There's a strange convergence of aggression which is drawing both international conflict and personal hatred into the mainstream; social media bears considerable responsibility for this convergence, and Donald Trump's combination of his calls for peace while posting aggressive messages on Truth Social really don't help. There's a very straightforward instruction in the gospel of St. Matthew, to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, but little guidance or teaching from Church leaders on how to make this happen. Drawing inspiration from a variety of sources, here are some ideas which could work at both personal and international levels. Background music: 'Confliction & Catharsis' by Asher Fulero
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Original Broadcast: Thought for the Week
Rather than seek global convergence, nation states are digging in deeper in all the three areas that conspire to drive them apart — conflict, threats and re-armament; climate change; and massive wealth differentials. The United Nations was designed to provide a route for resolving these differences, but it's not working. It's time to step forward and provide it with democratic legitimacy, so that the voices of people across the world can be properly heard. Background music: 'World's Sunrise' by Jimena Contreras
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Original Broadcast: Thought for the Week
Government inaction is rooted in Civil Service reticence. It's not a recent phenomenon; it inspired 'Yes Minister' forty years ago, much to Margaret Thacher's amusement. But when it frustrates a Labour Government's abiity to deliver a key policy of its predecessor such as Child Trust Funds, that's a different matter. At the start of Boris Johnson's premiership, Dominic Cummings sought to control HM Treasury reticence by moving his team into HMT. Sir Keir Starmer appears to be doing a reverse takeover by drawing Darren Jones into No. 10 as his 'Chief Economic Secretary'. Will it work? Background music: 'People Watching' by Sir Cubworth. Image source: BBC
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Original Broadcast: Thought for the Week
If buyers of government bonds fear potential default, they require significantly higher yields to offset that risk. For bonds already issued, that means much lower prices — and big losses for holders, especially if the bonds are long-dated. For new bonds being issued, governments have to pay a much higher interest rate, significantly increasing their current deficit and requiring still more taxation. Governments can ask the International Monetary Fund to bail them out; if the IMF can help, it imposes stringent conditions on their economic and fiscal policies. The world has not been faced with multiple and concurrent defaults to date, and no-one knows how such a situation can be resolved.The United States, United Kingdom and France are approaching this black hole now, and need to make some urgent changes in policies to avoid it. Background music: 'Dark Alley Deals' by Aaron Kenny
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The rate at which scientific discoveries such as electricity, flight, radio communication and computing have been made has been accelerating since that great inventor and artist, Leonardo da Vinci. However other discoveries have also left in their wake a legacy of redundancy: some, like the canal network, bring unanticipated pleasure, but others, including hydrocarbons, are leaving a real mess to clear up. Background music: 'Any Thing You Can Dream' by The Whole Other
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Original Broadcast: Thought for the Week
The Gordian Knot is an ancient Greek legend of an immensely complex knot ‘so tightly entangled that it was impossible to see how it was fastened’. Whoever succeeded in releasing it was destined to rule all of Asia: that task was achieved by Alexander the Great. Today’s Gordian Knots — conflict, climate change and the polarisation of wealth — are all critical to the future of humanity, but they all share a common origin: the motivations of fear and greed. We can see the solution, but do we have the determination to apply it? Background music: 'World's Sunrise' by Jimena Contreras
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It's a long and lonely road for over 100,000 young people in care throughout the UK. Local Authorities and foster carers do everything possible to help with their journey through adolescence, but disrupted education and insecurity often leads up to a cliff-edge entry to adulthood at 18. In a stable family setting, parents provide resources and life skills, and help build the attitudinal transformation necessary for a forward-looking approach with which to start adult life. In its work for the DfE on behalf of young people in care, The Share Foundation helps to build that same strong foundation. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins
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Original Broadcast: Thought for the Week
Herd mentality among humans is amply demonstrated in family, sport and business, but collective self-interest becomes more threatening in politics and particularly in international relations. Developing an individual perspective on life is central to freedom, but it needs to be accompanied by a generosity of spirit in order to respect the right of 'each to their own' among others. Background music: 'Freedom' by Dan Lebowitz
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Our fast-moving world throws up continual challenges; genetic modification is among the latest, and we continually need to contend with the rights and wrongs of Artificial Intelligence. Setting limits is a key part of modern life: not everything that can be done, should be done. In respect of climate change, western democracies struggled hard to set limits in the first place; but they have found it even harder to maintain a consistent focus when political allegiances change. Environmental degradation is particularly threatened by such oscillations. Background music: 'People Watching' by Sir Cubworth
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Original Broadcast: Thought for the Week
Italy is not alone in experiencing a massive fall in its birth rate over recent years: so has the United Kingdom. Lowering the voting age to 16 is all very well, but it needs to be accompanied by a raft of co-ordinated policies to help young adults towards family formation and independent living. Rural villages, where house prices are so often well out of reach for young people, provide a clear litmus test of whether these policies are working. Do you remember mortgage interest rate tax relief, or when university life didn't end in heavyweight student debt? We need a coordinated policy framework to improve conditions for young adults. Background music: 'Folk Tap Harp' by Unicorn Heads
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