Friday, 8 February 2008

Early morning alarm call

Our household was woken up about 4:00 am by a smoke alarm beeping loudly and persistently - to let us know that its battery is running out. By the time I’d dealt with it and we’d all had a cup of tea, the prospect of further sleep seemed very distant, so I tucked Jackie back up in bed and drove to Watford.

I had a good few hours working on papers for our forthcoming Trustees’ meeting. Then at 10:00 I met with Vivienne Davies (of Home-Start) and Roland Bedford (Signposts) and Claire Pitkin (Youth Council) to talk about voluntary sector representation on the District Children’s Trust Partnership. Each are voluntary sector members of the DCTP and we discussed ways in which they can most effectively support and represent local voluntary groups.

We discussed the differences between championing and representing (on which I felt particularly well-briefed after Laura Cronshaw’s recent presentation) and options for strengthening the role.

We agreed that Vivienne and Roland should be formally adopted as Watford CVS representatives, underpinned by generally improved communications, a networking event on the DCTP and VCS, and in due course an appropriate selection procedure. I will consult my trustees next week.

Although I had often heard her name mentioned, this was my first meeting with Claire Pitkin adn very impressive she was too.

Over lunch, I met with Vanessa and Maria to finalise plans for tomorrow’s big trustees’ event.

I also had to configure two new laptops that have arrived for our Connexions staff.

Later in the afternoon we held a staff meeting here to discuss our future accommodation needs, and the role of volunteers in the office here. Consensus is emerging.

You decide

I’ve been deluged with a request to explain my views on Rowan Williams's comments on "the stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty" and I am pleased to elaborate.

Rowan Williams wants a society where religious groups can be exempt from certain legislation or can opt in or out of certain legislation. I believe that this amounts to a Bigots’ Charter. The “inevitable” result would be a world where jobs and services can be advertised as “Christians only” or “Jews need not apply” or "No Gays or Lesbians" and where people are not free-thinking equal individuals but exist only as the property of a particular faith.

If Rowan Williams made these connections, and chose to make his comments anyway, then I believe he is very wicked. If he did not foresee the logical conclusion of his remarks, and the furore they would produce, then he is a deeply stupid man.

His biggest victims are Britain's Muslims. Rowan Williams didn't focus on special pleading for his own faith but instead chose to hide behind Islam. It is possible that Rowan Williams was too stupid to see that this would place Islam in the front line. Or perhaps he understood very well and just didn’t care.

So, Rowan Williams: Deeply Evil or just Very Very Stupid?

You decide.