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British Values: reflections on a divided society
Exit strategies
After a spate of terrorist attacks on European soil, getting deradicalisation programmes to work has become more important than ever, writes Samira Shackle.
There appears to be growing acceptance that rehabilitating extremists is better for society as a whole. But the parameters must be clearly drawn, or a well-intentioned measure could be at best ineffective or at worst a drastic state incursion on free speech.
Disestablish and be damned
The Church of England continues to hold incredible constitutional power, to the detriment of the UK. Can this be challenged, asks Richard Scorer?
It is absurd to suppose that the modern Church of England – insipid, inward-looking, riven with internal obsessions about the status of women and homosexuality, and now fending off child-abuse scandals on a scale previously only associated with the Catholic Church – can claim to offer a coherent source of moral guidance.
Making a killing
An examination of Britain’s arms trade tells us who we are as a country and what our role in the world really is, writes David Wearing.
In Yemen, it is a statement not of rhetoric but of fact that Washington and London have spent the last two years acting as accessories to mass murder.
Let’s move forwards
Selina Nwulu on a bold new book by Reni Eddo-Lodge, which tackles race and racism in Britain both past and present.
Art and authenticity
Grayson Perry's craft-based artworks tell us much about class in Britain today, writes Huw Lemmey
The Autumn 2017 issue of New Humanist is on sale now! Subscribe here for just £27 a year.
Also in this issue:
- JP O'Malley talks to Angela Saini about how sexism through the ages has distorted the science on women's bodies and behaviour
- The struggle to accommodate the world’s refugees raises a wider question, says Chris Bertram: do states have an absolute right to control borders?
- As Vladimir Putin seeks to extend his rule, Russia’s Orthodox religious right is on the rise. Marc Bennetts reports from Moscow
- Rosa Ellis on how a growing population is leading to radical new solutions for the disposal of bodies
- Can the BBC remain impartial in an age of polarisation? David Stubbs on telling the truth in chaotic times
- Andrew Copson tackles the dangerous myth that there is something uniquely open and tolerant about "Christian" civilisation
- People have kept diaries for centuries – and now they’re being reinvented for the era of social media. But, asks Caroline Crampton, what purpose do they serve?
- What does brainwashing actually mean? Richard Smyth explores
- It is often derided, but background music has been at the heart of many utopian visions for society. Robert Barry on the history of muzak
- How hot is the sun? asks Marcus Chown
- Columns from Michael Rosen and Laurie Taylor; the latest developments in biology, chemistry and physics; cartoon by Grizelda; book reviews; cryptic crossword and Chris Maslanka's quiz
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