What role does civil society play? Lords to debate
Members of the House of Lords including the President of the Community Foundation Network, the President of Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) and a Trustee of the Human Trafficking Foundation, will tomorrow discuss the role that civil society plays, in light of the pastoral letter from the Church of England's House of Bishops Who is my neighbour?
The debate will be opened by the Bishop of St. Albans, who also tabled the debate, and who said:
“There is a worrying trend in civic life today, including voter apathy, a decline in social capital and an increasing sense of loneliness in isolated people.
“I am hoping the debate will address two main questions: how can our politics be different, and how can our policies engage neighbourliness? Of course, politics cannot do it all, and the church, charities and voluntary organisations all have a role to play in what I hope will be the start of a ‘re-boot' of our civil society.
“This debate is not about party politics, but it should raise some fundamental questions about where we are going as a society, and I hope that it will have some bearing on politics in the future. The recent election appealed greatly to people's self-interest, rather than appealing to the greater good of our society as a whole: much more of a ‘what's in it for me?' question, when the question we should really be asking is: ‘what's in it for us?'”
Other Members scheduled to speak include:
- Baroness Butler-Sloss, Trustee of the Human Trafficking Foundation;
- Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach, Member of the Comite de Patronage, elea Foundation for Ethics in Globalization, Zurich, which fighting poverty through entrepreneurial philanthropic projects;
- Lord Judd, Vice President of the United Nations Association;
- Lord Kennedy of Southwark, Trustee of the Mayor of Southwark's Common Good Trust;
- Baroness Byford, President of Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF)
- Lord Graham of Edmonton, President of the Co-operative Group Consumers Organisation;
- Lord Cormack, Founder and Chairman of Heritage Matters;
- Baroness Neuberger, Trustee of the Social Market Foundation; and
- Baroness Prashar, Deputy Chair of the British Council and President of the Community Foundation Network.
The Bishop of Leicester, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, Lord Griffiths of Burry Port, Baroness Barker, Lord Patten, Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall and the Bishop of Rochester are also expected to take part in the debate.
Lord Bridges of Headley will respond on behalf of the Government.
