In media coverage of his address last Thursday, much of Keir Starmer’s message on social cohesion has been overshadowed by his comments on the Mandelson case. Integration—what that looks like and how it should be achieved—remains a key issue for this government, as our recent APPG on Faith and Society event on the Good Faith […]
Volunteering doesn’t come for free
“Volunteering doesn’t come for free” is one of my favourite paradoxes: a volunteer is someone who does a task without expectation of payment, so how can a volunteer not be free? To answer this question we have to get to grips with something which psychologists call social capital. Just as with financial capital, social capital […]
Singapore on reflection?
When you first arrive in Singapore, you’ll probably be distracted by the various impressive structures around you (such as the world’s largest man-made indoor waterfall found in Changi Airport) and the amazing opportunities for food found in stalls filling the sprawling ‘hawker centres’. But if you look closer at life there, you might notice a […]
A Covenant between the UK Government and Civil Society
I must admit I still get excited by Christmas Eve. My family gathers, there are presents being put by the tree, there is the whiff of food being prepared – but I recognise it’s the anticipation of the day that is the best part of the season for me. In the same way, my anticipation […]
Our new Labour goverment – do you feel a change?
Do you feel a change since the last general election? This is a genuine question. Of course, there has been some change in style of leadership and different faces in key positions, but has there been a material change? As I am writing the local elections are going on and some of the results are […]