Earlier this week we had one of those cultural moments when ideas of atheism, secularism and religion were debated. In an obviously provocative manoever, Baroness Warsi spoke of ‘militant secularism’. Militants like Richard Dawkins rose to the bait, apparently affirming her pronouncements, while less militant atheists like Alain De Botton adopted a more conciliatory tone on twitter. Several people pointed out the oxymoronic notion of a ‘militant secularist’ by incorrectly quoting AC Grayling, who last year equated militant atheism with “sleeping furiously”.
There is lots to be said about this perjorative term ‘militant secularism’. It is a form of victimology that social conservatives like propagate. Sayeeda Warsi has form on such issues, naughtily spreading the ‘Winterval’ myth when she knows it is a lie. It enables bigots, who like to use religion to excuse their prejudices, even when those values are very much at odds with the tolerant philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth.
Continue reading
Tag: Diary (Page 4 of 30)
Wow. First a specialist radio programme, now a specialist magazine. I am All Over the specialist media this weekend.
I was interviewed in The Bookseller for a feature on English PEN. The article doesn’t seem to be online yet but you can read the article in all its printed glory below. Eagle eyed readers will note that three of the pictures are by yrstrly, too. As with the radio interview, I share the limelight with a colleague: this time, Writers in Prison Programme Manager Cat Lucas.
Continue reading
Last week, I was interviewed by Peter Spafford for East Leeds FM. He asked about the work of English PEN and the free speech campaigns we are running.
You can listen to the interview here. My five minutes of fame comes at exactly 61 minutes into the show. There’s a funny point in my monologue where Peter takes a breath to ask another question, but I carry on talking. I should learn to speak in shorter sentences.
Later in the same show, my English PEN colleague Irene Garrow talks about her experience as a writer-in-residence in the prison system, and the reading and writing workshops she organizes with prisoners. Her slot starts at about 105 minutes.
The folk at my alma mater Fifty Nine Productions have produced this stunning short film, with Yes Prime Minister actors David Haig and Henry Goodman taking the two main parts.
Super Shorts 2011: The Half-Light (11-0327SS ) by THEHALFLIGHT
It has been beautifully shot by Feilx Wiedemann, who creates a melancholy mood from the outset. This is what great short films should do – introduce a single idea, a single character, a pivotal point in their lives… and then use the tools of film-making to conjure the mood of the moment.
Well worth 12 minutes of your time… and definitely worth voting for on the Super Shorts Audience Choice Awards (with a chance to win an iPad for your trouble).