Living in truth: Middle Powers must lead, and Britain, with Canada and the EU, should be with them

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Canadian Premier Mark Carney delivered one of the most important speeches of this decade. It deserves to be read not as a Canadian intervention alone, but as a blueprint for every serious democracy that refuses to drift into vassalage in a world of unrestrained power politics. Carney named… Continue reading Living in truth: Middle Powers must lead, and Britain, with Canada and the EU, should be with them

Trump’s America is no longer the Land of the Free

Trump’s authoritarian populism risks turning the U.S. into a fascist state which is why I no longer feel safe to travel there, and why others, including global sport, should question their own plans. I have long been proud to celebrate the United States as a beacon of democratic pluralism, creativity, and cultural diversity. I have… Continue reading Trump’s America is no longer the Land of the Free

After Bondi: grief, fear, and the hard work of refusing hatred

The attack on Australia’s Jewish community on Bondi Beach in recent days has left me shaken and heartsick. It joins a grim list of assaults on Jewish life across the world, including the attack on the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur earlier this year. These are not isolated acts. They sit within… Continue reading After Bondi: grief, fear, and the hard work of refusing hatred

Brown Shirts around the corner? Why we must confront Britain’s slide to the Far Right

Yesterday’s scenes in London — tens of thousands rallying behind Tommy Robinson, violent clashes with police, and chants straight from the darkest pages of European history — were not an aberration. They were a symptom of something far more dangerous: a political culture that has normalised far-right populism and is increasingly dancing to its tune.… Continue reading Brown Shirts around the corner? Why we must confront Britain’s slide to the Far Right

In the Image of God: a queer Christian response to the UK Supreme Court ruling on Sex and Gender Identity

This post was written for OneBodyOneFaith and was published on the charity’s website on Monday 26 May 2025 For it was you who formed my inward parts;    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139.13-14 On April 16, 2025, the UK Supreme Court delivered a… Continue reading In the Image of God: a queer Christian response to the UK Supreme Court ruling on Sex and Gender Identity

Trans youth are loved

In the summer of 2024, in the face of open hostility towards trans people and especially trans young people, in the media, social media, and in political life, the Trans Solidarity Alliance invited celebrities, politicians, and the general public to record short videos telling trans young people that they are loved. Here is mine.

St Paul’s Remembrance: “Brexit and Trump were won with lies and fear. Two world wars were won with truth and courage.”- I agree.

Yesterday’s Remembrance Sunday service at St Paul’s Cathedral was, as usual, a moving and solemn occasion. It was attended by the City’s new Lord Mayor, the Aldermen and Common Councilmen, as well Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and many representatives of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces and countless old comrades from former… Continue reading St Paul’s Remembrance: “Brexit and Trump were won with lies and fear. Two world wars were won with truth and courage.”- I agree.

Syria vote: a victory for British democracy

Last night’s vote in the House of Commons not to endorse the Government’s proposed intervention by the UK armed forces to deter any future use of chemical weapons in the Syria’s brutal civil war is – whichever side of the principal argument you are on – a victory for British democracy and our parliamentary system.… Continue reading Syria vote: a victory for British democracy

The Terrorism Act? What on earth were the Police thinking?!!

Regardless of your view on the rights and wrongs of Edward Snowden’s leaking of US intelligence data, the use by British Police yesterday of the Terrorism Act to hold the partner of a Guardian journalist connected to Mr Snowden seems inappropriate, disproportionate, and quite frankly wrong! David Miranda, the partner of columnist and journalist Glenn… Continue reading The Terrorism Act? What on earth were the Police thinking?!!

Stephen Fry’s call to arms – why the IOC must act on Russia

I have always had the greatest admiration for Stephen Fry – his talent, his passion, his humanity, his advocacy for equality and for those, like him, who struggle with their mental health. I had the good fortune once to share a long train journey with him and found him to be not only the hugely… Continue reading Stephen Fry’s call to arms – why the IOC must act on Russia