver lining’
https://t.co/V9brF9ZkZl
This is a clear contradiction. Government needs to be much more robust on the separation of faith and state, faith must be protected but not privileged. And multi faith societies put more pressure on this division which means even more clarity is needed.
Bridget Phillipson says universities should be places where “truth and reason triumph, not dogma”.
So why are Bible colleges receiving £80m+ in public funding despite requiring staff & students to sign doctrinal commitments?
Op-ed: @stephenmevans1 👇
https://t.co/Vk7fqNJvWn
Healthy ecosystems are key to the health and well-being of people everywhere.
This International Wellness Day, explore how the Global Biodiversity Framework supports the #GlobalGoals for a healthy planet and people:
https://t.co/fvrDoDbSiP
We often think human rights are about ‘me’ rather than ‘we’, so it is good to hear “We need to show that human rights are about shared rules that apply to everyone, including those we dislike or disagree with, and that they can both protect individuals and help hold communities together.”
Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson delivered her first keynote speech to mark her first 100 days in her role as our Chair, sharing her vision for equality and human rights in Great Britain.
Watch and read the full speech here 👉https://t.co/wk1YYAemla
The logical conclusion of the Badenoch speech is very clear - that all faith schools will end as no admissions would be based upon faith. However, this is not explicit and would be a big commitment, so is it for real?
Reminder: you can read the full report on research we commissioned from @Moreincommon_ into British attitudes to secularism and social cohesion below👇
https://t.co/akOW05LMQd