Issue 23 April 2010
Featured Story
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Q-Eye – 23 April
[God's contemporary word] Is there a more controversial book than the Bible? It seems to us to outrun any literary publication ever printed for arousing disputes. And so we were intrigued to hear from our Friend Nick Bagnall, who now lives in New Zealand, on a new way of viewing…
Top Stories
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Mental health, Quakers and Moscow
Alexei Odollamski is a Russian psychologist who leads a psychotherapy group for outpatients diagnosed with psychoses. In March 2009, prompted by a history of Quaker concern with mental illness, I visited Alexei’s psychotherapy group to meet the participants.
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Jury service and mental illness
Friends will be familiar with the 1670 trial of William Penn and William Meade, which resulted in the right of jurors to deliver a verdict based on justice and individual liberty. The actions of Edward Bushell and his fellow jurors have always struck me as heroic and serve as a… -
Mental illness, fear and equality
I have been encouraged over the past year to see several contributions to the Friend on various aspects of mental illness. What has not encouraged me is to see how wary people (including Friends) still are of the whole subject. The available statistics show that ten per cent of us… -
A responsibility to protect?
‘Responsibility to Protect’ (R2P) is a United Nations doctrine that was unanimously agreed by the world’s heads of state and government in September 2005. States have a responsibility to protect their civilians from ‘mass atrocity crimes’. If a state is unable or unwilling to protect civilians from such crimes, the… -
UN seeks women prisoners protection standard
Better international protection for women prisoners moved closer last week at the twelfth United Nations Crime Congress in Brazil. A new set of standards, the draft UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders, were welcomed by delegates at the conference, which takes place…
All Articles
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Her life shone for equality and peace
Isabella Ford (1855-1924) was a remarkable woman who dedicated her life to campaigning for equality and peace. It was therefore no surprise when Leeds Civic Society unveiled a blue plaque in her honour last year at Adel Grange, where she lived from 1865 to 1922. The unveiling was performed by… -
A land to call home
People often ask me why there isn’t more news and information about what’s happening in Zimbabwe, and Quakers often ask about the impact of the years of oppression on Hlekweni, the Quaker training centre near Bulawayo. The continued awfulness of the situation there seems to have numbed press interest, even… -
William Blake and the art of faith
William Blake was not only a mystic, visionary and poet, he was also an accomplished artist who made a significant contribution to British art as a great watercolourist. Tate Britain in London provides an excellent introduction to his unique artistic style with its large collection of some of his finest… -
Letters – 23 April 2010
Christ on the cover I would like to answer Paul Honigmann (letters, 16 April) on the subject of the Friend’s Easter cover. Friends have a testimony against rites and ceremonies in religion haven’t we? The traditional Christian celebrations of Easter involve both. I don’t think many Friends in Britain Yearly… -
A Friend’s spirit giveth life
The National Friendship Fund (NFF) is a big name for a small Northampton-based fund, sharply focused on making subsistence grants to asylum seekers and refugees. It was founded over fifty years ago by Caradog Jones, a remarkable Quaker. As a pacifist in the first world war he was sentenced to… -
Quaker paperwork killeth
I am a newly convinced member and have recently been appointed to various roles within Local and Area Meeting. Becoming a member was joyful for me, but the process of adjustment to holding these new roles is thus far quite a painful one. The main issue I am struggling with… -
Switzerland Yearly Meeting 2008 epistle
Switzerland Yearly Meeting To Friends everywhere! Our theme was the integration of all generations to promote the future of our Quaker Society. Two international speakers shared their experience with us on how to create a vibrant Quaker community. A group of young friends had prepared a creative project in a… -
A responsibility to protect?
‘Responsibility to Protect’ (R2P) is a United Nations doctrine that was unanimously agreed by the world’s heads of state and government in September 2005. States have a responsibility to protect their civilians from ‘mass atrocity crimes’. If a state is unable or unwilling to protect civilians from such crimes, the… -
Towards community – or away from it?
Meeting for Sufferings was given the news that our costs are ‘high for an organisation of our size’ (‘Better than expected’, 2 April). At £600,000 per year, they amount to about seven per cent of our centrally administered budget. Can we save some of this money? Trustees are concerned to… -
Hard-hitting alcohol report overshadowed by mephedrone and election coverage
The impact of a report urging more government action to curb the UK’s drinking culture may be lost in pre-election news coverage and the controversy over mephedrone. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) called for tough measures to combat alcohol abuse in a report submitted to ministers… -
Anti-immigration thinking challenged by researchers
Conventional assumptions about immigration have been turned on their head this week by evidence revealing that the people most opposed to immigration are found largely in areas with relatively few immigrants. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found that residents of areas with high immigration were less likely to… -
Robin Hood tax falls short of support ahead of election
Quakers have joined with other faith groups to express disappointment that none of the three main political parties have committed themselves to introducing a ‘Robin Hood tax’, which would use a small levy on financial transactions to tackle poverty and climate change. The Robin Hood tax is backed by a… -
Poll reveals support for withdrawal of UK troops from Afghanistan
Over three-quarters of UK voters want troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan, despite the failure of the three main political parties to support the move.
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