Essays, thoughts, poems, prayers and quotes:
As Greta Thunberg says: panic is the rational response to a real emergency. And the results of GE2019 is so bad that panic feels like the only rational response: After 10 years of austerity and extreme…
It may not be wise nor truthful to think of political (i.e human) activities as driven by uncontrollable forces. But today, as extreme austerity policies lead to ever-worsening harm, it is hard not to see, what…
True security can only be found in a community of citizens who honour their obligations to each other I love the Frank Capra film - It's a Wonderful Life - it is pure socialism (in the word's truest and best sense)…
George MacDonald (1824-1905) was a Christian who wrote novels, poetry, sermons and fairy tales. He was an inspiration to C.S. Lewis, W.H. Auden and G.K. Chesterton and one of the fathers of the literature of…
The Great Divorce by C S Lewis is a wonderful thought piece on the subject of what will happen after death. Lewis delights in taking worries or philosophical problems and turning them on their heads. The first…
welcome means it seems when you come we’ll see you well see you safe at last see you’re made welcome
This week I have been working in the USA, but it's been hard to get people to understand how severe the cuts to social care (children and adults) have been in England. But here’s my best shot at a…
Austerity has been severe and unjustified and it has targeted the poorest people and the poorest places. It has also targeted local government. For instance, Barnsley saw its funding fall by 31% in 5 years, and these…
The Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, was first published in 1848 - that is 170 years ago. Today we may think of Communism as either irrelevant or as a dangerous evil; for it is firmly…
Politicians Who don’t come from here Fight for our votes Before heading off there To London To fight with each other To be Ministers (well a few) To tell their civil servants Who've certainly never been…
I suppose one dream of the welfare state is that the welfare state is like a Fairy Godmother, kind and wise, although perhaps living far away, and someone, who when called upon, can turn pumpkins into carriages and…
Tomorrow I hope to speak at a demonstration in Sheffield against the privatisation of the NHS - although the extremely cold weather may be against us. So I thought I’d put my thoughts online, just in case. One of…
I wrote this blog for The Equality Trust and as a contribution to the international Day of Action on 25th January 2018. Philosophers know that when you start talking about equality you can quickly get in a muddle.…
I was recently interviewed by occupy.com about Universal Credit. Here's my perspective on the next unfolding disaster of Tory (non) welfare reform. Universal Credit (UC) is being criticised as a “one size…
Certainly Not Matthew 20:1-16 Here is something Jesus did NOT say: For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a…
My friend Virginia Moffatt recently edited a collection of essays called Reclaiming the Common Good which explores the way that society, in so many ways, seems to have lost its way. My essay explores some of the…
How Australia is taking the lead in disability rights and social care I have just returned from 3 weeks in Australia where I have been working with disability advocates, families and support organisations. The…
or why status is not a zero-sum game This essay jumps headfirst into a complex debate which deserves a more careful set of introductory comments. However, I am pressed for time, and so I merely want to offer a few…
The term welfare reform might naturally suggest improvements in welfare systems. However the term is usually, although not always, used by those who have a negative view of the welfare state and who propose…
Many of us believe in justice, and we try and work for justice. But sometimes the “long arc of history” seems a very distant hope. For those of us who work to advance disability rights we see the tide of negative…
I was very lucky recently to get the chance to participate in an event organised by the University of Leeds and Hope Not Hate entitled: A Future for Post Industrial Communities? It provided much food for…
Over the past few decades inequality in the UK has grown considerably, by whatever measure you choose. After World War II, at the birth of the welfare state, inequality was at a very low level. Over time we've come to…
This poem was written as a contribution to Sheffield's Poetry-athon on 20th February 2017, a celebration of the contribution of migrants to our communities. You can read all the poems contributed…
I like and loathe Twitter; it draws you into debates with all sorts of interesting people and challenges you to make your point as sharply as possible. But it is also frustrating when something seems really obvious,…