In recent years I have seen the appalling treatment of a victim and the way in which she was ground down first by her diocese and then by the National Safeguarding Team and also by the operation of the Clergy Discipline Measure. I have spoken to many other victims and survivors. Sometimes in person, sometimes […]
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When is a report not a report?
A motion to force a General Synod debate on a report of the Archbishops' Council's decision to abolish the Independent Safeguarding Board was ruled "out of order" - but a second motion, linked to the Annual Report of teh Archbishops' Council and expressing the same points as the first, has now been accepted.
General Synod to debate Independent Safeguarding Board closure
A motion has been tabled for this weekend's Generfal Synod meeting in York, calling on the Archbishops’ Council, working with its Audit Committee, to commission an independent inquiry led by a senior lawyer (judge or King’s Counsel) into the safeguarding bodies, functions, policies and practice in and of the Church of England, to report within a maximum period of 12 months, and for a subsequent debate by the Synod to enable it to make decisions about future safeguarding in the Church of England.
Make the most of International Womens Day
SOME campaigns are for causes whose aims and objectives are so obvious, you wonder why anybody actually has to campaign for them. Other campaigns may be for such a large proportion of society that you’d think sheer weight of numbers would enough to deliver those campaign aims. Take International Women’s Day, which falls this year […]
Southwell and Nottingham General Synod member calls for safeguarding changes
A member of the Church of England’s General Synod who campaigns against gender-based violence is calling for changes to the way the Church of England tackles safeguarding. Gavin Drake has tabled two Private Members Motions (PMMs) which may be selected for debate by the Synod if they attract the signatures of 100 other General Synod […]
Soldiers do not go to war against eight-year-old girls
I can’t stop thinking about the victims of last night’s terrorist attack in Manchester. And I can’t begin to imagine what the parents are going through (even though I have had a rude introduction to real debilitating grief myself this year). And while there are many victims – each of whom is precious and deeply […]
Man the barricades!
Man the barricades. Halt the trains. Stop the busses. Hold the trains. Close the airports. Seal the Channel Tunnel. Clear the streets. Declare an emergency. Mobilise the Civil Contingencies Unit. Cancel all police leave. Hold a COBRA meeting. Pull the TV schedules for rolling news coverage. Bring Kate Adie out of retirement. Close the schools […]
Why can’t we have culturally relevant Christian TV in the UK?
In October last year I was invited by Sat-7, the Arabic Christian television network, to visit their studios in Cairo. I was impressed by what I saw: a small team of dedicated professionals committed to serving the church in their locality with culturally-relevant locally-produced programmes. Christians in Egypt are experiencing something of a transformation as […]
Today the Irish, tomorrow the Germans: Let us remember them together
Today, the Irish government will receive an official invitation to take part in the Remembrance Sunday commemorations at the Cenotaph: the UK’s annual flagship memorial event attended by the Queen and senior members of the royal family, senior politicians from across the political divides, former prime ministers, High Commissioners from Commonwealth countries, religious leaders, military officers […]
Walsall manager Dean Smith on transfers, injuries, pre-season games, and the season ahead
This morning the Walsall squad were put through their paces by manager Dean Smith, head coach Richard O’Kelly and Physio Jon Whitney at an open training session on the Banks’s Stadium pitch. It is a simple idea that the club has run a few times now in recent years and, as always, it began with a […]