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Purple protest perplexes politicians
Politicians and journalists have been taken by surprise as campaigns for electoral reform have leapt into the mainstream.
Child detention set to end
The new government has promised to end the detention of children in immigration centres. The announcement follows a number of campaigns backed by Quakers and other faith groups. Friends have welcomed the news, but urged ministers to set out when and how the policy will be put into practice.
QPSW pilots support for new local Quaker initiatives
Local Meetings that run outreach, campaigning or social action projects are now able to bid for practical assistance from Friends’ House.
Anger as lone politician blocks anti-poverty bill
Campaigners have expressed anger after a key anti-poverty bill was blocked by an isolated Conservative MP. The Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Bill would have restricted ‘vulture funds’ – companies that buy up the debts of poor countries and then sue for massive profits. Despite passing all stages in the...
Christians call for 75-1 pay limit
The excessive pay differences between company bosses and their staff have been criticised by the Church Investors Group, a network of Christian investment bodies. But the group has stopped short of calling on investors to ditch their shares. The average payment made to the chief executive officer of a...
Education key to tackling new drug challenge, says QAAD
A legal ban on mephedrone – known as ‘meow meow’ – will not in itself be enough to tackle the dangers it poses, according to Quaker activists. Helena Chambers of Quaker Action on Alcohol and Drugs (QAAD) insists that education is key to tackling the problem. Mephedrone hit the headlines after...
X marks the spot – Quakers prepare for general election
Quakers across Britain look set to play an active role in the general election, with several Local Meetings involved in running hustings events while a number of national Quaker bodies lobby candidates on issues of particular concern. In Cambridge, Jesus Lane Meeting has taken the initiative in bringing together...
Civil partnership, religiously celebrated, moves closer
Quakers are celebrating the result of a dramatic vote in the House of Lords, which would for the first time allow the use of religious premises and religious language in same-sex civil partnership ceremonies. If the proposal becomes law, it would lead to same-sex partnerships celebrated in Quaker Meetings...
Children of women in prison may lose contact time
The government has come under fire for a reorganisation of women’s prisons that is likely to result in the children of prisoners having less contact with their mothers. While women’s prisons were previously classified as open, semi-open or closed, the government has turned the two semi-open womenâ€...
Punished for thinking?
Friends have criticised the decision of a military court to sentence a former soldier to nine months’ imprisonment for refusing to participate in military action in Afghanistan. Joe Glenton, 27, became convinced that the war in Afghanistan was wrong after fighting there for seven months. He was convicted on 5 March...