New horizons

I'm undertaking a new professional assignment at present and feel it inappropriate to continue with this ever controversial blog. So for the time being blogging is suspended.

A "me" in my bonnet

I have a bee in my bonnet. It is about Daniel Iverson's wonderful worship tune "Spirit of the Living God" which is number 295 in the Methodist hymnbook "Hymns and Psalms".

Given the awfulness of some of the editorial work on "Hymns and Psalms" we should be thankful that this sole example of 20th century worship music made it into the collection. However there is something that I now find a irksome if sung as per hymnbook. It makes "me" the centre of the hymn with no less than seven mentions.

From now on I'm going to ask congregations to sing it through as three separate verses.

First verse will be as per hymn book.

Second verse will be a prayer for one another "Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on you....Break you, melt you, mould you, fill you.."

The third verse will be for the congregation as a body of believers "Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us....Break us, melt us, mould us, fill us".

Who knows? This may be the prayer for a new pentecost.

The questions the Methodist Recorder won't answer about its future

During November of last year there was a lively debate on the UK Methodists Facebook page about the Methodist Recorder. A little research led to a post about its unrepresentative board and finances. A few days later  a detailed look at their website revealed just how out of touch the Recorder management are with modern web based communication. Despite the detailed post - sent to the Recorder - the website is still in the same disgraceful state.

In early December I sent the Editor of the Recorder  a letter outlining some of the anxieties that many Methodists have about our denominational newspaper's future. Normally a commercial organisation would be anxious to assure staff and customers of their solvency. My letter would have offered such an opportunity. But I forgot. In British Methodism our betters always know better. I had absolutely no right to dare to ask such questions.

My letter remains unpublished in the Recorder. Just a few years ago that would have been the end of the matter. Internal Methodist debate could so easily be stifled. Not any more. Here is my letter, now easy to find on the web but unchallenged by the Methodist Recorder management:

18 November 2011

Dear Editor,

This week’s edition of the Methodist Recorder saw a short article about the closure of The Baptist Times opposite a display advertisement inviting readers to celebrate the Recorder’s 150 year anniversary.

My Son and The Cat

This afternoon we will celebrate the life of my firend Andrew. When he was a small boy his father Bob wrote a poem. I have been asked to read it at the service:

My Son and The Cat

My Son
Produces noise gathers dirt
Finds trouble eats sweets
Chases the dog
Likes games hates bed
Loathes soap loves ice cream
Keeps clear of The Cat

My Son
Has pockets crammed
With so many joys
It would bring envy
To a scrap man's eyes

My Son
Is a fireman a dustman
A policeman a sherriff
An engine driver
A spaceman a cowboy
Abuilder of bridges
A tamer of tigers
Who keeps clear of The Cat

My Son
Lives in caves climbs mountains
Visits the moon slays dragons
Rides magic carpets to fairyland
Kills more Indians than Custer
But keeps clear of The Cat

My Son
Is a ball of joy
Every inch a boy
But he can't make a pact
With our old ginger Cat.

Copyright RW Masters 1972

Rest in peace

One of the happiest posts ever on this blog was way back in May 2007 when I recounted a fantastic weekend as we celebrated the wedding of a close friend. This week I return to the same village, same church and same churchyard to attend the burial of the friend who was the groom at that wedding. After the pain and suffering of recent months may Andrew now rest in peace.

Blog suspended

A whole range of issues have arisen that makes it difficult to post at present. Back soon.

No wonder more patients die at weekend

This mornings news that patients are 10% more likely to die at a weekend in an NHS hospital came as no surprise to me.

Last week a close elderly relative was admitted as an emergency to a large acute hospital. On Friday morning I found her in a six bed bay with five men. I complained.

On Saturday morning I found her in a for bedded bay for women, but it was only intended to hold four. Her bed had been squeezed in between two other beds. There were issues about privacy as the curtains obviously didn't  go round the beds. There were also issues about nursing care. The nurse told me that "all" my relative had to do was to press the buzzer if she needed anything. There was no buzzer for patients five and six in a four bedded bay.

I wanted to take the opportunity to get an update on my relative's medical condition. I eventually found a very tired looking 25 year old who was midway through a 12 hour shift. He hadn't seen my relative and explained that he was solely responsible for 250 patients.

So I had to complain all over again and ask the matron to find another bed, which she did. But when worried about an elderly relative who has had a nasty turn I'm not really in the right frame of mind to have to complain simply to protect dignity and ensure nursing care. This morning I'm going on another round trip of 70 miles as much to check-up on care as to comfort and support my relative.

After this episode is over  I may make a formal complaint.

Old comrades

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of attending the official launch of John Kotz's book Vintage Red that I reviewed a few weeks back .

The event was held in the art deco splendour of the council chamber at Hackney Town Hall. Rodney Bickerstaffe was there plus various old friends from my youth.

John was on form and gave an impassioned explanation of how the Labour Party managed to win elections in working class areas such as Hackney on an 80% turnout. His argument was that for all the gimmicks such as postal voting and longer polling hours  the best way to get them to vote is to give people something to vote for.

So that's me  together with former councillor Eddie Millen, John Kotz himself and veteran Communist party stalwart Monty Goldman.

Hackney Town Hall Council Chamber hasn't changed much since I was last there in 1971 - except that above the Mayor's chair there is now a portrait of our  head of state.

UPDATE Luke Akehurst, who I am reliably informed is an excellent local councillor representing Chatham ward on Hackney council has also posted a review on his blog. This may also be an opportunity to thank Luke for taking us on a guided tour of the "rogues gallery" of former mayors to see familiar faces and and relive some great memories.

How Islamaphobic myths are circulated

All it takes to generate a racist myth is a tiny grain of truth, a willingness to lie and the internet.

I have an elderly acquaintance who enjoys forwarding the latest jokes that appear in his in-box. Sometimes they are a bit risque. They are normally harmless fun. I don't forward them further but I must admit that I fell off my seat when I read the one about the military man who hadn't made love since 1955.

Last week however he forwarded me something a little more sinister. It was accompanied by the picture here of a poppy posted on the doors of a mosque in Posrtmouth.

The message read:

"One is seriously wondering who's country we live in!!!

"In May 2010 Tohseef Shah spray painted a British War Memorial with "islam will dominate osama is coming" he was fined £50 & walked free from court. In November 2010, Emdadur Choudhury burned a Poppy during the 2mins silence. He too was given a fine, £50 and walked free from court. Today, 2 men have been sentenced to 12 months in prison for spray painting a Poppy on a mosque. Pass this on if you think it’s a bloody disgrace"  I was curious about this story. I could find no reference to a Tohseef Shah on the internet. However  one Emdadur Choudhury had been fined for burning poppies. But I was curious about the story from Portsmouth. Personally I take great exception to anyone reducing the poppy to a piece of graffiti but I suspect that will be lost on the people who did it. But two one year sentences for graffiti? For the last week I've been watching and waiting for this story to appear in the mainstream media. Its the sort of story that sections of the media absolutely love. But nothing has appeared to corroborate it. Because it is a lie. There was however some trouble outside the Portsmouth mosque during which Blaise Silvestor was arrested for violence. But there's no corroboration for the claim that two men have been jailed for spay painting a poppy. But this story will just get passed on and believed.

Gambling back on the church agenda

The issue of problem gambling makes a welcome return to the agenda of the British Methodist Church. The church is to join with other Christian groups in making representations to the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

Sadly little has been said by Methodism about gambling  in recent years. The 2011 Methodist Conference received  a report  entitled Of equal value: poverty and equality in the United Kingdom. Not one of the 18,000 words referred to the poverty faced by Britain's 350,000 problem gamblers and their families.

However this changes today.  James North, public issues policy adviser for the Methodist Church in Britain, comments: “The figures speak for themselves: problem gambling is on the rise. But the government seems determined to liberalise gambling laws. It is vital that the government understands the challenge posed by this worrying increase in harmful gambling and takes action to reverse it. We are also deeply concerned about their plans to cut the funding for the Gambling Prevalence Survey. This is the only comprehensive study of gambling in the UK and is essential if we are to prevent and treat problem gambling.”

Britain is the only country in Western Europe to allow children to gamble. The Gambling Act gives the secretary of state the power to put an age limit on some or all of the machines that children are allowed to play and the churches will suggest that now is the time for this power to be used. 

The escalating levels of problem gambling were entirely predictable and this blog is one of the few Methodist spaces where the issue has been raised over the last five years.

Some Christian individuals - including some in the Methodist Church - mistakenly thought that by supporting the "liberalisation" of gambling coupled with a commitment by the gambling industry to "social responsibility" all would be well.

The Methodist Church in particular went to extraordinary lengths to collaborate with this fantasy. We even patted ourselves on the back for our efforts. But let us not dwell on the past. Let us hope that the Methodist Church again proclaims our compassion and concern for problem gamblers.

Caring for the elderly - where have we gone wrong?

Today's report into the care of the elderly should be a real wake up call. About half of those surveyed reported themselves happy with the care provided. But

"the inquiry also revealed many examples of older people’s human rights being breached, including physical or financial abuse, disregarding their privacy and dignity, failing to support them with eating or drinking, treating them as if they were invisible, and paying little attention to what they want. Some were surprised that they had any choice at all as they thought they had little say in how their care was arranged.


"For example, evidence given to the Commission included a woman being left stuck on the toilet in her bathroom, as the care worker said she was too busy completing the list of care tasks to help her; and people with dementia not being prompted to eat or their food ‘hidden’ in the fridge, so they go hungry; and a woman who asked for help with her washing up and to be assisted to walk out into her garden but was given help washing herself instead."

In the 1970s I worked for two very different  local authority social service departments - East Sussex and Birmingham. I also served on the social services committee of Sandwell Borough Council. During that period I heard of  several  complaints about the care of children and young people and those with mental health problems but very few about the care of the elderly.

The mainstay of support in the community were home helps, meals on wheels, and district nurses. In the main these were directly provided by employees contracted to the local authority or the NHS. Sometimes meals on wheels were provided by voluntary organisations such as the WRVS. Residential care was provided through local authority homes with employees again directly contracted to the local authority.

Just occasionally there would be an accusation that an employee had stolen from a client. But with the notable exception of one home in Birmingham (co-incidentally in the former Primitive Methodist ministerial training college in Quinton)  I never heard of any suggestion of physical or systemic abuse.

Basically the system in operation in the 1970s actually worked mainly because it was supervised by engaged  and elected local councillors who carried out their own inspections and investigated any allegations. 

The modern system of outsourcing, arms length bodies and distant local government "scrutiny committees" over various private contractors is a recipe for tick box care, poor management and low wages and demotivated carers. We need to learn the lessons of the past and ditch the idea that effective care must always be provided through the "free market".

When the going gets tough

Whole pile of things at the moment making life very difficult. I shared my despair about one situation with the congregation on Sunday. My health is fine but when a close friend is suffering our hearts go out to them and those around them. Sometimes we would like to have an answer but the words fail as we try to respond. 

One of our members prayed overnight and sent me the following text from Lamentations 3:31-33 -

³¹For men are not cast off by the Lord for ever.
³² Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. 
³³ For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.

Wilfred Owen: Disabled

He sat in a wheeled chair, waiting for dark,
And shivered in his ghastly suit of grey,
Legless, sewn short at elbow. Through the park
Voices of boys rang saddening like a hymn,
Voices of play and pleasure after day,
Till gathering sleep had mothered them from him.

                       *            *            *
About this time Town used to swing so gay
When glow-lamps budded in the light blue trees,
And girls glanced lovelier as the air grew dim, -
In the old times, before he threw away his knees.
Now he will never feel again how slim
Girls' waists are, or how warm their subtle hands;
All of them touch him like some queer disease.

                       *            *            *
There was an artist silly for his face,
For it was younger than his youth, last year.
Now, he is old; his back will never brace;
He's lost his colour very far from here,
Poured it down shell-holes till the veins ran dry,
And half his lifetime lapsed in the hot race
And leap of purple spurted from his thigh.

                       *            *            *
One time he liked a blood-smear down his leg,
After the matches, carried shoulder-high.
It was after football, when he'd drunk a peg,
He thought he'd better join. - He wonders why.
Someone had said he'd look a god in kilts,
That's why; and may be, too, to please his Meg;
Aye, that was it, to please the giddy jilts
He asked to join. He didn't have to beg;
Smiling they wrote his lie; aged nineteen years.
Germans he scarcely thought of; all their guilt,
And Austria's, did not move him. And no fears
Of Fear came yet. He thought of jewelled hilts
For daggers in plaid socks; of smart salutes;
And care of arms; and leave; and pay arrears;
Esprit de corps; and hints for young recruits.
And soon, he was drafted out with drums and cheers.

                       *            *            *
Some cheered him home, but not as crowds cheer Goal.
Only a solemn man who brought him fruits
Thanked him; and then inquired about his soul.

                       *            *            *
Now, he will spend a few sick years in institutes,
And do what things the rules consider wise,
And take whatever pity they may dole.
To-night he noticed how the women's eyes
Passed from him to the strong men that were whole.
How cold and late it is! Why don't they come
And put him into bed? Why don't they come?

The 360 assessment tool will soon be available for ministers and church leaders

A 360 feedback  tool is now being prepared for ministers and church leaders. A Birmingham based management consultancy is working on the project.

360 is a method of gathering feedback from subordinates, peers, and supervisors. It also includes a self-assessment and, in some cases, feedback from external sources such as customers and suppliers or other interested stakeholders. It is widely used in industry.

I have been  invited to contribute to the early research. My role this morning was to be one of many church leaders who are being asked to look at the various attributes that are needed by a minister. I was a little staggered to find myself confronted with about 200 cards all of which describe different aspects of ministerial leadership. It is good for lay people to remember that the job of minister is a little more complicated than we sometimes appreciate.

It took about three hours to go through the process - with welcome tea breaks - and I must admit to feeling quite drained when I left.

I've seen 360 used in the NHS,  and even contributed to two assessments. Those who undertake it say that it is a very useful way of helping them understand how they are perceived by others. This could be an important extra facility to help ministers and leaders adapt to a changing environment. Methodist ministers will find it extremely useful as they do have the opportunity of a fresh start every five to seven years. 

The consultancy are keen to hear from ministers and church leaders to help them in their research so anyone who can spare an afternoon or morning would be very welcome. In the first instance contact me through Facebook or on the address on the side bar of the blog.

We will remember them

Drop the NHS Bill - sign the petition

Just had a note from my colleagues in the Labour Party:

Put the NHS first

The Government is planning the biggest re-organisation of the NHS since it began in 1948.

It is unnecessary, unwanted, wasteful and damaging – and threatens to end the NHS as we know it. Only last year, the Government promised people they wouldn’t do it. Many thousands of people have already called on the Government to stop.

But they are ploughing on, ignoring public and professional opinion, out of touch with Britain. We need to make the Government listen before it's too late.

Sign the petition and say  “I call on the Government to drop the Health  and Social  Care Bill”

The smears begin in earnest - now is not the time to be a bishop or an actress

Just over a fortnight ago a Conservative MP, Louise Mensch made herself look very silly on television when she attacked the  #occupyLSX demonstrators who had set up camp outside St Paul's Cathedral in London. The basis of her complaint? That the anti-capitalist demonstrators had queued for a cup of coffee at the nearby Starbucks. Apparently to buy coffee from a capitalist firm in a capitalist economy is the height of hypocrisy, even if there is no alternative.

Well that was not a spontaneous remark. At that point the protest was to be portrayed as an eccentric outbreak of middle class hypocrisy hence her other  references to expensive mobile phones and tents.

Then came the "empty tent" story. The Daily Telegraph used a  heat sensor camera to argue that the tents were empty at night. The following day the protesters hired the same camera and came to the opposite conclusion.

Over the last few days various senior churchmen have come and gone. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have made cautiously sympathetic and legal action by the Church of England has been put on hold.

Now the smears  will get nasty.

Firstly there are the attacks on the occupiers themselves.

The Daily Express  opened up using a 91 year old veteran  who believed that his regiment's Remembrance Sunday service and parade would be jeopodised by the protest. The Express article finished by saying  "The Daily Express’s “Boot Them Out” crusade demands that the squatters be removed before Remembrance Sunday".

Meanwhile the Daily Mail has gone  into overdrive. They had the veteran, inappropriate graffiti (the letters "666") on the Cathedral (though it looks like a corrugated iron building, rather than the Cathedral walls) and now they have picked up a story from behind the Sunday Times paywall that cleaners have to deal with  "human waste" as protesters are accused of using the Cathedral lobby as a toilet.

As I predicted on these pages last week not all those "protesting" were the real thing. The Sun has sent its own undercover reporter in and doubtless there will be more from both The Sun and other papers. Incidentally The Sun reporter says she was invited to the "love tent" from which she had to make her "excuses and leave". More of that over the next few weeks.

But the Church of England, especially St Paul's itself is faring no better. Senior clergy haven't (yet) carried out the threatened eviction demanded by some sections of the popular press so they are now "fair game". First up was the Daily Telegraph with its sponsored-choirboys-and-seats-for-the-rich. That was certainly designed to get the non-conformist blood boiling.

Today the Mail of Sunday runs a story that St Paul's is financed by 80  wealthy  City assets strippers who have thrown thousands out the work. Surprise, surprise. They'll be exposing the Pope as a Catholic next.

So in future weeks the stories will get more lurid and more unpleasant. The protesters have made a strategic mistake in allowing some among them to wear masks. This will make press and police infiltration easier. Stand by for splits, violence and  internal dissent. The protesters will almost certainly be caned for whatever they do on Remembrance Sunday and during any subsequent big event. Watch out for stories about the "love tent" discovered by The Sun, expect a rape or indecent assault allegation.

Meanwhile the big wigs in the Church of England, especially those with any connection to St Paul's, will find their private lives trawled for financial, moral or sexual hypocrisy. Especially sex. Now is not the time to be a bishop, especially if you have a close friend who is an actress, or even an actor for that matter in these more enlightened times.

One thing is certain. Even if you have misgivings about the protest, the establishment is certainly rattled.

Planning for Remembrance Sunday 2011

Next Sunday the 13 November I shall be leading the Remembrance Sunday service at City Road Methodist Church Birmingham. The service will start at 10.50 am in order that we will join the 11.00 two minute silence. Uniforms and decorations are welcome and I shall be wearing mine.

Over the years I have collected some resources in this blog that may be of assistance to anyone leading a Remembrance Sunday service.

These include:

The Preachers Toolkit  - list of useful information which I found when researching my first Remembrance Sunday service. This can be supplemented by material from the Methodist Church's own site here.

Women at War - sometimes we forget the contribution and participation that women make during war time. I tried to remedy this one year by reading a section from Lucilla Andrew's book No Time To Love. I found it quite moving especially as I had the honour of meeting Lucilla.

Searching the Commonwealth War Graves site - this is very simple, can be absorbing but brings home to a congregation the impact that both wars had on every local community. It would be possible to get the youth organisations or other members of the congregation to tell the story of local people with local addresses. The CWG records for the Second World War list UK civilian casualties, especially interesting in large towns and cities which suffered air attacks. I used the stories to write a press release that brought in non-church goers.

War poetry - every library now has a collection of the poetry of the First World War. These are now available online and can make a moving and challenging - and often secular - contribution to the service. My favourite is not about the dead, but the living, Wilfred Owen's Disabled is s reminder of those who returned broken in mind and spirit. Beware - it isn't too kind on the role of Christians!

Another favourite must always be Studdart Kennedy aka "Woodbine Willy". I wrote in more detail about him here, much of what he says and its impact go well beyond the war and may in the future be used to illuminate how 20th century people changed their perception of God.

Finally, if anyone has any additional ideas please feel free to add them in the comment box. I no from previous years that these resources are heavily used during the next week and original ideas are always welcome.

Sometimes we are challenged why we still commemorate Remembrance Sunday (and I have more than a passing sympathy for that tradition in Methodism that prefers to wear a white poppy). Here I explain why I wear a poppy.

God bless you and have a good service.

NB some of the links given in posts were put together several years ago. If any are broken my apologies and would you alert me. Thanks

A good way to handle bad news

Tonight's Birmingham Evening Mail

Reading my evening paper on the bus I came across this exemplary piece of communications work from the Methodist Church.

Earlier this year many of us here in the Midlands were shocked to be told that a respected local preacher had used his position to abuse teenage boys. It is a nasty story that I won't repeat in detail. Tragically several young people and their families have suffered greatly.

Sadly the tendency for many religious organisations is to pretend that such abuse never happens and when it is discovered they try to hush it up. On this occasion the Methodist Church have came up trumps. We set up a full  inquiry led by a former President, learnt what lessons we could and have now issued a full apology that was carried in today's local newspapers. That is the right and good way to handle bad news.

I discovered a fuller story when my Methodist Recorder arrived this evening. I do hope that the report is  placed online because there are clearly lessons that we need to learn again. Some of these lessons are reported more fully in tonight's Northern Echo. It may also be useful when confronted by those who complain about "health and safety culture" and CRB checks.

Sadly this may not be the last occasion that the church's name is associated with child abuse. I noticed in the annual report and accounts of the Methodist Insurance Company (pages 14, 31 and 35)  that they have had to make special provision worth over £5,000,000  for insurance claims  going back over fifty years in our children's homes.

Some claims have been settled, some are in the process of being settled but we are warned  that some may not have yet been reported. These cases represent the tip of a spiritual iceberg that probably did much damage to people who will never see the Methodist Church as a place of safety.

Old phone numbers, broken links, wrong cover price - the Methodist Recorder "online"

Today's Methodist Recorder website front page.

• Wrong cover price on the front page
• Disconnected telephone numbers on every page
• An online bookshop that doesn't exist
• Ghost pages from the main menu
• Ridiculous claims about readership
• Out of date information for readers
• A "links page" where most of the links are  not working
• (including one to Action for Children that lands on a commercial dentist's page)
• This is the Methodist Recorder "online" as the print edition celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2011.

Earlier this week I ran a short article about the directors, shareholders and management of the Methodist Recorder. I reproduced publicly available information from Companies House.

Co-incidentally the Methodist Church media team published a podcast interview with John Aldridge, Chair of the Methodist Recorder board, who I know to be a decent bloke with printer's ink where the rest of us have blood. The interview is worth listening to, however when John started talking about websites and twitter he seemed less sure of himself. He described the website as "OK" but admitted that it needed some improvement.

This led one or two readers on here and on the excellent UK Methodist Facebook page to post a few comments. Now I regard the Recorder as a family friend - it even carried a story and picture about my wedding - so I was a bit upset with the comments that were made about the Methodist Recorder website.

These included:

"The WORST web site I have ever seen..... are they on this planet? A high school student could create something better!"

"Gosh, you're right! I would've expected a much more impressive website than that!"

"I gasped, loudly, on opening the recorder's page. I'm so disappointed. I had to google to see if it really was the only Methodist Recorder Website."

Dave Faulkner gave his forthright views last week and they make interesting reading. "It is primitive. It has been the same for years. It might just have been acceptable in the 1990s, but that website is now an embarrassment."

So are these negative comments justified? And is it necessary to make them? The second question first. The Methodist Recorder in both print form and online are often the only connection Methodists have to the wider movement beyond their church. So whatever the Recorder says about being "independent" its an important part of the Methodist family and to a large extent represents us to the world. It is especially important for young people who - as John Aldridge rightly said in his podcast interview - get their news and information in new and changing ways.

So are the comments about the Recorder website justified?

This morning I took a slightly more detailed look by following the front page navigation buttons.

Front page: first impression is that this was put together in the very early days of the web. The design is at least ten years old, certainly I'm aware that it hasn't changed in any way since I started blogging in 2007. Significantly it says the cover price is £1.60 when it went up to £1.95 (I think) in January. Clearly no one is taking responsibility for "weeding" and updating. Navigation to other pages is via stylized radio buttons, again indicating a very early design. Significantly there is no news on the front page. Something that newspaper people should immediately realise is not a good way to sell a newspaper! 

Prominently displayed on every page is the telephone number 020 7251 8414 and a fax number 020 7608 3490 but more about that later when I actually dial them.


News page latest headlines: four short stories plucked from the current week's edition. Today it is up to date but not always. There are ten links along the bottom of the page: not one works. Navigation has to be through my browser rather than through the site.

Page three A look at the life and history of the Methodist Church: This looks promising, listing Methodist heritage sites. First listed, Wesley's Chapel in London. Oh, link broken. Of the remaining nine links a further two are broken. But that's seven out of eleven that work. These are not links to outside sites, they are internal links. So what is the quality of the information? Let's go to the Black Country page, the area of Methodism I know best. The stories are OK, but the information is hopelessly out of date. For example the admission charges quoted for the Black Country Museum and Sandwell Valley Farm are clearly out of date possibly by several years. Why not just put a link through to their sites rather than reproduce information that needs constant updating?


Page four   The history of the Recorder: good article, but what other newspaper makes its history a major feature on its website? It also confirms what a lot of us think: in 1998 the Recorder went "live" on the internet and this gives us a clue about how long the website has been around in its present form.

Page five   Guidelines for submission: another OK page.

Page six Details of our regular articles and features: Not certain if this page is entirely up to date. We are assured however that "As a totally independent and self-financing paper, we are never compromised in bringing you the real facts”.  The page is illustrated by a "rogues gallery" of twelve people who have contributed in recent months. None are named, all are white, ten are men, and (let me put this politely) all except one are obviously middle aged or older.

Page seven Puzzled by Methodist Conference? Here’s how we can help. It doesn’t help at all. It goes to a ghost page.

Page eight  How to subscribe and how much it costs: Having been inspired  by the rest of the site I decide that the one thing I want to do is to take out a subscription. So I obediently click through to the subscriptions page. But it doesn’t tell me how much it costs.

So I dial  020 7251 8414 the number  provided on every page. Now I promise I am not making this up. I get a redirection message telling me to ring another number 020 7793 0033. I get through to someone who can't immediately give me the price of an annual subscription because subscriptions run on a July-July basis and therefore change all the time. Ann isn't in today but he would get her to ring me back. Thoroughly embarrassed for the Recorder staff I offer my apologies and decide to stick with the newspaper boy. I wonder how long the phone number has been changed and why on earth no one bothered to change it on the website?

Page nine: Books, Music, Videos by Post - a reader service from the Recorder: Another potentially useful page, what have they got in stock? First I'm redirected to a "new page" and then I land on another Page not found message. Another ghost page! Surely they have noticed that no one is buying from their online bookstore? And anyway, who buys videos these days?

Page ten Advertising rates and mechanical data: The first thing I notice is that the promised advertising rates are nowhere to be seen. There is a note about collaboration with other religious newspapers but it leaves me none the wiser. As a potential customer I have to email them to get an email back. I note the circulation stands at 22,000 with the ridiculous claim that on average each copy is read by up to five  people, giving a readership of 100,000!

At the top of the page is the now redundant telephone number. Perhaps I'll try the fax machine? So I dial 020 7608 3490. That number, also on every page of the website, is "unrecognised, please check and try again". In the past I've managed advertising budgets worth thousands of pounds. Would I really advertise with the Recorder on the basis of this site and this page?

Page eleven Links to other Methodist and Christian sites: Now this surely must be a useful feature and one where an organisation like the Recorder could offer a genuine reader service. The page has four sections including an introduction.

The introduction points out that it doesn't list individual Methodist churches but promises “A list of local churches with sites is available at the Methodist Church site" I click through the offered link and the page is not found. 

So I scroll down to the next section. This lists, complete with logos, 17 Methodist organisations. Only two work, 15 don’t. The one for NCH Action for Children  sends readers  to a commercial dental site!

The third section could be quite important. If a Minister or student googles “University Methodist Societies”  this page comes up at number three on the results page. Fifteen societies are listed. Not one of the links work. 

The third section, listing other Christian sites fares better with only two broken links out of 13. But the majority of the "links" on the link page don't link.

My conclusion is that the Methodist Recorder website is an embarrassment as Dave Faulkner says. Just the fact that they list an out of date telephone number, give the wrong cover price and have broken links from their main menu tells us everything we need to know about the future of the Methodist Recorder. It won’t last another five years, never mind another 150.

How long will it take for the Recorder to correct the cover price and telephone numbers? They have been sent a link to this post.

The gerontocracy that runs the Methodist Recorder

The Methodist Recorder is celebrating its 150th anniversary. How much does the average Methodist know about the "world's leading Methodist newspaper"?

It has a cover price of £1.95 (though its website still states it as £1.60) - costing regular subscribers over £100 per year. It claims a circulation of 22,000 and an "estimated" readership of 100,000 each week. The Recorder withdrew from the certification scheme of the Audit Bureau of  Circulation in 1991.

Update: see more recent post to read about the Recorder "online"
 

It is led by a seven strong board, six of whom are non-executive directors, only one non-executive is a woman and no directors are from British Methodism's diverse ethnic minority membership.

The non-executive directors are Steven Wild, Michael Taylor, Ann Pardoe, John Newton, Christopher Hughes-Smith, and John Aldridge. Three are in their 80s, two in their 70s and one in his late 50s.  Their average age is 75 years 6 months. There is only one executive director and she reduces the average age to 71. This  means the board has fve men to two women. All live in England south of  Nottinghamshire.*

The company's publicly available abbreviated return reports (31/12/2010) total assets valued at £570, 491. The abbreviated accounts do not provide an accessible profit and loss account, but comply with the appropriate provisions of the 2006 Companies Act. In 2005 the company reported total assets of  £633, 954.

In January of this year all the company's  assets, which included the  freehold and leasehold of the newspaper's premises in Golden Lane, London, were mortgaged to the Methodist Newspaper Retirement Benefit Scheme.

There are one hundred issued shares with a nominal value of £25. The 89 shareholders currently listed with one share each are:  David Blatherwick, Peter Blatherwick, Stuart Burgess, Ronald Gibbins, Anthony Reddie, Donald Sampson, Ann Sherperdson, S Wild, Mary Ludlow, John Atkinson, Michael Bray, Gladys Dawson, David Ensor, Douglas Hopwood, Alma Hunt, Elizabeth Hulbert, Brian Greet, Kenneth Wilson, R Pile, Colin Smith, Peter Sutcliffe, Martin Turner, Eunice Irvine, Paul Harrington, Robert Hinton, Avril Bottoms, D Brown, Ronald Charlton, J Reddall, Keith Garner, C Smith, Michael Taylor, R Arnold, Doreen Hare, Ian Haile, Martin Wellings, F Smith, William Burt, Peter Howdle, Paul Flowers, Paul Hulme, Nicola Jones, Frances Young, Michael Hill, Stephen Parish, Leslie Griffiths, Ivan Weekes, Rob Hufton, Colin Morris, John Aldridge, Lucy Rogers, Barry Weetman, John Newton, Stuart Bell, Ann Pardoe, David Wigley, John Gray, Trevor Bell, J Bridge, Brian Thornton, Paul Kinvig, John Maclure, Moira Sleight, Kenneth Greet, David Holland, Arthur Simmons, Martin Forward, Timothy Macquiban, John Dale, Ian Rigby, Bryan Coates, Margaret Jarvis, John Withinshaw, Margaret Daniels, Martin Hunt, D Rutter, Neil Richardson, John Singleton, Stephen Plant, Janet Sinclair, M D Atkins, Judy Jarvis, Tom Stuckey, T E J Styche, Rosemary Wells, L P M Sleight, David Hart.*

Methodist Newspaper is a private company limited by shares and was incorporated 13 March 1863

* Source annual return submitted 04/04/2011

UPDATE: A fascinating interview with John Aldridge, Chair of the Methodist Recorder board, has just been released by the Methodist Church media team. When it comes to new forms of communications John says the right things but then says the Recorder website - the one that says the cover price in £1.60 -  is "OK", which it clearly isn't. He also confirms what a lot have thought for some time, that the finances for the future of the Recorder are dependent on the property portfolio, which he doesn't mention has now been mortgaged to its pension fund! The Recorder really could be a vibrant communications hub if it took new media seriously. http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.webradio

The Methodist Church in Britain | Methodist Web Radio

www.methodist.org.uk

The Methodist Church of Great Britain

Christians want Chancellor to close the gap between rich and poor

Representatives from a range of Christian denominations and charities, including the Methodist Church, have handed over a letter to the Chancellor today  asking the Government to tackle tax avoidance in order to close the gap between rich and poor. More details here.

Impressions from the occupy #LSX at St Paul's Cathedral

Yesterday I spent an hour outside St Paul's Cathedral in London having a nose around the "Occupy #LSX" encampment.

Over the last week I've had a number of concerns about how this demonstration will continue, how it will end, and what it will achieve. I've been  particularly concerned by private reports that the sister demonstration in the US, "Occupy Wall Street", has developed some anti Semitic characteristics. Melanie Phillips and Labour MP John Mann  have given voice to this more sinister aspect of the "Occupy" movement in recent days. During my brief visit yesterday I saw and heard nothing to suggest a similar development outside St Paul's, but would not discount it as a possible mutation.

Why do I use the word "mutation"? Because I get a sense that this demonstration could go in several directions. Just walking around and seeing the various posters in the area shows that the demonstration has attracted every sort of campaigning group imaginable. Various types of Christianity were visible, especially those supportive of the poor, but there were plenty of other causes being promoted - veganism, various shades of the New Age, the Socialist Worker Party, greens, Kurdish independence, and even a plea to stop Scientologists getting tax breaks. Many of the posters ranged from the coherent to the down right looney. How far they represent those actually camping was difficult to say.

What didn't seem to be present was a coherent programme of ideas or a realistic manifesto to address the central reason for the demonstration,which I assume is the replacement of capitalism with something more stable, just and humane. But I may have somewhere got it wrong. Were they accepting capitalism but merely wanted it to be tweaked and managed differently?

Sadly I didn't have the time to dialogue with many actual demonstrators so when I returned home I interrogated the website Occupy London  especially the "Initial statement" . This I must admit didn't really help me any further.

Clearly there are some who believe that this demonstration is on a par to those which the CIA used to orchestrate  in former Soviet republics, you may remember the socalled orange and purple "revolutions". Others clearly thought this was a British version of Tahir Square, there's even a poster proclaiming  the area in front of St Pauls as such.

Let us be honest here. Those demonstrating during the "Arab spring" took far greater risks than those camped outside St Paul's in a country which normally respects the rule of law. We need to take care that in making the comparison we are not belittling those Arab demonstrators, particularly those who paid with their lives.  Incidentally those demonstrators succeeded because they had the support of a mass movement and had very specific demands. I'm not certain that these conditions currently exist in the UK, people are not gathering in their thousands to support the St Pauls demonstration.

Another Methodist blogger hit the nail on its head after his own visit. Peter Phillips said he felt it was a bit like the Christian festival Greenbelt. Sadly I suspect he may be right. People having a good time, lots of fun, and when consciences are clear, everyone going home back to the mundane. O doubt if that's how it felt in the real Tahir Square

So I'm back to where I started in politics. Over the next few days we shall see the farce of the Church of England trying to sort out its misfortune at having had this demonstration dumped on its doorstep - there were other sites in that area once Paternoster Square was closed but I suspect the front of the Cathedral was  chosen by the demonstrators as a soft option. If they couldn't confront capitalism they could make things difficult for a few hopeless clerics. And incidentally please don't assume that any other denomination, including us Methodists, would have acted differently if having a similar problem on our own doorstep.

Then there will be the farce of a forced eviction. A few people will get hurt, hopefully no one will get killed. I wouldn't rule out some dirty tricks such as the English Defence League turning up. I have seen with my own eyes a demonstration smashed up by apparently roving thugs. Certainly the coverage in the popular press has been unrelentingly hostile and on occasions scurrilous. And don't underestimate splits and arguments. Remember that several of the demonstrators will almost certainly be serving police officers. 

So we will face the prospect of a whole bunch of young people walking away, thoroughly disillusioned, convinced that little can be done to effect real change.

So I think back to the days when I was one of the few elected politicians who actually took on capitalis, and paid with my livelihood.. I opposed the Labour Party's re writing of our Clause IV. I still believe that a mixed economy with various forms of common ownership such as mutuals, co-ops and nationalised strategic industries are still the best way forward. These can only be achieved by arguing the politics, winning the argument and getting elected. Against such a long term strategy the occupy LSX is little more than a passing stunt. I just hope that it raises consciousness, not dulls it.

Leslie Griffiths says his farewell

I'm putting Leslie Griffiths remarkable letter in today's Methodist Recorder online. If you click it will enlarge into a readable document. I certainly don't agree with Leslie's decision, nor his hankering after an Anglican "conditional ordination"  but some of his language strikes a chord.

When he was President of Methodist Conference, the present General Secretary of the Methodist Church, Martyn Atkins, referred to the large number of people he met during his presidential year now serving in other churches, who had started their spiritual journey as Methodists. At last year's conference our current President, Leo Osborn, made a telling comment: "I’m equally concerned about what is happening at the back door: those who slip away due to our pastoral neglect or remain but feel disappointed or uncared for". Good point. When I studied marketing we were always told that the unhappy or lost customer could tell us things about our business we needed to know.

Leslie has laid out for all to see how he feels. I suspect that the Methodist Recorder has many such letters, all of which remain unpublished. This one from a former President, a member of the House of Lords and a regular contributor just could not be ignored.

Sadly Leslie says what a lot of those who "slip away" actually feel. Just some of his points:

"I mourn for a church that can raise itself to such heights of false pride and contumely.....I have experienced (or been made aware of) vilification, character assassination, suspicion, jealousy, and downright mean mindedness of fellow Methodists...We have belittled ourselves with our littleness.....once I'm retired I shall no longer want to be "in Connexion" with the Methodist Conference.....I've had enough of the back-biting, sly, venomous and debilitating comments I have suffered over the last few years."

His letter ends with the dire warning that Methodism will itself be buried. But Leslie also makes another important point: the strength of the "unconditional love and patience" from his own congregation at Wesley's Chapel, that he had found in "virtually all the churches and circuits I've served."

He then makes the most important point of all: "there's a chasm between our people and those who lead them."

Here am I serving God through the Methodist Church in one of the UK's poorest and least regarded communities, but I find many echoes of Leslie's complaints  in my own experience beyond my immediate circuit.

Several times I've offered, for example, to serve on various Connexional working groups. I have met the "littleness" to which Leslie refers preventing the Connexion making use of  my experience and skills that are clearly in such short supply. Over the years I've had jaw dropping letters from little people with little grievances holding little jobs who would be an embarrassment  to the Church if anyone in the outside world cared to be interested in our collective self abuse.

But what keeps me in the Methodist Church is what actually happens on the ground. I mentioned an example earlier today from the other end of the country. Here in Birmingham without the support of our members and circuit, a much needed church in an impoverished community would have simply faded away. Go beyond the circuit and we see little support. When I've taken up some serious issues (not blogged about here) I've been astonished at the inability of the Methodist "leadership" to actually do the right and just thing. This I have learnt is not a matter of individuals but a systemic institutional problem that simply debilitates. We are strong at righting the wrongs of the Middle East but paralysed  by our local difficulties.

Somehow we need to address Leslie's point about the chasm between the Methodist people and those who imagine they lead..

Cancer ward

I have to be careful how I write this post, but I want to share something.

Earlier this week I visited a  cancer ward. It was with apprehension. Whilst I was there I met two very special people, who were not the reason for my visit and neither of whom I had met previously.

One was a woman in her forties with cancer, the other was her mother. They had every reason to be absolutely miserable. Both however spoke very animatedly, and positively, about their church and the support they received from the Reverend Smith down in Cornwall.

They made it clear  that their faith in God was a major part in their lives and was especially important during their present trials. Their impact was considerable, especially on two people I love very much. They were able to witness from a point of suffering and anguish which gave an authenticity to the message which others just cannot give.

I'm not comfortable with a campaign currently being run by the Methodist Recorder called "proud to be a Methodist", but as I listened to this mother and daughter, and heard of their Methodist church, that's exactly how I felt: proud to be a Methodist.

British government "deeply concerned" by Fiji restrictions

Following earlier publicity about the restrictions placed on Methodists in Fiji I contacted my Member of Parliament John Spellar.

John took up the issue  with the Foreign Secretary and has now sent me a response written by Jeremy Browne, Minister of State. It reveals that the Fiji High Commissioner has been called in and made aware of British concerns, something that hasn't apparently been reported elsewhere.

The relevant sections of the letter read:

"The British government is deeply concerned by reports of restrictions being placed upon Methodists in Fiji that impinge upon their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and freedom of association. On 12 October I raised these concerns with the Fijian High Commissioner to the UK, expressing my dismay at these developments and noting that this latest action by the authorities in Fiji can only serve to increase their isolation from the international community.

"Our High Commission in Suva, Fiji, is maintaining close contact with the Methodist Church and will continue to lobby the interim government in Fiji to remove the restrictions.

"The British government is working closely with international partners, such as Australia, New Zealand, the EU and the US, to promote the restoration of democracy and human rights, including freedom of religion, to Fiji.

Cameo role

Amazingly busy time sorting out insurances, gas companies and future business contracts so little time to report or contribute here. However my friends - some of whom read this blog - may be interested in one of the legacies of a recent assignment. I was working at a London teaching hospital and we needed a  "patient". Getting a real patient can be a hassle as we have to fill in lots of forms. Sometimes its easier to get a member of the comms team to step in. In fact when I worked for NCH I posed as an abusive parent in one publicity shot. On another occasion in Birmingham I was strapped on a stretcher and airlifted in a helicopter - terrified me. Anyway, here is my latest cameo role. Back in a few days.

The church annual accounts are done, well, er, sort of

Regular readers will know that I've been a bit "off the boil" lately. It seems that I have spent every minute of the waking day over the last three weeks trying to sort out the church books ready for auditing. After spending hours on the book I don't feel I have enough time to set the world and the connexion right.  Tonight I have finally accepted that I am not going to find that missing 90 pence. I'm handing the books over to our auditor who has a forensic mathematical mind and I'm certain he'll find the error. Just imagine there are 4,500 other poor souls going through this process during the autumn months as we prepare for the circuit returns.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign attracts anti-Semites

Does the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which attracts many Methodists, also attract anti-Semites? Should PSC meetings be held on Methodist premises?

Over the last week this blog has carried the news that a member of the audience  made unacceptable comments about Jews and the Holocaust  at an  ill-advised PSC meeting held at the Rivercourt Methodist Church.  The meeting clearly violated the spirit of Methodist Standing Orders 920 and 921. Astonishingly it was allowed to go ahead following consultation with connexional officers, a decision defended by the secretary of the faith and order committee.

Meanwhile the PSC has been peddling very fast to distance itself from the comments, even emailing another Methodist blogger with their side of the story. This is in addition to the full statement which I was obviously prepared to published in the interests of fairness  on this blog .

That the outburst was anti-Semitic is accepted by all, including the PSC. There is however a quibble about whether is was said inside or outside the meeting, though there is no argument that the person had attended the meeting. The PSC  ask  whether they are supposed to vet attendees for their views or their opinions.  That is a good question and one that the Connexional team should have addressed before agreeing to the meeting.

Regular readers of Harry's Place, the Jewish community blog will be in no doubt that the PSC and their new recruit Stephen Sizer have some very dubious associates (the engage site provides a helpful summary of recent PSC stories).

Joseph W yesterday explained  in detail how a  speaker at a PSC meeting - not held on Methodist premises -  promoted anti-Semitism towards British Jews, even identifying a particular Jewish community in London. She promoted the usual anti-Semitic lie of divided loyalites. Readers can see the full grisly speech on YouTube and judge for yourself. Not only can you hear the speech, but you can hear the applause. Presumably the PSC couldn't vet the audience for their anti-Semitic opinions and applause, but it was they who chose the platform speaker, one Laura Stewart.

Ms Stewart appears to have form. Let Harry's Place explain, and it really is worth following the links if you want to understand why many Jews are apprehensive about the activities of the PSC, including it seems Tony Greenstein  who is well known to the  PSC's friendly Methodist blogger. Follow the links from Harry's Place:

Last month, whilst defending Gilad Atzmon, Laura Stuart emailed Tony Greenstein this video, entitled What Famous Men Say About the Jews (all negative), uploaded by a user called “Aryan000005“.

This blog is read by our connexional hierarchy - they even send me letters about it from time to time - but after today,  if they are so unwise as to give the go ahead for another  PSC meeting on Methodist premises, they should at least ensure that Laura Stewart is not among the speakers.

They should also suggest that the PSC do take responsibility for ensuring that known anti-Semites, such as the Jane Green who desecrated Rivercourt Methodist Church, should be denied admission.  

Well done Methodist comms team

The Methodist Church communications team have scooped a prestigious first prize tonight at  a Christian  media awards bash for their viral video Tell Show Be.  Full story here. Well done!

TELL.SHOW.BE. - English from Tell.Show.Be on Vimeo.

At 9.00 BST tomorrow we will all be Welsh

After last week's pathetic display by the English rugby team we will all be hoping that our friends in Wales will keep the home nations' hopes alive tomorrow morning.

I'm due at the church at 10.00 am, I think I may be a little late.......

Metal thefts - letter in the Recorder

This week's Methodist Recorder carries a letter from Methodist Preacher on the growing problem of metal thefts:

The Recorder’s welcome coverage of metal thefts from churches (MR 6 October 2011) highlights a crime that is beyond the power of any victim to resolve.

Methodist Insurance and English Heritage may offer advice which may or may not prevent individual thefts but the problem is much more deep seated. For example suggestions that church metal is specially marked is naive given the process of which metal theft is part.

Here in the West Midlands we are at the centre of the metal recycling industry.

It has many admirable qualities: it provides a free collection service of large metal items; gives people some work and income; and ensures that waste metal is reused. All benefits that Methodists should welcome.

However it is the epitome of the free market. I’ve had a nose round the scrap yards and talked to some of the collectors.

Metal collection is completely unregulated. Entry to the trade is easy - all you do is go round collecting metal. This can be done with a lorry but I have seen some desperate migrants from Eastern Europe collecting on foot and using carrier bags. It is impossible to tell who the collectors are. Their vehicles are unmarked and they are highly mobile. There is no way of telling whether their collections have been acquired legally or illegally, or a mixture of the two.

The loads are taken to the many scrap yards now to be found throughout the country. No questions are asked, though I gather there are furious rows about the value of each delivery. Weight is everything, its source, form or even the content of the metal is irrelevant. No records are kept of who supplies which piece of metal. Payments are cash in hand with all the implications of lost tax revenue.

Within hours of arrival at the yard the metal is simply loaded into a giant container and a few days later is on the high seas en route to the Far East. The detailed sorting and reclamation work is undertaken on arrival. Few of the more skilled recycling jobs are created here in the Black Country.

The only way the collection of stolen metal can be stopped is by regulating the entire trade. This is urgently needed. It isn’t just churches which are suffering. Power cables are especially vulnerable and many a commuter has found their journey to work disrupted by stolen signalling equipment. Entire communities have been without power or telephones when essential utility kit has been taken for scrap.

A licensing system would be self funding, ensure that tax is paid and go some way to preventing the disruption and damage caused by illegal collections.  It would also protect the reputations of entirely legitimate businesses.

The impetus for such regulation has to come from the insurance industry and organisations such as English Heritage. The sooner this happens, the better.

Anti-Semitic views WERE expressed in Methodist Church - official

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign  has admitted that anti-Semitic views were expressed by people attending a meeting on Methodist church premises in West London earlier this month. Their  full statement has been published here.

A woman supporter of the PSC was recorded saying that a "few hundred  thousand" Jews died in the Holocaust when "they had their foreskins chopped off". She also told Jews present "You are using the fu*king Holocaust to kill the Palestinians." According to those present she made the comments in the church and then repeated them outside where they were recorded.

It has since emerged that Methodist Connexional officials at the highest level actually gave the go ahead for this meeting to take place, despite the PSC holding views that are directly contrary to Methodist Conference policy supporting the right of Israel to live within secure borders. The PSC logo, on display in the Methodist Church during the meeting, clearly envisages the destruction of Israel.

The Reverend Doctor Peter Phillips, secretary of the powerful Methodist Church Faith and Order Committee  claimed on this blog "Nothing in the meeting itself contravened SO 921 and the minister was present to ensure this. As far as I understand it, the minister discussed the meeting and all measures which might be necessary beforehand with our Inter Faith relations officer."  Dr Phillips has criticised this blog for suggesting the content of the meeting should have been discussed by Connexional officials saying "Might be good not to jump for the negative assumption that consultation has not happened prior to the event being held".

It beggars belief that Connexional officers saw this as a legitimate meeting to be held on Methodist premises and then have their agreement endorsed by the Secretary of the Faith and Order Committee. The relevant standing order makes it clear that political meetings should be held in very specific circumstances including a provision that such a meeting should not have a detrimental effect on the peace and unity of the church and its witness. Meetings should also be held within the context of specifically Christian theology and ethics.

Standing Order 921 says:

921 Political Matters. (1) Managing trustees may not sponsor meetings in support of political parties, nor may such meetings be held in the name of any otherMethodist body. Nonetheless managing trustees may permit occasional use of Methodist property for political meetings by non-Methodist bodies and may sponsor meetings designed to promote informed discussion of public issues in the context of Christian theology and ethics. Before agreeing to such use, the managing trustees shall consider, in the light of any advice which the Connexional Team may issue from time to time, the extent, if any, to which the granting of such permission would have a detrimental effect on the peace and unity of the Church and its witness.

How the pictures get on the front page

Ever been on a "peaceful" demonstration, only to find the headlines and front pages dominated by violent images which distorted what you were trying to achieve? This short documentary looks at how photographers in one conflict area actively influence the news agenda. We need to learn to be more critical of the images provided in our newspapers and on our televisions. Hat tip: Harry's Place.