What the papers said in the week ending 24 September 2022
Our days of mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth 2 came to an end with a funeral day of great pageantry and emotion Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II: UK prepares for grandest of farewells | Queen Elizabeth II | The Guardian
- ‘The final farewell’: what the papers said about the Queen’s funeral | Queen Elizabeth II | The Guardian
- It was a day in which Christian beliefs and values were spoken and shared with conviction: ‘We will meet again’: Christian themes at heart of Welby’s funeral sermon | Queen Elizabeth II | The Guardian
In the days which have followed there has been no reference to such values as our new government initiates changes which promise freedom but leave to chance the welfare of the poorest and most vulnerable:
- UK in recession and further interest rate hikes probable, Bank warns Kwarteng | Mini-budget 2022 | The Guardian
- Sunday roasts dwindle as cost of cooking crisis hits home | UK cost of living crisis | The Guardian
- Adult social care in England is in crisis, say Tory council leaders | Social care | The Guardian
- Liz Truss favours trickle down economics but results can be trickle up | Economics | The Guardian
- ‘A budget for the 1%’: government accused of huge tax cut for super-wealthy | Mini-budget 2022 | The Guardian
- Half of Kwarteng’s cuts to personal tax will go to richest 5%, say experts | Mini-budget 2022 | The Guardian
These changes have not been welcomed by the international economy: Pound falls below $1.09 for first time since 1985 following mini-budget | Sterling | The Guardian
Whatever their voting record, most people hold liberal values in their hearts Majority of UK public agree with liberal views on race and sexual identity | Social trends | The Guardian
- We do not want to be divided In times of uncertainty, we seek a sense of belonging | Letters | The Guardian
- Our country yearns for unity – but Truss’s government is mercilessly dividing it into rich and poor | Gordon Brown | The Guardian
- We do not want to poison our planet: Tory MPs angrily challenge Rees-Mogg’s fracking revival plan | Fracking | The Guardian
- Burning world’s fossil fuel reserves could emit 3.5tn tons of greenhouse gas | Fossil fuels | The Guardian
Matters of faith have found a place amongst the headlines:
Violence between Hindus and Muslims in Leicester raise fear of wider unrest: ‘It feels like people want to fight’: how communal unrest flared in Leicester | Leicester | The Guardian
Some people in Kenya have returned to ancient beliefs and rituals: ‘Restoring the river’: why Kenyans are returning to precolonial spirituality | Global development | The Guardian
An organist reflects on the rhythm of ‘How Great Thou Art’: How Great Thou Art and its Nazi rhythm | Letters | The Guardian
The issue of same-sex unions causes the Church of England a problem: Church of England bars Desmond Tutu’s daughter from officiating at funeral | Anglicanism | The Guardian
Northern Ireland finds itself with more Roman Catholics than Protestants: Catholics outnumber Protestants in Northern Ireland for first time | Religion | The Guardian
Our new Government risks further dismay: Moving the British embassy to Jerusalem would be an outrage | Donald Macintyre | The Guardian
Church Leaders have joined together in a letter to the new Prime Minister: Presidency joins call for more support for people on the lowest incomes (methodist.org.uk)
War:
The Russia -Ukraine conflict has progressed to new and dangerous phases: as Ukraine seems to be doing well in non-nuclear combat, Russia moves toward a general mobilisation and talks of its nuclear option A cornered and desperate Putin is a dangerous prospect | Letters | The Guardian
- Biden denounces Putin’s nuclear threats as ‘reckless’ in UN address | Joe Biden | The Guardian
- Putin flirts again with grim prospect of nuclear war – this time he might mean it | Russia | The Guardian
- Germany considers raising funds to rebuild a bridge which collapsed during the Second World War Germany to rebuild bridge over Rhine that collapsed during WW2 | Germany | The Guardian
We are still repairing the damage of such previous great conflicts. The prospect of more is too terrible.
Health:
Experts writing in the British Medical Journal despair at the damage done to the nation’s health as the progress of 60 years has been dashed away in the last ten: The UK’s public health system is broken | The BMJ
Money will be found from somewhere to facilitate the discharge of patients who are deemed fit from hospitals – surely a sticking plaster to cover a systematic problem: Health secretary sets up £500m fund to discharge medically fit NHS patients | NHS | The Guardian
We learn that some people with dementia will get it when they are younger and die of it sooner, according to their race: Britons of black and south Asian origin with dementia die younger, study finds | Dementia | The Guardian
- Incidence, age at diagnosis and survival with dementia across ethnic groups in England: A longitudinal study using electronic health records – Mukadam – Alzheimer’s & Dementia – Wiley Online Library
- We learn that men who have bad dreams in middle Age have a greater expectation of dementia in late life: Bad dreams in middle age could be sign of dementia risk, study suggests | Dementia | The Guardian
- Distressing dreams, cognitive decline, and risk of dementia: A prospective study of three population-based cohorts – eClinicalMedicine (thelancet.com)
Double trouble – or the unkindness cut.
Our built environment:
Castles are falling down: Tintagel among castles at risk unless England can hold back the tide | Heritage | The Guardian
But Manchester has opened its first new public park in 100 years. Something to cheer about. Manchester opens first new park in 100 years, complete with ‘scary’ slides | Manchester | The Guardian
David Jolley Chair of Christians on Ageing, in a personal capacity. September 2022
