British Isles
‘Let the healing begin’
19 Dec 2019
1 Timothy 2:2 tells us to ‘pray for all who are in high positions’. Boris Johnson’s first speech after the election urged ‘everyone, on either side of an increasingly arid three and a half year argument,…
Quakers challenge the new government
19 Dec 2019
Quakers in Britain are challenging Boris Johnson’s new government to give priority to its promise to take action on climate breakdown. They are urging him to ensure that the economic transition puts the most marginalised people…
Children told not to sing ‘Lord’ in carol
19 Dec 2019
The headteacher of a London primary school ruled that children should sing ‘baby boy Jesus’, not ‘little Lord Jesus’ in the carol Away in a manger (so that pupils of all beliefs could join in). Children…
Many at risk of flu this Christmas
19 Dec 2019
The flu season has started early this year. Doctors are predicting a rise in cases, with hundreds of thousands possibly having Christmas ruined by flu. GP consultations for flu-like illness were up by a quarter to…
280,000 homeless in England this Christmas
19 Dec 2019
Shelter revealed that 135,000 children are homeless in Britain, one in 200 people in England are without a settled home, and 280,000 people are recorded as homeless. However, the charity pointed out that these statistics could…
Northern Ireland: strike and Stormont
19 Dec 2019
On 19 December, 15,500 NI nurses began a twelve-hour strike over pay and staff numbers. The NI secretary, Julian Smith, believes the action illustrates why it is important that power-sharing is restored. He is leading political…