Jill Segger

I hope you do Paul. Even though it isn't very local!

Quakers back faith leaders’ response to new Child Poverty Strategy Quakers in Britain have joined UK faith leaders in welcoming the government’s new Child Poverty Strategy, while warning that further action will be needed to deliver lasting change.

We join other faiths welcoming the government’s new child poverty strategy.

“No child should have their future limited by poverty, and we welcome steps that recognise the dignity and worth of every child. But this is only the beginning, much more remains to be done." - Paul Parker, Recording Clerk

Live adventurously Paul. x
quakersenfrance.org

It means remaining open to the "promptings of love and truth" in our hearts. I think though, that generally Quakers would not 'do' Christmas in the sense that is widely understood.

And then there's the m-dash...

Is your Christmas simple, radical, spiritual? ​Rhiannon Grant reflects on how Quaker traditions and testimony influence how she marks the festive season.

"What does love require of us in these particular circumstances?"

Thank you @rhiannonbookgeek.bsky.social

www.quaker.org.uk/blog/is-your...

Tis.

That's surely better than the soup dragon run through a Boss OC 2 ( I had to look that up and it doesn't sound restful). I hope the lurgy is leaving you Guy and you sleep well.

Starmer is lobbying Europe to join him in watering down the ECHR. This illiberalism will harm us all | Steve Valdez-Symonds The prime minister and his counterpart in Denmark want a concerted effort to weaken human rights across Europe. This isn’t pragmatism – it’s cruelty, says Steve Valdez-Symonds, refugee and migrant rig...

"Human rights show the floor beneath which we must never sink, the line that should hold firm when pressure builds."

Starmer is lobbying Europe to join him in watering down the ECHR. This illiberalism will harm us all | Steve Valdez-Symonds www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

While Elizabeth Fry prayed for divine guidance to focus her efforts on social good, particularly prison reform and abolition, her quote could be used to remind us to place our focus on the important things during this silly season!

#QuakersDublin #DAQC #QuakersIreland #FaithinAction

Take Big Money Out of Our Politics British politics is awash with money from super rich donors. In 2023, two-thirds of all private donations came from just 19 people. These so-called ‘mega donors’ enjoy privileged access to political p...

A crypto investor just donated £9 million to the Reform Party. Right now, billionaires can pour unlimited money into our elections, effectively buying our democracy. Think that's wrong? Add your name to call for a cap on donations today: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ta...

Just so. Listen to what you love. Venture occasionally. But don't play into silly, self regarding tricks.

It does!

2/2 differed from that in northern England and that Constable was, of course, painting what he saw. It was so interesting therefore to hear @bendorgrosvenor.bsky.social in the Waldy and Bendy podcast
explaining Constable's deep sense of place. In deracinated times, this matters. I had a moment!

1/2 When I came to live in Suffolk, having spent my life in the north until then, I wondered at how different trees looked - somehow 'old fashioned'. Then I realised that was because they looked as they did in Constable's paintings. The next realisation was that the fall of light in East Anglia

So pleased for you Rory.

What went right this week: the good news that matters A roadmap for ending plastic pollution, Antarctic’s shrinking ozone hole, and London’s falling crime rate, plus more good news

What went right this week: the good news that matters.
#PositiveNews

www.positive.news/society/good...

BP to scrap paid rest breaks and most bank holiday bonuses for forecourt staff Exclusive: Plans to offset increase in minimum ‘fair pay’ set by Living Wage Foundation will affect 5,400 employees

"...that would mean that someone working an eight-hour shift, including a 30-minute break, will receive £100.87 under the new pay regime, compared with £100.80 now."

BP to scrap paid rest breaks and most bank holiday bonuses for forecourt staff www.theguardian.com/business/202...

We want to say a big thank you to Sara Hagel who is standing down as director of Peacemakers after nearly two decades guiding this Quaker founded project to live adventurously and grow peace education in the West Midlands and now nationally! Thanks Sara!

Time For Change: The evidence-based policies that can actually fix the immigration system A new report from prominent migration expert Zoe Gardner has been enthusiastically welcomed by senior Labour backbenchers.

HOT OFF THE PRESS: Time for Change is here!
Sick of the constant demonisation of migrants?
Want to see an alternative plan?
Our new report by @zoejardiniere.bsky.social outlines 9 steps to a system that delivers dignity for all.
Read it here: www.anothereurope.org/time-for-cha...

Me too. And I get twitchy every time Ed and Emma go up a tree. #TheArchers

It's certainly better than in UK. And maybe their Electoral Commision is more effective?

Reform UK gets record £9m donation from ex-Tory donor The £9m handed to Reform UK is the political donation on record from a living person, after Lord Sainsbury left £10m to the Conservative in his will in 2023.

There’s no legal limit on how much a single donor can give to a political party each year in the UK. This needs to change.
news.sky.com/story/reform...

OFCOM: INVESTIGATE GB NEWS’ SHOCKING TRUMP INTERVIEW GB News’ recent Trump interview was outrageous - completely biased and full of lies. And GB News didn't challenge him ONCE. Ofcom MUST investigate them for breaching its rules. Sign now if you agree.

GB News’ recent Trump interview was outrageous - completely biased and full of lies. And GB News didn't challenge him ONCE. Ofcom MUST investigate them for breaching its rules. Sign now if you agree. 38d.gs/trump_gbnews...

'A stunning cast with fabulous voices': Baroness Andrews reviews 'The Choral' The Choral combines the power of music with the tenderness of love and the pain of war to moving and memorable effect

“Can art and war be reconciled? Can music overcome xenophobia and hate? These are the unspoken questions in a film where the power of music, the pity of war and the tenderness of love combine to make something memorable”

🎬 Baroness Andrews reviews ‘The Choral’ #TheChoral
bit.ly/4oBw9ML

Chief Superintendent Leighton Hammett of Essex Police told Byline Times: “While we are aware of this group, we are not affiliated with them, we do not endorse or promote their activity, and we do not work with them."

Held hostage or to some degree interdependent? 🤔

The most misleading thing about Rachel Reeves’s budget? Who it was really for | Aditya Chakrabortty Labour backbenchers have been cheering it as a win for the most vulnerable in society. In fact it was aimed at the bond markets, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty

The most misleading thing about Rachel Reeves’s budget? Who it was really for | Aditya Chakrabortty www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

It's always there. Waiting for us.

Very decent in you to say it, Paul. 😊