In the News

Telegraph: If the government is serious about cracking down on "safe spaces", it should begin by looking at the example it sets by Jacob Furedi

March 27th, 2017

The fightback against campus censorship seems to be gaining traction. Students at City University have successfully overturned a ban on tabloids, while Queen Mary’s Free Speech Society distributed copies of The Sun in defiance of their union's ban. The government is now keen to also get in on the action.
Echoing Theresa May’s criticism of intolerant "safe spaces" last year, universities minister Jo Johnson has proposed that universities should be actively required to promote free speech. In a letter to Nicola Dandridge, the chief executive of Universities UK, Johnson maintained that it was a "legal duty" of universities to ensure that freedom of speech is secured on university campuses.
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The Journal IE: Transgender teens, blended families and feminism - the new breed of children's books

March 26th, 2017

OVER ONE YEAR ago, two women came up with an idea: why not put together a children’s book celebrating the achievements of women worldwide?
Elena Favilli and Francesco Cavallo, co-founders of Timbuktu Labs, thought that the time was right to focus on the work women have done throughout history. Clearly, people agreed: their Kickstarter campaign for their book, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, raised a whopping $675,614, vastly exceeding their initial goal of just $40,000.
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BBC: Prevent anti-terror scheme must change, says Jeremy Corbyn

March 26th, 2017

The UK's counter-terrorism strategy must be broadened to all communities so it doesn't appear to target Muslims, says Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
The Prevent scheme was "often counter-productive" and appeared to cast suspicion on all Muslims, he told ITV.
Far-right extremism and racism must also be dealt with, he said.
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Sydney Morning Herald: Adoption by same-sex couple opposed because of birth parents' Catholic faith

March 26th, 2017

A court has allowed a four-year-old girl to be adopted by a same-sex couple despite her birth parents' opposition on the basis of their Catholic faith.
The girl was taken from her birth mother at four days old due to the mother's long history of drug use and conviction for the manslaughter of her infant son seven years earlier.
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GOV UK: Government commits to drawing up new guidance to support working mothers of premature babies

March 26th, 2017

To mark Mother’s Day the government is committing to ensure employers know how best to support working mothers who give birth to premature babies.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will work with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), and invite the views of premature baby charities to develop guidelines for employers on how to support their staff.
While the government expects employers to be compassionate and flexible during this difficult time, the guidance will make it easier for both working parents and employers to access advice.
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Guardian: Most adopted children never meet their birth family. Is that all about to change?

March 26th, 2017

hen Amanda Boorman adopted Jazz, then aged five, social workers told her to avoid the town in which her child’s birth parents lived. "The impression I had was that they were quite scary and potentially quite dangerous," she said.
But Boorman, a trained social worker who founded the Open Nest, a charity that supports adoptive families, felt that she had not been told the full story. She decided to visit them.
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Mail: NHS hospital plans to SELL sperm at £2,700-a-time to infertile couples

March 25th, 2017

A hospital is encouraging young men to 'change lives' and donate sperm - and could sell it on for 80 times the amount paid to the donor.
Whittington Hospital in Highgate, north London, is calling on 'altruistic men' aged between 18 and 45 to give samples in London's first 'not for profit' sperm bank.
Staff, who will sell the sperm to infertile couples, insisted it was time to shake off the notion that sperm donation is 'kind of weird and seedy'.
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The Daily Caller: Associated Press Redefines Gender In Latest Stylebook Update

March 25th, 2017

The Associated Press updated its style guide to include more politically correct ways to refer to transgender and gender fluid people, according to a Friday email.
The AP emailed their subscribers to inform them of the updates to the AP Stylebook, reports the Washington Times.
The AP Stylebook approves the use of "they," "them," and "their," to refer to transgender people or people who do not identify with either gender.
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BBC: Call for inquiry into Bishop Philip North turned down post

March 25th, 2017

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have called for an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the failed appointment of a new Bishop of Sheffield.
The Rt Revd Philip North turned down the post following objections to his stance against ordaining women priests.
He said he had withdrawn for "personal reasons" but added the "attacks" against him were "extremely hard".
The archbishops said the incident had raised concerns within the Church.
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Telegraph: Try as we might, we cannot discount the role of religion in these atrocities – reform from within is the only answer by Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali

March 24th, 2017

There has been a chorus from politicians, community and religious leaders about the need to present a united front in the face of the terrorist atrocity at Westminster. This desire for social cohesion is understandable and it is praiseworthy that there has been no backlash against peaceful Muslims who have no intention to terrorise anybody.
Such valid concerns should not, however, lead us to neglect the profoundly religious nature of the radicalisation which has led to this and other acts of terror all over the world. The Salafi-Wahhabi narrative which underlies extremism and its terrorist consequences is rooted in a selective but devoted reading of the early history and practices of the Islamic world and in a conviction that these provide a detailed agenda for law, governance and social ordering today.
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