• Has the Church Abandoned the Poor?

    Has the Church Abandoned the Poor?

    In April 2018, Philip North, Bishop of Burnley expressed the opinion that there was “a widespread perception among northern DDOs [diocesan directors of ordinands] that candidates from working-class backgrounds with northern accents are victims of prejudice” in the selection process for ordination training.  Bishop North has, in recent years, become one of the sharpest critics…

  • The Problem With Policing

    The Problem With Policing

    Expressing your aversion to the police as an institution immediately elicits some variation of the same question each time: “what if someone’s breaking into my house?” or “what if someone attacks me?”.  People worry about being the victim of, or witness to a crime, and this is completely understandable.  Problems soon come though, when such…

  • 5 Steps to a Communist Christmas

    5 Steps to a Communist Christmas

    With Christmas Day imminent, it can be easy to get caught up in the last minute dash to the shops, or the frustration of planning something everyone will enjoy.  The whole Christmas season can become overshadowed by things that have no right to take up our time and thoughts, so with that in mind, here…

  • Joy in Enough: Economics for People and Planet

    “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”  So goes Henry Ford’s oft parroted quote.  It is particularly popular with Donald Trump, who has tweeted it on at least three separate occasions.  Of course it’s easy for someone like Donald Trump to say, starting out, as…