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BLOGS
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John Worne
:Why Soft Power Is Hard for Governments
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Matthew Reed
:The New Anti-Social Behaviour Bill Risks Criminalising Children for Being Children
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Naomi Westland
:Why Spain Must Investigate Franco-Era Crimes
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Peter Little
:Why the UK Should Avoid Arming the Syrian Rebels
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Gabriel Byng
:Why Parliament Ought To Be Grand
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If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
As the plane touched down in Freetown, my thoughts turned to my baby son, at home. I'd come to a country where one in five children dies before the age of five. I'd read that fact over and over again and - as I stepped onto the dusty tarmac in Sierra Leone - a mixture of guilt and relief mingled inside, knowing my own flesh and blood was healthy and safe.
Over the next two days leaders of the G8, the world's eight richest countries, will meet to discuss reforming the global tax system. Over these 48 hours, developing countries will lose £1.4billion to tax dodging.
For the UK, the G8 seems to serve as a symbol of continuing angst about this country's relative position globally, the nature of our own influence and the direction in which we are heading. The idea of the G8 as a collection of twentieth-century powers with ever-diminishing relevance and power seems to fit the UK perfectly.
As the coalition government tortures itself with an ongoing conveyor belt of poor decisions, internal squabbling and defections to that Ukip lot, are young people beginning to lose interest in politics? Or, with so much to divide us, from immigration, welfare, taxation to that big dirty European conundrum, are we at the beginning of a new and politically aware generation?
This summit offers the Prime Minister a chance to show Britain at its best, and the test for its success will be reaching agreement on some of the most challenging issues facing the international community. We hope he seizes that opportunity with both hands.
News of this week's launch of The UK Social Economy Alliance could be one of the greatest business stories in our modern history. That's no exaggerati...
I explained to them that I actually understand and agree that many of the people on whose behalf Amnesty work are probably guilty. Guilty of insulting the president, guilty of being gay, guilty of standing up for women's rights. I explained that it's often repressive laws that puts many of the people on whose behalf Amnesty work behind bars.
Food banks are only dealing with the injuries, the deep gaping wounds left by fundamental flaws in the running of this country. They are not a solution. Children are starving, their parents are freezing. Something is wrong. To paraphrase Desmond Tutu, there comes a point where you need to stop simply pulling people out of the river, and you need to go upstream, and find out why they're falling in. There comes a point when you need to stop raging against the machine and shouting at the rain and instead, present solutions for the broken system.
Information is power - this is well-known. The publication of government information gives us the means to hold the government to account for the way it spends tax-payers' money. Likewise, the disclosure of corporate information allows the public and investors a choice as to how they interact with companies that violate human rights or degrade the environment. This recognition of the power of information is why I support the Government's efforts for transparency to be at the heart of the G8 discussions in Northern Ireland this week.
Cameron may have realised the depths of his troubles when he found out he wasn't just taking on one national treasure but two. As if badgers weren't beloved enough, Sir David Attenborough has joined a musical supergroup consisting of Brian May, Slash, Shara Nelson and others as they enter the charts this week on an anti-cull ticket.
These are early days in an argument that may well rumble on for months, even years. Indeed, the trade-off between security-driven rules and individual liberty will, and should, be something that we never stop debating. What this poll suggests is that neither side has a clear lead.
The Social Stock Exchange is a new platform designed to connect the public financial markets with social impact investment. It aims to make it easier for investors to find and learn about publicly listed organisations, like Good Energy, that have a demonstrable value to society and the environment, as well as a financial return.
Hundreds of activists, concerned citizens and media rubbed shoulders within the entrance area of the Grove specifically allocated by Watford authorities to house them. News that David Cameron was to arrive that afternoon was the hot topic of the day and whilst unexpected, the reactions drew major eyerolls, suspicion, scorn and downright anger.
On 8 June the UK government is hosting a hunger summit Nutrition for Growth in London, bringing together the great and good from around the world. This is an extraordinary opportunity to put the world's focus on tackling child hunger - one which children now and in the future cannot afford for us to miss.
On a scale of one to very, approximately how unstunned would you be if you learned that Honourable Members of Parliament were taking money to have their opinions swayed like a Fijian palm tree in the breeze?
Of course politicians are unlikely to vote for change that's not in their interests. If we want participatory democracy, we'll have to change the system ourselves. So, 650 members of the Ordinary People Movement will aim to represent the 42% of voters who want to participate by standing for election on a platform of constitutional change.
