Displaying items by tag: British Isles

From 4 August to 11 November 2018 there will be a hundred days of prayer for peace, marking the centenary of the end of World War 1. Some 65 million men were mobilised across Europe during this war. On 11 November, people will remember them, but also will pray and work for peace. On 4 August 1918, George V called for 100 days of prayer across the country. This year, throughout those 100 days, there will be prayers and actions for peace. People can sign up to take part and spend just a few minutes of their day, adding their prayers to those of tens of thousands more throughout the season of prayers for peace.  The period will culminate in Peace Parties on 11 November in communities across the nation. For details of the many organisations providing resources needed to stage a local event, click the ‘More’ button.

Thank God! Christians have finally been told they can wear crosses and religious symbols at work. New official guidance will warn that dress codes will NOT be allowed to ban such items. Non-compliant companies could be fined or forced to pay compensation. Equalities minister Victoria Atkins is rounding on religious intolerance as long as symbols do not interfere with the ability to do the job. She said: ‘Discrimination in the workplace is not only completely unacceptable but also against the law. We will not stand for it. Our society has a proud tradition of religious tolerance; I want to see that reflected in workplaces across the country.’ The Church of England welcomed this ‘sensible decision’, adding: ‘Christians who wish to show their faith by wearing a cross should be free to do so. Freedom of expression continues to be an important British value.’

The head of the US Episcopal Church, the Most Rev Michael Bruce Curry, will preach at the wedding of Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle in Windsor, says Kensington Palace. Curry, from New York, is the first African-American to have served as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. He will join the dean of Windsor, Rt Rev David Conner, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who will officiate at the service. Welby baptised Meghan ahead of her marriage to Harry, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, who is the supreme governor of the Church of England. Justin Welby said that he is ‘thrilled’ that the couple asked Curry to preach at their wedding, calling him ‘a brilliant pastor, stunning preacher and someone with a great gift for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.’ See also: and

The maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) will be reduced to £2 under new rules unveiled by the government. Currently, people can bet up to £100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino games such as roulette. Culture secretary Matt Hancock called the machines ‘a very serious social blight’. FOBTs generate £1.8bn in revenue a year for the betting industry, according to the Gambling Commission, and taxes of £400m for the Government. A high proportion of those seeking treatment for gambling addiction identify FOBTs as their main form of gambling. Matt Zarb-Cousin, who was previously addicted to them, commented. ‘It's no exaggeration to call FOBTs the crack cocaine of gambling. If we had a gambling product classification like that of drugs, FOBTs would be Class A.’ See also:

Serious crime soared in London in the past year, police figures have revealed, with the murder rate up by 44% and youth murder, personal robbery and home burglary all up by about a third. The figures, from the Metropolitan police, also showed a 23% increase in gun crime, a 21% rise in knife crime, and an 18% increase in the number of rapes. They were released just before a meeting of the London assembly’s police and crime committee on 15 May. Its chairman, Steve O’Connell, called the rise ‘unacceptable’ and ‘deeply troubling’. So far in 2018 the Met has launched more than sixty murder investigations, and the increase in violent crime has been reflected in many other urban areas. Sophie Linden, the deputy mayor for policing and crime, defended her office’s record. ‘It’s very, very early days’, she said. ‘We’re talking about knife crime with injury and we’re seeing that stabilising. But every murder is so appalling on the streets of London that there is no complacency here whatsoever.’

Some survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire will still be living in emergency accommodation a year after the tragedy, the Government has confirmed. Housing secretary James Brokenshire told MPs that of the 210 households affected, 201 had accepted rehousing offers. 138 of them have moved: 64 to temporary accommodation and 74 to permanent homes. Labour said only a third of the families were in a permanent home. After the fire (on 14 June 2017), which killed 71 people, the Government said survivors would be offered permanent furnished social housing within twelve months. Mr Brokenshire acknowledged that progress had been too slow, but said the local council now had 300 properties available to those who needed them. Prime Minister Theresa May said, ‘As we approach the anniversary of this appalling tragedy, our thoughts are with the victims and survivors and all those affected by that tragedy.’

Rail services on the East Coast main line are being brought back under Government control, following the failure of the current franchise. Operators Stagecoach and Virgin Trains will hand over control from 24 June. The Department for Transport will run the service until a new public-private partnership can be appointed in 2020. Transport secretary Chris Grayling said it would smooth the transition to a new operator, but critics said it was evidence of private sector failure. It is the third time in a just over a decade that the government has called a halt to the East Coast franchise. Stagecoach and Virgin had promised to pay £3.3bn to run the franchise until 2023, but at the end of 2017 it became clear they were running into trouble. In February it was announced that the franchise would end early, leading to accusations that the Government was bailing them out. The rail companies have accused Network Rail, of failing to upgrade the line, which would have allowed them to run more frequent services. See also:

As reported last week, five Northern Ireland supreme court judges are currently considering the Ashers Bakery case - see Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell backs Ashers even though he disagrees with their views because he said it’s wrong to compel people to say things they don’t agree with. It is not merely a ‘gay cake case’; what is on trial is society’s attitude to tolerance and the freedom to disagree. Will Muslim bakers be compelled to bake a Charlie Hebdo cake ridiculing their faith? Will lesbian T-shirt makers have to produce T-shirts saying ‘Gay marriage is an abomination’? Will Catholic printers have to print leaflets denouncing the Pope? If Ashers Bakery loses, then everyone loses. The case shows how ‘equality’ is being used to silence anyone who disagrees - with devastating consequences for free speech.

Guernsey wants to introduce a law which will allow terminally ill people to end their life. The island is due to debate a ‘requête’ and vote (equivalent to a Westminster private member’s bill), which if approved could pave the way to assisted dying. The British Medical Association opposes assisted dying and supports current legal frameworks allowing compassionate and ethical care for the dying to die with dignity. Guernsey doctors must be registered with the General Medical Council in the UK in order to practise medicine on the island. The GMC states it is a criminal offence for anyone to encourage or assist a person to commit suicide. As doctors need to remain GMC members to work in Guernsey, it is difficult to know how they could do so if there was a unilateral change in legislation there.

The House of Lords, by 245 votes to 218, has voted for the UK effectively to remain in the EU's single market after Brexit, even though neither the government nor the Labour leadership backed the move. Ministers warned that staying in the European Economic Area (EEA) would not give the UK ‘control of our borders or our laws’. The issue will now return to the Commons, where pro-EU MPs said they were hopeful of getting the support needed to prevent the changes being overturned. Under what is known as the ‘Norway model’ (Norway is one of three countries outside the EU which belong to the EEA) free movement laws would also apply, so that EU citizens could move to all EEA countries to work and live. The government's Brexit bill also suffered a series of other defeats in the Lords.