Looking for the essence of Quakerism

George Fox had a vision, when he stood on Pendle Hill, of a “great people waiting to be raised”. Fox was excited by the realisation that he had had of the inner teacher, desperate to share it and release others as he had been released.

When Jesus' followers began to explore, after the trauma and grief of his death, where they were, they realised that, even if he was dead, his message of love and his teachings continued with them.  They began to create communities based on love, support and equality. This was seen as wildly dangerous to the status quo, so the Christian message was to be usurped by those that needed to keep control. They developed ideas of an existential God who had chosen some to be in power over others. People's situation had been defined by this God, who could lift some out of their troubles, and bring disaster to others, a God who could control people's lives. A God who kept the powerful in power, and who kept the rest of humanity in slavery. Fox's realisation returned to the understanding of those early Christian communities. No wonder he was excited!

Because Fox came from a strong Christian tradition he recognised what he had seen as something within all humans as "the God within" or "Christ Jesus, come to teach his people himself".  Now, in a global community, we are exposed to the truth expressed in many different ways and so we might query Fox's terminology, but not the experience that we continue to recognise just as he did.

However, just as the original Christian message had been corrupted so the Quaker concept came to loose its essence. It went flat, in greyness and sombreness, “a silly poor gospel!” Yet Fox's “great people” are still waiting to be raised. In the last census the largest response to the “religion” question, was “none”. Something which we cannot be surprised at, yet we know that there are people searching, and we know, for sure, that they are not finding us. We might think that Quakers offer exactly what they are looking for, but they don't know anything of the sort.

Our Meeting of Southern Marches Pastoral and Spiritual Carers (12/10/19) decided to look at the essence of Quakerism. Can we define it? We also asked what can we ditch to re-energise ourselves, how can we make ourselves more understandable to that “great people” that need to understand what we have come to understand? There is a saying that appears in tracts about economics, business, management, etc: “If you are in a hole, the first thing to do is to stop digging.” What are we doing that makes our attraction dimmer? What do we need to stop digging at?

When Fox described Quakers as a peculiar people he meant it in its sense of distinctive, particular, but I sometimes think that we enjoy being a peculiar people in the sense of different, eccentric! We cling to words that we understand, but which need to be explained to anyone else. Our Meeting for Sufferings has taken on its original sense as we record the sufferings of Extinction Rebellion arrestees, but does its name make clear its many other responsibilities? How much of the Recording Clerks time is taken up with recording? Do Elders have to be elderly? Do Overseers carry whips? Do weighty Friends need to be referred to Slimmers World? Does right ordering refer to on-line shopping? Does the Stewardship Committee provide the drinks and snacks? Is the doorkeeper for security or welcoming? Yes we do hope that our discernment is moving in the right direction, but what do non-Quakers think about “Hope so”. Then there are the initials! Most of them contain Q and all are meaningless to the uninitiated.

We have a book of “Christian discipline”, whose title includes the words “Quaker faith”, but is our society based on faith or on experience? When we gather for a “Meeting for Worship”, do we worship, if so who or what?

How do we transform ourselves, discarding those aspects of our culture that are off-putting to the un-initiated. As the Society of Friends plans to revise its book of spiritual and practical guidance can we go back to the excitement of Fox on Pendle Hill? The generational re-think of this book is crucial to the changes necessary in our society. This is a book that we place at our heart when we meet, The Advices and Queries are given to anyone who expresses interest. We have to approach the information that we provide to newcomers from their viewpoint. Is our message to them clear and couched in the language of today? History and church management have to be re-situated, easily available to those who need it, but not clouding our essential message. Our web sites and publications have to be clear, accessible and straightforward. Every piece of information that we offer has to comply with two standards: is it as exciting as Fox's revelation? Does the invitation to friendship offer challenge as well as comfort? Even the most ancient of our meeting places need to be presented in this way. We have a 350 year history, but the Society of Friends is as exciting now as it was when those early friends recognised each other.

The subject of membership exercises Friends constantly. We have members that we never see, and attenders who attend every week but reject membership. Each year each Area Meeting produces a membership list. This list contains the names and details of members and attenders who have signed a data permission document. Anyone who has attended four meetings for worship in the past year should be invited to sign a data permission document, if they do so they should be listed as a member. Anyone who has been listed previously but has not been involved with the meeting in the past year should be archived from the list. Involvement includes participation in worship or discussion, contributing financially or has communicated their wish to continue on the listing.

There is something in the minds of every human being that delights in love and truth. When we come together with others and sit in silence we can be aware of its promptings, those promptings can re-energise us, re-direct us, but do they still make us quake? Because we know that this ability is available to all we are obliged by that knowledge to treat all with respect, love and friendship.

It is imperative that we get to know one another better “in those things that are eternal”. What prevents that? Do we turn up for Meeting when its convenient, sit for an hour, have a cuppa and chat about inconsequentials, then head for home again? We all need to work at being friends, opening ourselves, exploring, nurturing. Maybe that is the essence: we are friends of each other, ready to go out from our meetings to meet others and befriend them, ready to stand by those friends who are being oppressed, enslaved, bombed, gassed, starved, drowned, mutilated. Whatever prevents that has to be ditched. Our government, our economics, our privilege, our comfort, our busyness. That is the essence of what Fox began. We should quake.

Peter Hussey

17/10/19 v2

We ought to be afraid. Facing the Future - not a conference

In the last census the largest group in the question about religion were the “Nons” - the non-believers, the people for whom religion had no relevance, and no part in their lives. It is not surprising to me. The trouble with religion is that it keeps on getting fossilised in ways of thinking that are no longer appropriate, and adapted to the needs of the powerful and rich.

Climate breakdown is forcing us all to re-think our lives, lets take a minute to re-think religion. Wikipedia defines the word religion as: “a social-cultural system of designated behaviours and practices”, that's just where we are, abandoning single use plastics, rethinking our western diet, re -use, reduce, repair. It goes on .. “morals, world views”, if that is not where we are then where are we? “Texts”, we started with Rachel Carson and Silent Spring, texts influence us right up to Greta Thunberg's address to the UN – “How dare you”. “Sanctified places”, how about the still untouched parts of the Amazon? “Prophecies, ethics and organisation that relates humanity to spiritual elements”, which is itself defined as “a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves, a universal human experience - something that relates to us all”.

So maybe we can see that XR and Transition, green thinking, green economics, might all be grouped into a definition of a sort of religion, but what then, is this just a pedantic, intellectual exercise? I think not, I think that there is value in pausing in the urgent task of saving humanity from itself, to think about what we have learnt.

We ought to be afraid, mankind is poised on the verge of catastrophe, but there is joy in what we are doing. Why is that? I suggest it is because we are coming together, we are acting together, educating each other, feeling for each other, supporting each other. We are not alone.

We are clear. We are not being swayed by the practicalities. We know that continual growth is a dream that has turned into a nightmare. We are prepared to accept that doing the right thing might cost us, and why not, if we are the privileged have we not the privilege of sharing? If every human has the same rights, the same value as any other, then the logic of that understanding is that we have to work for equality of opportunity, we have to respect others, we have to be honest to others, we have to equate our well being with theirs. We have to simplify our lives and our demands on others and the planet.

We are individuals with talents and strengths and weaknesses, we are individuals that are part of a community, but more we are part of community. For me that is religion, we are prepared to give and receive, we are open to others, their benefits and their needs. We are practising loving our neighbour.

Peter Hussey
26/09/2019

A missed opportunity - the Pales Annual Lecture 2019

The opportunity was not missed by all, but unfortunately the audience for this the second of the Annual Lectures at the Pales was tiny; but amazingly well informed and entertained by our energetic and dedicated speaker.

Ruth had retired from her career as a music teacher, a role which utilised her constant desire to sing, but exhaustion had led her to stop singing. Her recovery involved a spiritual search for repair and re-energising, which led her to explore “the peculiar people called Quakers”. Finding Quakers and their understanding of the God within, the presence of the Spirit in silence, and the leading of that Spirit that would not be ignored, restored her to singing. As with so many people who had found their way to Quakers, Ruth felt that she had “come home”.

“Nid wy'n gofyn bywyd moethus” the first line of the famous Welsh hymn Calon Lan was a call to the entirety of Ruth's audience at the Lecture, to join her in singing out the first element of her explanation. With a pure and happy heart one can sing all day and sing all night. Ruth had found her way back to singing.

As a religious Society whose initial inspiration goes back to the 16^th century Friends, as they are known, have retained some archaic language and references. Ruth has developed a very funny stand up routine to make gentle fun of the “peculiar” elements of language used by what is, otherwise, a dynamic and changing form of religion, which modern Quakers find as a refreshing dose of laughing at ourselves.

Ruth's main narrative was to talk about her experience as a Quaker Prison Chaplain at Berwyn, the new, huge, prison outside Wrexham. She had been able to set up, with the help of a circle of support of Quakers from North East Wales and Cheshire, and the men themselves, a weekly period of worship based on Quaker silence. Ruth was able to continue this work for two years, during which time the weekly meetings became very important and helpful to a number of men. Ruth is now continuing to work to find ways in which the meeting can continue.

A hurdy gurdy, a Celtic harp and a piano keyboard were the instruments that Ruth had brought, and the first two of these were used to punctuate her talk and to ease the emotion of her story. After a tea break the piano, with lyric books that Ruth had also brought, were employed for a loud, fun end to the afternoon. We explored “Dancing Queen”, “Bring me Sunshine” “I'm the King of the Swingers” and several other songs that would not usually be heard in a Quaker Meeting House.

Ruth had given a huge amount of herself, her talent and her experience in what was an amazing occasion, it was such a shame that only a few of us were privileged to experience it.

Wales and the rest of the World

Our friends at Cytun have recently completed a consultancy response to the Welsh Government on International Strategy. What is the standing of Wales in the World? This document takes the points they have made, reshaped and tailored to Friends in Wales.

Wales has already got a strong profile in many parts of the world but it needs to be distinctive and relevant. Where it is recognised as being distinctive from the rest of the UK it is seen as positive and forward looking.

The single item which has most brought Wales its distinctive current reputation is the Well-Being of Future Generations Act (WFGA). It is a world-leading piece of legislation which gives Wales a profile in the UN, because of the link with the sustainable development agenda, and is attracting worldwide attention. It is Wales' USP! As a country which contributed a huge amount to damaging climate change through coal, steel and copper production Wales now offers well-being goals and ways of working which can build on the successes which define our Welsh values and begin to undo the damage of the past: thinking about the long term (caring about future generations), working holistically (in an integrated way), involving people in our decisions (across the world not just here), collaborating (building equal partnerships with other countries and within Wales), seeking to prevent further harm to our world and beginning to undo harms already done (acknowledging our own part in the mistakes of the past). These values are our Quaker values too. Wales's reputation can only be enhanced by seeking out the most difficult and challenging places for future partnership and relationship and using Welsh expertise to tackle poverty and climate change..

Welsh ambitions are encapsulated in the well-being goals which resonate across the world: to be prosperous (in the sense defined by the WFGA, recognising the limits of the global environment and using resources efficiently and proportionately, resilient (including seeking ecological health which impacts on the whole of the world), more equal, healthier, cohesive in our communities, with a thriving Welsh language and culture, and globally responsible.

Export growth and attracting foreign businesses, attracting people, increasing tourism could be compatible with the values and ambitions of the WFGA, but only if pursued in ways fully compatible with the Act. Export growth or attracting foreign businesses could be done in ways which damage our resilience and prosperity, or in ways which promote these things. The main focus of the strategy should be being true to our own values as already expressed in this legislation and in the best that Wales already offers the world. The development of Wales as a Fairtrade Nation is an example to which Friends have contributed greatly, and which we are still seeking to develop further. We should celebrate those Welsh people, historically and today, who engage with the world from a perspective of humility and service, who seek to learn from others as well as teach, and who wish to build genuine equal partnership.

Some sectors of the Welsh economy can grow internationally - e.g. cultural products, expertise in some areas of climate science and sustainability. Others, especially those contributing to climate change, must shrink. Within a generation, products linked with worsening climate change and pending disaster will be unmarketable internationally. Wales needs to be ahead of this change and not lagging behind it. In the words of the title of a Christian Aid report from 2013 we should be seeking not so much growth but 'Fair shares in a constrained world' We believe in an internationalism which promotes dignity, justice, equality and good stewardship, which is responsible and transparent. Internationalism based on exploitation of others or of the planet, or treating people as simply a market for goods, must be rejected. We should equally be honest and penitent about Welsh links with other parts of the world which are based purely on self-interest or exploitation. We should not seek to take further advantage of links built by Welsh people on such a basis, but rather seek forgiveness and a new start in those parts of the world whose contact with Welsh people has been damaging or destructive. In the current climate crisis, Welsh Government should not promote any international links, however financially lucrative, which contribute to further climate change.

The new "Successful Futures" schools curriculum, with its emphasis on the development of ethical, informed citizens, offers multiple opportunities to help young people and their parents and teachers embrace internationalism.

In other small nations Wales's experience in promoting its own native language and culture while simultaneously being open to one of the world's strongest and most pervasive languages and cultures in the country next door has much to offer (and much to learn from) the ambitions and struggles of indigenous peoples and languages throughout the world. S4C and Radio Cymru, Nant Gwrtheyrn and Welsh medium education are often quoted across the world as examples to emulate, and we can and should build on this reputation.

We have historic links with many countries beyond the EU and we would wish to see these fostered and developed. However, EU countries are our nearest neighbours and we should wish to live in positive peace and harmony with our neighbours. Welsh Government must also deepen our ties with non-EU European countries with whom we will shortly have something else in common, viz. being on the European continent but not in the EU. Wales has a particular role in fostering links with other sub-nation state regions and nations in the EU, such as Brittany, Catalonia, and the other members of the EU Committee of the Regions. Those with minority indigenous languages have a particular natural link with Wales. However, these links can extend also beyond the EU. We would note also the importance of the Council of Europe as a Europe-wide body to which the UK will still belong, and whose human rights agenda resonates with many developments in Wales. As Quakers we value the work of QCEA which seeks to build support for humane, non-military policies at the EU level, both inside and outside its borders. We do so in the spirit of peaceful cooperation which forms the foundation of European politics. The Welsh Government might seek membership of the Council of Europe's North/South Centre (of which the UK is not formally part). Other European organisations (such as the Conference of European Churches, the Churches' Commission on Migrants to Europe and the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe) cover both EU and non-EU countries.

The further development of the Nation of Sanctuary is a distinctive international agenda which has wide support from Friends, third sector organisations and communities in Wales.

The success of our rugby team has brought us to the attention of other rugby playing nations, such as the South Pacific countries, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. Several of those countries, particularly the islands, provide an opportunity for Wales to work closely with them on climate change. There is an history of Welsh interaction with many Asian and African nations, much church based. Wales is also associated worldwide with the foundation of the Bible Society, including the story of Mary Jones, and the Bible Society's visitor centre in Llanycil attracts pilgrims from all over the world.

Wale's profile is distinctive in countries evangelised by Welsh Christian missionaries, e.g. Madagascar, where Welsh educators played an important role in ensuring Malagasy (rather than French) education and continues to support the people in recovering and appreciating their pre-colonial history. Madagascar has no UK embassy, but is celebrating the 200^th anniversary this year of its links with Wales - could Wales offer to host a Madagascan consulate?).

Brexit may be changing Wales' relationship with the rest of the World, Friends will support constructive contact wherever it presents itself, and Wales will continue to set the pace in progressive political action.

Report on a one day conference "United we Stand", 21st March 2019

The 21st March 1960 became the reference point for the world’s assessment of the apartheid government in South Africa , it being the anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre  which occurred in 1960 after a day of demonstrations against pass laws.   Six years later, the UN declared 21st March as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Human Rights Day.  To mark that day, and, terribly, just six days after 50 Muslim men, women and children, the youngest just three years old, were shot dead by a supreamist terrorist in Christchurch, New Zealand, I attended a one day conference exploring unity and solidarity amongst diverse communities in Wales in the context of Brexit and the hostile environment.

The well attended conference was presented by EYST, the Swansea based charity supporting BAME (Black and Ethnic Minority) people across Wales, and Race Alliance Wales. A very varied programme of speakers included Deputy First Minister and Government Chief Whip Jane Hutt.  Ms Hutt brought greetings and expressions of solidarity from First Minister Mark Drakeford.  The Welsh Government is committed to diversity as a principle.  The Minister also announced some amounts of money that would now be available for work in the areas of concern of the organisations represented there. While these amounts were welcomed there was some concern expressed during the conference that they would have to be competed for by charities working in this field.

There are many ways in which life for BAME families is improving in Wales but, particularly since the calling of the Brexit referendum instances of hate crime and abuse have increased in Wales, as in other Western countries.  

The appalling massacre in New Zealand is a dreadful example of this horrific trend but here also anti-Muslim hate crimes reported across Britain increased by 593% in the week after, an independent monitor

ing group, the charity Tell Mama, said almost all of the increase comprised incidents linked to the Christchurch attacks.

There was little doubt among the attendees at the conference that the Brexit process, along with the hostile environment created by the Home Office, initially when Mrs May was Home Secretary, are both contributory causes to attacks on immigrants generally, but these attacks also specifically demonstrate hatred of  Muslims and, through ignorant association Sikhs and Hindus.

The point was made that fear of immigrants is not being demonstrated by the "left behind" citizens but rather by those with moderate income.  

Wales needs to build a data base of evidence of racial hate acts to provide credibility and veracity. 

Some small BAME charities showed presentations of surveys which, in my opinion, were based on samples that were too small and unrepresentative but where surveys are well conducted they can provide illumination.  For example: of 15 and 17 year olds going into apprenticeships: 0.6% identify as black, 0.7% as mixed race, 1.1% as Indian, 1.5% as disabled and 97.3% as white; and a further clear statistic: the wealth gap.  The average assets of white people £221,000, black Caribbean:£76,000, Bangladeshi: £21,000 and Black African:£15,000.

The Conference was designed to bring together all the charities and agencies working with BAME Welsh peoples to help in creating a united standpoint and to some extent the day celebrated that unity. However any celebration was overshadowed by the horror of the Christchurch attacks and the long history of inequality and exploitation of BAME peoples. 

PH.

Report of the gathering at Woodbrooke looking at diversity and inclusion in the Society of Friends, 18th -20th January 2019.

“.... Be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you may come, that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them: then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone.”

dictated by George Fox in Launceston prison, 1656, Quaker faith and Practice 19:32

Racism within the Society of Friends is perhaps more damaging because it is unconscious and springs from stereotypical assumptions: “And no harm is meant by it. Harm may be done but it is never meant.”

Epistle of Black, white, Asian and mixed-heritage Friends 1991 QF&P 10:13

“And no harm is meant by it” not meant because it is not seen, it is invisible, it is invisible power.

What does it mean to be white? We should know because most British Quakers are white, but do we normally think about that question?  What is whiteness?  It is the invisible power that white people accept, and unconsciously use, in any situation where there are people of different colour.

Over the weekend a group of delightful, open minded, mostly white Friends, typical of most meetings, was constantly brought face to face with inequality.  Inequality between races, inequality of opportunity for people who have questioned their gender, people of working class backgrounds. It was often uncomfortable, even painful, it was challenging.

As the second extract, above, says “no harm is meant by it” and therefore it is not appropriate to feel guilt about what has happened in the past, but it is appropriate to mourn the way we we have unconsciously acted.  Now, today, we need to wake to what has been happening, to be aware. We need to repent, reform, rue what we have done, what we have allowed others to do on our behalf, the, often unconscious, inequality that we have allowed in our dealings with others. Answering that of God in everyone is showing respect to other children of God.  Privilege is not something that is born to some and not others, everyone should be treated as privileged.

Our testimony to the world is that there is that of God in everyone, so we will not fight with outward weapons, we will not lie, we will not take more than our share of resource, and we will try to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone.

Edwina Peart, diversity and inclusion project co-coordinator at Friends House, and Mark Russ of Woodbrooke, led the weekend, ably supported by Elders and the Woodbrooke volunteers and staff.   Edwina introduced the concept of intersectionality; where social strata do not exist separately from each other but are interwoven together. Thus the term “black” comes to mean black men and recognises that the forms of oppression experienced by white middle-class women were different from those experienced by black, poor, or disabled women.

Edwina is currently trying to establish a base line of where Quakers are now, with regard to diversity and inclusion through a simple survey, information about this can be found here: http://www.quaker.org.uk/blog/diversity-where-are-we-now

Prof Robert Beckwith introduced some idea of the history of racism. In the Middle Ages there were attempts to bring an academic approach to studying different human types by examining skulls, the study finding that the ideal was that of a young Caucasians woman, giving the word Caucasian a special historical relevance. A later study decided that Anglo Saxons were the nearest to ideal with the Sots, Welsh and then Irish filling lower positions. A concept which fueled hundreds of bar room jokes.  Professor Beckwith, who is a BAFTA winning media presenter as well as respected academic, told us about a situation in which he arrived to take up his chair at a University but was initially put to work peeling potatoes in the kitchens. Read more about Professor Beckwith here: https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/arts-and-humanities/school-of-humanities/religion-philosophy-and-ethics/research/jamaican-bible-remix.aspx.

Sabah Choudrey http://sabahchoudrey.com/about-2/ led the second session on the Saturday. This is what Sabah says about themself. “I am a magician. I’ve mastered the art of concealment, and everything you see is an illusion. What you see is not what you get. Some see a handsome gayboy, others see a pretty faced lez. What I am, is carefully constructed, to emphasise parts of me I feel that fit me, and hide other parts that I feel do not belong.” They are very clever in this regard. They have a full mustache and bushy eyebrows. They are small and slight, so the part of the illusion that I picked up was the first of the two above. They appear to work on this as a major part of life. The point that Sabah made very clearly is that our lives are not a debate. The pronouns, man/woman, boy/girl, these are not our concern, only they get to define, only they have the power to decide. For both Beckwith and Choudrey our role is to be a gateway, never gatekeepers.  We experienced comfort and discomfort, some would keep a gate at the point where someone who identifies as female gets access to women only spaces, here we were not in unity.

Rev  Lynne Cullens website: https://lynnecullens.com/about/  identifies herself as a working class, single mother. She is a vicar in the Church of England and made it clear that she is not informed about Quakers.  Her talk was totally focused on the Anglican community and she was to leave it to us to decide if, what she has to say has relevance to our situation.  Lyn is clearly very articulate, intelligent and informed. Her spirituality appears to be very much in line with her church.  She has involved herself with organisations to further the well being of people living in estates.   However, when she has applied for situations that she feels would be appropriate for her she has been passed over, as “Middle class men appoint men who seem like them.”  But this was not an appeal against her misfortune but rather an indication of how her church was missing out on priests who could communicate as equals with their working class parishioners, being accepted as “someone like me” How much are Quakers missing out by not being in direct, respectful, loving conversation with working class people? How do we open ourselves to their energy, their experience, their spirituality?  Is this a question that should be forefront in our minds as we consider the revision of Quaker Faith and Practice?

Throughout the weekend we constantly returned to the realisation that the way in which class, gender, race, physical or mental impairment create gateways are all just symptoms of the same malaise, the difficulty that people have in treating others with the respect, dignity, love that Jesus demanded of us, the need to answer that of God in everybody.  If sin is falling short then we have all sinned, can we take such a realisation into the silence and hold it in the light?  Can we forgive ourselves and change our attitudes, give up our undeserved invisible power, and gain the true power of community?

PH

Powys, climate breakdown and zero carbon

The Welsh Government accepted that all decisions that it makes have to be in line with the concept of the welfare of future generations.  This makes Wales probably the most progressive of all the home nations certainly far more so than the UK Government where all decisions can be overridden by the needs of security or finance.  I am amazed and delighted that Powys County Council have now  unanimously passed the following motion.

"This Council in seeing Powys as the Green Heart of Wales;
> 1. Acknowledges that the potential impacts of Climate Change are of significant concern:
> 2. Asks the pension trustees to look into the possibility/legalities of developing a strategy of divestment from fossil fuels
> 3. Supports the principles of Zero Carbon Britain and the work done by CAT (Centre for Alternative Technology)
> 4. Encourages the development of Hydrogen production and technologies in Powys utilising the clean environment, water and energy supply
> 5. Highlights that zero carbon technologies and new zero carbon producing economic opportunities that are sympathetic to Powys’ rural landscape, should be considered as part of the Mid Wales Growth deal thus giving us a USP (Unique Selling Point)
> 6. That the authority should put in place an economically feasible strategy to reduce its carbon output and strive to develop best environmental practice in its buildings
> 7. That the authority should look into best practice from other authorities.

Yes!

Hey Siri, how peaceful is my phone?

By Dilia Zwart / December 14, 2018 / Economic Justice, Peace, Sustainability

“I come from one of the richest countries on the planet. Yet the people of my country are among the poorest of the world. The troubling reality is that the abundance of our natural resources – gold, coltan, cobalt and other strategic minerals – is the root cause of war, extreme violence and abject poverty.”
These are the words of Denis Mukwege as he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10th, Human Rights Day. He spoke of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where he has worked as a gynaecologist helping victims of sexual violence. The DRC is one of the countries where terms such as ‘conflict minerals’ and ‘resource curse’ became infamous in the 1990s. Armed groups that seized control of mines in the DRC often exploited communities, fuelled human rights violations, and used the profits to finance their activities.
Mukwege’s words underline an uncomfortable notion – that our everyday items such as vacuum cleaners and smartphones contain minerals that may have been mined in conditions violating human rights. With this in mind, QCEA created the space for Europe Union institutions, civil society, and industry to explore how the management of natural resources can contribute to peacebuilding. On November 15th at Quaker House, QCEA and the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy organised the third of a series of policy discussions called Cobalt and Conflict Minerals: Europe’s role to promote peacebuilding in the DRC.
Cobalt was named by Mukwege as one of the minerals fuelling violence in the DRC – however, it is not one of the conflict minerals listed by the EU’s recent Conflict Minerals Regulation: tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold, or 3TG. Yet growing demand for ‘green technology’ such as electric cars has increased the value and production of cobalt in recent years as it is a key component in lithium iron batteries. Questions about the ethical sourcing of cobalt have been raised by businesses and civil society organisations alike, with some calling it the ‘blood diamond of batteries’. Cobalt is mostly mined in the relatively peaceful south-eastern DRC; however, a report by Amnesty International shows that mining industries are failing to tackle child labour.
As the demand for cobalt rises, natural resource management that contributes to peace is paramount. Natural resources are not inherently linked to violent conflict. They are a source of livelihood for many people around the world. Natural resource management can be a tool for peacebuilding if planning and implementation are inclusive and conflict sensitive, as shown in QCEA’s Building Peace Together. Another important concept highlighted in Building Peace Together is Due Diligence, or the steps taken to ensure initiatives ‘do no harm’. The EU regulation that aims to regulate the trade of ‘conflict minerals’ will become binding for member states in 2021, requiring importers to use the five-step Due Diligence process of the OECD.
Inclusive, multi-stakeholder partnerships can help ensure that such legislation is implemented. An example of such a partnership is the European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM) which seeks to create better working conditions for mining communities. Its members include industry, civil society, and government. The efforts of such partnerships can help companies align to regulations.
With many people buying gifts in the Christmas season, what can consumers do? Globally, there is more awareness about the peace and human rights issues surrounding the sourcing of minerals. The demand for ethical and sustainable goods has increased, and is reflected in Goal 12 of the United Nation’s Agenda 2030: Sustainable Consumption and Production. Consumers can refer to a number of resources on responsible sourcing, such as Ethical Consumer and the Good Shopping Guide. Paying attention to what you buy and how it is sourced can help keep the pressure on company compliance to legislation that promotes the peaceful management of natural resources.
QCEA blog.
There is a phone manufactured as ethically as possible, the Fairphone 2 which is marketed by the Phone Co-OP details are available here

The dark side of militarism

This is an article published in the Canary, 14th November, if you read this you may also like to watch Dan Snow's BBC documentary on "Shell Shock"

A new film called War School: The Battle for Britain’s Children challenges the stories we tell ourselves about the military and war. The film:

reveals how government policies are targeting ever younger children for future recruitment into the armed forces

Mic Dixon’s documentary is essential viewing for anyone interested in the increasing militarisation of British life. War School was released to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the armistice that officially ended the First World War.

It’s not really remembrance

War School successfully weaves together different voices critical of militarism. It begins with a quote from former special forces member Ben Griffin, who says:
 "They call it the remembrance period. But there is actually no remembrance going on at all. It’s the opposite of remembrance. It’s concealment – concealment of the true nature of war and militarism."

The darkness ‘behind the curtain’

Later in the film, Griffin notes:

It’s like that scene in the Wizard of Oz… Where you look behind the curtain and you see it’s all, just all, a load of shit. It’s more disgusting than that, you know. They look behind the curtain: there is a silly little man there. But when you look behind the curtain in Baghdad… it’s pretty dark.

A state of permanent war

Ian Cobain, journalist and author, tells the viewers that:

"Official secrecy has the result of distorting our understanding of our recent history. And as a consequence we tend to think of ourselves as being a largely peaceful people."

Cobain continues:

"Over the last 100 years, not a single year has gone by when we haven’t been at war somewhere or another. That’s not true of anybody else. It’s not true of the French, or the Germans, or the Russians. It’s not even true of the Americans: there were no wars in the Carter years. Only the British are perpetually at war."

Remembrance

War School questions the nature of remembrance. “I find it quite a hard question to answer… what does remembrance mean?” Griffin asks. Later, he says the build-up to Remembrance Sunday is “longer than Christmas”. During the film, we hear of the pain, guilt and anguish soldiers experience as a result of what they have seen and what they have done. But this is a phenomenon that is rarely, if ever, discussed during the year – let alone during Armed Forces Day or Remembrance Sunday.
Some of the most powerful moments are the brief testimonies from various soldiers that are peppered throughout the film. One soldier speaks of being ordered to bury the bodies of 24 men who had been killed by communist “terrorists” in Malaya. He described taking the women and children away, and sticking them in a “concentration camp” after burning their homes. He later discovered that it was, in fact, a British unit which removed all 24 men from their families and executed them. The United Kingdom waged a brutal counter-insurgency against communists and others in Malaya from 1948 to 1960. But this war, like so many others, is rarely mentioned in popular discussions.

Quakers for peace

Quakers feature prominently in War School. Quakers have a long and illustrious history of peace activism. Quaker activist Marigold Bentley says that they are constantly being “criticised” and “undermined” and also “ridiculed” and “marginalised” by the press.
The film also charts the slow discovery by Quakers that the increased militarisation within British schools is part of a wider strategy orchestrated at the nation state level. And not, as some may have first believed, a ‘natural development’ without any central planning.
Sam Walton, a Quaker peace activist, explains that:

This new type of militarism isn’t nebulous, it isn’t a conspiracy theory. And if you look at government green papers, government white papers, they very clearly spell out that they are trying to influence society to support the military.
What really shocked me when I started reading these documents was how brazen they were about it. And how brazen they were about prioritising the interests of the armed forces getting recruits, getting the public to fund the armed forces over pretty much anything else.

Get them while they’re young

War School also makes the point that “it’s not true anymore” that if you’re “not in education, training or employment then the army is saving you”. In fact, research conducted by medical charity Medact shows just the opposite. According to a 2016 Medact report:

"the risks associated with an armed forces career are greater for those recruited under the age of 18 than they are for those recruited as adults. They are more likely to die or be injured in action, and to suffer mental health problems such as alcohol abuse, self-harm and suicide."

When we were soldiers

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the soldiers’ testimonies is their frankness about their way of thinking when they were soldiers. In particular, their desire to kill and the lack of satisfaction they felt when they didn’t. It’s important to note that these people are not psychopaths. On the contrary, it is quite clear from the interviews that they have a moral compass and that they are filled with remorse and regret. But of course, that changes nothing for those on the receiving end of these wars.
The film is as poignant as it is straightforward. And while its contents may not surprise anyone actively engaged in challenging or participating in the militarist project, that’s almost certainly a very small percentage of the overall population.  As the film notes towards the end, “the armed forces make around 11,000 visits to secondary schools and colleges each year”. It seems only fair then that this is balanced out. This film should be required viewing in every school and college in the country.

PH comment:  I spoke at the November AM about our Prime Minister laying wreathes on the graves of the first and last men to die in the 1914 -18 war.  This action attempts to "box" the war into just a four year period when the causes of the war go back centuries.  Spanish Flu, which broke out towards the end of the war among weakened soldiers and civilians and killed more people than died of the violence of war, wrought havoc with all the populations that had been involved; while the punishing final settlement which the victors forced onto the vanquished became one of the offenses that built up to the outbreak of Word War II. 

Disruptive pupils in schools

On the 12th November BBC TV News carried a feature that informed us that many schools, including 12 in Wales, are now using "isolation units" to contain youngsters whose behaviour is disruptive in class.

The isolation units are plywood structures that look like the booths used to provide privacy for voters. The young people have to sit in these structures facing a blank wall.

On the 13th November a separate story was featured in which BBC reporter Ed Thomas visited a school in Manchester. This is a privately owned school contracted to provide places for disruptive young people excluded from mainstream education. 

I was very concerned by the first story, particularly because it applied to Wales. I have written to Kirsty Williams as the Welsh Education minister, my constituency AM and a personal acquaintance of around 20 years. I await her reply.  I have also tried to ask the BBC  the background to how these features suddenly become news, however, it is very difficult to contact the BBC without using social media.  [This is a further indication of the way that A.I. is gaining traction everywhere, social media produces data, email requires work to turn it into data. By this route social media becomes essential to the BBC. Who now has the upper hand in any transaction? PH. see the blog on A.I.]

Has the number of young people being disruptive grown alarmingly? Is their behaviour much worse? If so what research is being undertaken to find out why? Are schools less able to cope with disruptive behaviour? Does this relate to the absurd Austerity policy that has done so much harm to UK infrastructure? Is isolation a technique that has any benefit for the child, or is it purely containment? Is it being used as a form of punishment? 

The young people featured are "children of God", each with the potential for divinity, might this response to their reactions damage that potential? If there is an increase in young people with behavioural problems what effect is this having on the rest of our education system? 

I have no expertise in Education but I am sure that we have a high proportion of Friends who do.  Is this a conversation in which we should be urgently involved? 

Wales is so much more progressive than England and Welsh education has separated itself from that of England to some extent.  Should Welsh education be exploring alternatives, making improvements, showing a better way? 

This has been circulated among the Wales Focus Group 14th November 2018.

Fracking

I am very grateful to be living in Wales, where the Welsh Government, as usual, so much more progressive than the UK Government, has placed a moratorium on allowing permissions for fracking. However as a UK citizen as well as a Welsh one, I am horrified that the UK Government is supporting another fossil extraction industry at the time when it is so clear that fossil fuels should be left in the ground and all resources available for energy use should be put to increasing those industries that use renewable energy. One week after the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change launched its latest report, telling us we have just 12 years to limit climate catastrophe, we have a government that is simultaneously massively rewarding the fossil fuel industry while jailing those trying to stand in its way. Climate change is the greatest threat to mankind at this time, creating the pressures that cause wars and population migration. I really wish that our Government will get real and start thinking about the well being of future generations instead of getting mired down in internal party jockeying for position, unfortunately our country has to sit on the sidelines until we get the next chance for a change of UK Government.

On the 1st November the Guardian carried a piece indicating that a lot of conservative MPs, particularly those with fracking sites in their constituencies are getting cold feet about this crazy industry.  The Government raised the level of tremor from 0.5 to 1 to give the frackers more lee-way, unfortunately this higher level was very quickly exceeded  by Cuadrilla in the Ribble Valley.  I cannot help but expect that the whole industry will collapse long before it produces any profit, and the Government will be left to clear up abandoned sites.

I cannot see anyway in which fracking makes sense, but still we lurch forward with it.
PH

Plastic

Recently the BBC 4 "Costing the Earth" programme featured plastic pollution.  There were two encouraging sections in the programme, firstly Biome Bioplastics talked about producing plastic products from vegetable materials. 
What will it take to create a good plastic system? They quoted a representative of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

"We need to eliminate the plastics we don’t need and innovate the ones we need in order to make sure that all of them can be safely reused, recycled or composted. And we need to make sure that everything that we use is circulated so that it never becomes waste or pollution”

Secondly ReNew ELP which is a part of Armstrong Energy talked about re-cycling plastics into their component parts.

"Our technology provides an innovative solution to the global problem of end-of-life plastic disposal

---

ReNew ELP is at the forefront of a new, cutting-edge technology that can convert end-of-life plastic waste into refined synthetic hydrocarbon products, including low carbon synthetic crude oil, and valuable chemicals and waxes.

Using a unique, patented hydrothermal upgrading platform, the Cat-HTR (Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor), ReNew ELP will shortly commence construction of the world’s first commercial scale plant at its recently acquired site in Teesside, North East England. The plant will use our innovative chemical process to convert end-of-life plastic waste into sustainable oils and chemicals,

 contributing to the establishment of a Circular Economy.

ReNew ELP’s product is sustainable, stable, low sulphur and non-corrosive and can be blended within a conventional refinery to produce recycled oils and chemicals. The product can also be fractionated to produce valuable biochemicals, solvents, waxes and other petrochemical products.

ReNew ELP is developing the first commercial scale Cat-HTR plant in the industrial heartland of North East England, with the aim of reducing the volume of waste plastic that enters the environment. Our approach will demonstrate that a low-carbon, low-waste society can be achieved with the right focus, technology and investment.

Globally 311 million tonnes of plastics are produced per year, but only 5% is currently recycled. In the UK, over 2.5 million tonnes of plastics goes to landfill every year. Sorting plastics to enable them to be recycled is both challenging and expensive, but our patented technology enables this material to be processed into high value oils and chemicals, recovering scarce resources.  

ReNew ELP has an ambitious programme of development in the UK. Our first site in Teesside has a potential total processing capacity of 80,000 tonnes per annum. ReNew ELP is looking at other potential sites around the UK and is also offering to license the technology to waste producers and waste processing companies. The longer-term goal for ReNew ELP is to channel further investment into emerging technologies to support the creation of renewable and sustainable energy and useful chemical products."

Encouraged by these positives I contacted our MP to see what the Government were doing to encourage  the creation of a circular economy in plastics.  His reply was very similar to one several months ago, mentioning negotiating with supermarkets for plastic free aisles, and banning plastic cotton buds and straws ... later.  As his answer had nothing to do with my questions I responded and I am once again awaiting a reply.

PH

The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.

The future of artificial intelligence and human rights

QCEA blog September 12, 2018 

The rise of artificial intelligence threatens to shake the foundations of our society and fundamentally change the way it functions. AI can involve robotics or just software. It’s a game-changing technology and is developing fast. AI has the potential to enhance our way of life, but at the same time, it could be a vehicle for discrimination, violation of privacy, new types of weapons and other harm.
It is time to think about an ethical framework that can protect human rights.
On 10 September 2018, the European Commission met with faith-based organisations to discuss AI, including Baha’i, Buddhist, Catholic and Protestant representatives, as well as the Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA).
During the meeting, QCEA asked about the regulation of AI to prevent discrimination on the basis of characteristics such as race, religion, sexual orientation, and disability. AI operates on algorithms. If human biases (whether intentional or not) are written into algorithms, this may compromise the objectivity of computers and reinforce discrimination.
AI is all about technology that thinks, learns and adapts for itself. What a challenge for regulation!
Another concern is job loss to automated machines. One study predicted 47% of jobs replaced by AI, whilst a more widely accepted OECD study estimated only 9%. Widespread job loss can devastate communities. And as QCEA said in the meeting, the current momentum of the far-right in Europe makes the next few years particularly dangerous timing for job loss.
The reality, as expressed by the European Commission, is that many jobs will not be completely replaced but become shared tasks between humans and machines. The meeting heard how this raises questions about the nature of work in our society and the need for consideration of universal basic income.
One participant expressed concern about proposals that machines be given legal personality. The humans that create these machines should not escape responsibility for the consequences of their actions. In addition, several faith groups raised concern about the global south (in particular, Africa) being left behind and not considered in the development of any global ethical framework.
Other human rights issues involving AI include lethal autonomous weapons, privacy implications (such as facial recognition software), and the threat to freedom of expression if governments were to use AI to police the Internet.
Funding military AI
The European Defence Fund (2021-27) is set to exponentially increase EU funding for arms research, and there is no specific exclusion for lethal autonomous weapons systems. QCEA called for restrictions on the development of AI systems that can take a human life without human control. The ethics committee needs to seriously consider how potential EU funding for the arms industry might be used for the development of autonomous weapons.
Europe’s positive contribution
The big players in AI, China and the USA, are leaving an ethical gap that the EU could fill. China has shown little interest in ethical considerations, and the USA appears disengaged at present. Some have said that it’s too late for the EU to take a leading position on AI, as the rest of the world has raced ahead. However, the European Commission doesn’t agree.
Fast progress on AI has been made in a few specific areas, and Europe has the advantage of good research labs and promising AI startup businesses. A European ethical framework on AI would be welcome in some parts of the world and could become the global standard. For this reason, for organisations interested in AI, engagement here in Brussels is a must.
In the absence of global governance, AI is an example of why the European Union adds value. Countries need to work together to have any chance of regulating global technological developments.
Next steps for the EU
A high level expert group is developing guidelines for the use of AI in Europe, guided by a statement produced by the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies. One of the proposals being considered is that private sector companies will need to sign up to an ethics charter. Private companies are said to be positive about ethical guidelines, but some worry that this could keep the focus away from hard law and regulation. At present, the European Commission is clear that it understands the need for both ethics and regulation.
More detailed EU proposals will be developed on the ethics of AI by December 2018 with a consultation process running until March 2019. Given the huge potential impact of AI, this must be a public consultation, but it may be more low-key. However, anyone can join the EU consultation platform on AI, called the AI Alliance. You can post questions and see what officials have written.
Europe’s AI moment is now, but it must not forget its best asset – its founding value of protecting human rights.

Isabel Hamilton (American University) and Andrew Lane (QCEA)

Peter Hussey writes:  I contacted Gethin Rhys at CYTUN  to find out is any work is being done by churches or faith groups in Wales.  His reply:

Thank you Peter. I’m not quite sure how we might handle this ecumenically, but I’m grateful to you for drawing it to my attention. If you know of anyone in Wales who might be willing to help us think about this, I would be glad to hear of them.

So where are the experts on AI in Wales who might provide, at least, a steer on this?

 Giles Cuthbert, managing director at the Chartered Banker Institute. “We have to be absolutely explicit that the AI itself cannot be held accountable for its actions. This becomes more complex, of course, when AI starts to learn, but even then, the ability to learn is programmed.”

 Dear MP
The rise of artificial intelligence threatens to shake the foundations of our society and fundamentally change the way it functions.   It is time for us to think about an ethical framework that can protect human rights.   The new GDPR regulations introduced by the European Union are an excellent start.  We need to ensure that these regulations are not diluted, regardless of the outcome of Brexit.  But it is insufficient to not dilute them, we should be building on them.
There is a need for regulation of AI to prevent discrimination on the basis of characteristics such as race, religion, sexual orientation, and disability.  AI operates on algorithms.  If human biases (whether intentional or not) are written into algorithms, this may compromise the objectivity of computers and reinforce discrimination.
Another concern is job loss to automated machines. One study predicted 47% of jobs replaced by AI, whilst a more widely accepted OECD study estimated only 9%. Widespread job loss has already devastated communities.  This is a very appropriate time to seriously consider the concept of the basic wage.(universal basic income).
AI will, of course, be mainly taken forward by the arms industry opening an enormous can of worms!  Meanwhile some cities, in particular Barcelona and Amsterdam are beginning to explore the possibilities of AI built on a human-centric, ethical policy and regulatory framework with new rules against market dominance of tech platform giants.  Uber is monopolising data about transport and movements, Airbnb are garnering huge data about houses, homes and who lives there.  Amazon and Facebook simply know everything about everybody.  Just about everything produces data, roads, trains and plastic cards to name just a few, and all that data gets sucked up by the major platforms and is the currency that they value most.  We need ambitious and structural interventions that will tackle the question of data ownership and who is going to own the AI services built with that data.  Fortunately the Labour Party is researching and fleshing out policies to reflect this enormous area of influence.
Yours sincerely
 Dear Peter Hussey

No reply so far from my MP, but here is a very helpful response from Eluned Morgan AM.

Thank you for your recent email expressing your concerns about the many uses artificial intelligence is now put to. As you point out this has made a considerable difference to the way we live and work in a relatively short period of time.  Recent well reported incidents suggest that  a review of the way AI is used to gather and to use information would be timely and Welsh Government have already begun to do this. 

In March 2018 the Welsh Government announced it had established a panel to undertake a ‘Review of Digital Innovation for the Economy and the Future of Work in Wales’. The review aims to gather further insight on the challenges and opportunities associated with digital innovation in the context of the Welsh economy and the future of work. The review is being chaired by Professor Phil Brown, Distinguished Research Professor at Cardiff University, and is being supported by a specially convened Expert Panel.

The review panel will make final recommendations to the Welsh Government by March 2019, although the review has the scope to provide ongoing advice so that new ideas can be tested and learnt from at the earliest opportunity. An interim report is expected to be published by the end of November 2018.

The term ‘digital innovation’ is being used to capture the wide range of technology advancements – both physical and digital – being made in automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, internet of things and large-scale data. I believe the review is still underway and would welcome contributions. Further information on the review, its terms of reference and work activities to date, can be accessed online here. I hope that you find the information available at this website useful, if the panel are not addressing all of the issues you are concerned about they may be able to refer you to other groups who are.
 
If I can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me or a member of my team.

Quaker Voluntary Action at the Pales

3rd-6th August 

Quaker Voluntary Action enables participation in spirit-led volunteering that makes a practical and social difference. Their projects build community and work for a more just and peaceful world. www.qva.org.uk 

QVA held a retreat at the Pales and undertook various task around the grounds. This is an edited report by Alison Smedley, one of the volunteers. The full report can read here – http://qva.org.uk/the-pales-working-retreat-3-6-august-2018/ and more photos of the work done can be seen on the Pales website.

“How then, shall we lay hold of that life and power, and live the life of prayer without ceasing”
(QFP 2.22 Thomas Kelly 1941)

These words were among those which inspired me as I researched the Quaker Voluntary Action theme of prayer ahead of attending a working retreat at The Pales, a remote Quaker meeting house in Mid-Wales. All of life as a prayer; what a simple yet amazing truth to attempt to live by.

The lane to The Pales is tiny and at various points I wondered if I had taken a wrong turn. Then the buildings appeared, unassuming and easily missed. A little further on was the quarry where we could park. Another car pulled up and a couple introduced themselves as Claudia and Marco from Bologna in Italy. We went in together and met Hannah and Laura, facilitators, and Carole, Friend in residence, and tea and cake were generously shared. The first thing which struck me was the overwhelming smell of ‘old’ in the meeting house; it is over three centuries old and the oldest Quaker meeting house in continual use in Wales. Soon Ruth arrived and we quickly became a sociable group. Keith was collected from the railway station at Penybont and we expected two more later.

Five of us camped and we were fortunate to have a dry day to pitch our tents and acclimatise to the grounds. Carole took us on a tour and explained what needed doing. Nothing looked too daunting, though the enthusiasm cooled somewhat when we looked inside the woodshed! Fortunately, the man with the woodshed plan was yet to arrive. Tony, with his van and array of power tools, tackled this job with relish. Malcolm arrived as we were washing up so we were all present for our first epilogue in the meeting room. Here we met with a special silence and an atmosphere which was comforting and welcoming. We entered the room a collection of individuals and left it a community; the retreat had properly begun.

Saturday morning we returned to work, spreading out now over various projects; removing plastic tree guards, clearing the pond and surrounds, hedge trimming and did I mention there was a woodshed?!

Each meal was prepared by two of us and by Saturday lunchtime we had worked up a good appetite and, in the heat, quite a thirst. A more relaxed afternoon of free time and a walking prayer session balanced the day well and our pre-dinner work was quieter and a little gentler. After dinner, epilogue was held on the hillside opposite with the setting sun and a gentle breeze.

I opted to cook breakfast on Sunday with Tony. A feast of egg, beans, tomatoes and mushrooms which was well-received. We went on to sing and speak and be silent around the newly revealed pond. There was a joyful accompaniment from some resident frogs. Our worship continued at Llandrindod Wells meeting house where we swelled the numbers considerably. This is a simple, modern, purpose-built meeting house set back from the road and shaded, so peaceful and cool.

After a leisurely lunch we gradually resumed work. The pressure had reduced as we had been very productive on Saturday. We began to see smaller jobs which were concealed behind the larger, more urgent tasks; tidying the vegetable garden, trimming the roses around the door oh, and a little more to do in the woodshed…

Peter Hussey came to tell us of the history of The Pales and of the hopes for the future. All the while firmly rooted in the present.

A very special epilogue among the memories in the burial ground brought this full and fulfilling day to a close.

On Monday I awoke early, a little sad that it was the last day of the retreat, followed by a joy that I could sit in the meeting room alone for a while before breakfast. There was a little finishing off to be done as well as worship and lunch before departing at 2pm. A very special final worship involved walking in George Fox’s footsteps to Penybont common, where, centuries before, many were convinced and became Friends. Radnorshire became the stronghold of Quakers in Wales. As Quakers, we are mindful of equality, of place and time as well as people. Worship on Penybont common was a very spiritual, gathered experience and a fitting close to our little itinerant community in Mid Wales. We shared laughter, tears, chatter and silence, despair and delight, connection.

Alison Smedley

A Sufi Day at the Pales

With Karim  Hadden
Wednesday 24th October 10.30 – 4.30
 

Explore and experience Universal Sufism at the Pales,including Spiritual Song and Movement with Karim Hadden. In this day we will come together to explore the theme of Universal Sufism drawing from the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan and others, including spiritual poets such as Rumi and Kabir. Universal Sufism honours all the spiritual traditions of the world and emphasises the unity of religious ideals. It is an experiential path which does not insist on specific beliefs.

During the day we will weave together presentation, discussion, meditative practices, spiritual song and movement. Everyone is welcome and no special abilities are needed. Everything will be explained in a simple and relaxed way and you will be encouraged to take part in whatever way is best for you. These are spiritual practices which help us in the ‘Tuning of the Heart’ and to this purpose we can all contribute by our presence.

Bring vegetarian food to share for lunch.

Geology event at the Pales

With Joe Botting

When:

October 8, 2018 @ 10:30 am – 4:30 pm

Geology Day with Joe Botting – Monday 8th October

The history of the Earth is written in its rocks, and the details (such as fossils) captured within them. Learning to read that record can be challenging, but is immensely rewarding, giving you the eyes to reveal the world of the unimaginably ancient past. Join Joe Botting for an introduction to this grand natural detective story, with a chance to put it into practice to discover the lost world of The Pales. Dinosaurs not included.
There will be a talk and discussion in the morning , from 10.30 a.m., and an exploration of the quarry in the afternoon (2 – 4.30pm).
Bring some lunch to share. Coffee and tea will be provided. No booking needed. Donations will be appreciated.

Pales Annual Lecture 2018

When:

September 29, 2018 @ 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm

The Use of Silence

We are delighted to announce that Dominic Walker has agreed to deliver this year’s

Pales Annual Lecture Saturday 2.30pm 29th September 2018

Silence lies at the heart of the Christian spiritual tradition and is the major feature of Quaker worship.  Come and explore how to use silence and discover how it draws us closer to God and one another.

Dominic is a member of an Anglican Religious Community called the Oratory of the Good Shepherd that seeks to combine a consecrated life of prayer with pastoral ministry. He has worked as a parish priest, superior of his community and a bishop in England and Wales. He now looks after an allotment and his dog but says he is still learning to pray and he is still fascinated about God.

After the lecture Dominic has agreed to respond to questions.

Tea and cakes will be provided with an opportunity for informal conversations

Cultural differences

Some thoughts on the cultural differences

between England and Wales

(Ry'n ni yma o hyd)

BACKGROUND

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is now being developed between the Quaker Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) and Meeting of Friends in Wales (MFW). The responsibilities of MFW are described in Quaker faith and practice paragraphs 5.04/5.05. This makes it clear that MFW has national responsibilities on behalf of BYM to represent and advance the life and witness of Quakers within Wales, as well as informing BYM about Quakers in Wales.

These responsibilities include:

5.4 (d) “responding to issues which relate to living in a bilingual society, including outreach in Wales and commissioning, translating and publishing Quaker material in the Welsh language.”

and

5.04 (e) “representing Wales to BYM, liaising with yearly meeting committees and departments where appropriate.”

A Language Policy will form part of the MOU to clarify the ways in which these responsibilities will be fulfilled by both BYM and MFW. Clarity is also needed on the differing requirements of Quakers living in a society which is both bilingual and bicultural. This paper seeks to explore cultural differences other than language, in particular those which impact on Friends’ understanding of a culture which for some is very different from the one they have come from, and seeks to assist Friends House when its work impacts on the life of Friends in Wales. Simple translation is never enough.

The paper is based on the responses of MFW Focus group, Trustees and other Friends to an initial paper produced for discussion by the Clerk of Focus Group. It is not exhaustive, but we hope it will be helpful to all who read it.

SUMMARY

The culture of Wales is heavily dependent upon its mythology and history, a mythology which still lives in the background of Welsh thinking with the tendrils of care for environment, people and justice running through to current thinking. Historically Wales became a second class partner in a supposedly united kingdom, a country of resource that could be exploited with little regard for its inhabitants.

As a community made up of small farms and workers’ towns, the Welsh have retained a strong sense of belonging to place, and of justice and equality. Although land and mine owners were only interested in a quick return on their investments, their workers retained a wish to invest in the future, a wish which could only show itself as valuing the importance of education, poetry, song and performance.

Once devolution began and gathered pace the history and culture of Wales has shown itself in more progressive policies with a longer horizon than those imposed by the UK Government.

DETAIL

Although Welsh is spoken by 19% of the population (2011 census)^*, surveys show that its existence is valued by a clear majority of those who don't speak it. In a number of areas, between 60% and 70% speak Welsh.

The modern Welsh name for themselves is Cymry, and Cymru is the Welsh name for Wales. These words are descended from the Brythonic word combrogi, meaning "fellow-countrymen" (John Davies, History of Wales). The word “Wales” and associated words come from the Germanic “whal” meaning other. So these two names are quite opposite in their derivation, broadly speaking “us” and “them”. Modern Welsh people still see themselves as part of a community which is not always appreciated by people attracted by low house prices in beautiful situations, and who may not recognise any role for themselves in their new locality's culture and society . In genetic terms there is no difference, both nations showing exactly the same diverse origins. It is in the history and community make-up that the differences appear. Newcomers do not always recognise the investment that residents are called on to make in welcoming them, sometimes for them to have a limited stay or response. This is particularly true in those areas where a majority of local people speak Welsh.

Wales has its own mythology – the Mabinogion, the Triads, the Book of Taliesin and other tales. This mythology is referred to much more frequently in modern writing than its equivalent in the rest of the UK. This illustrates another cultural difference, that history, both mythological and more recent, is closer in Wales than in England.

There appear to be strong differences in the political culture of the two nations, but, to some extent this could be the fact that the majority party in the United Kingdom Government has been the Conservative Party for two Parliaments, whereas the dominant party in the devolved Welsh Government has been Labour with Plaid Cymru as one of the major opposition voices. Wales has never returned a majority of Conservative MPs, or even come close, ever since universal suffrage began.

The devolved administrations in the home nations of the UK are elected by proportional representation, which means that everyone can feel they have a voice, unlike in UK general elections, which are by simple majority vote so in practice are never won by a party having an actual majority of the votes.

While the UK government has governed for the benefit of a small section of the public at the cost of the majority, Welsh politics have concentrated on the future generations. This difference in outlook is quite obvious in the way that decisions are made in the two administrations. For example, in the consultation about environmental policy following Brexit, the White paper asks where the environmental principles should be set out. Cytûn (Churches Together in Wales) have responded and their response provides a quite different viewpoint to that of the paper:

“It is our view that ‘principles’ which can be modified by Ministers through Statutory Instruments are hardly principles at all. It is essential that a statement of principles be encoded in primary legislation and be amendable only by Parliament (or by the devolved assemblies in devolved areas).

We note with concern the exclusion of national security and Finance Acts from the ambit of these principles. This means that any Government policy badged in these ways can be put through in contravention of environmental principles agreed by Parliament, and we strongly oppose these conclusions.

Para 40 raises the issue of balancing the environmental principles against other principles, such as prosperity. We would commend the approach of the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, which outlines well-being goals (in effect, principles) covering the whole of Welsh Government activity (including Finance Acts) and requires Government and statutory agencies to show how their policies contribute to achieving all the well-being goals. It also outlines ‘ways of working’ to ensure that this happens and that the public can be fully engaged in considering the impact of policies not only now, but also on future generations. We believe that the England and UK reserved matters would benefit from a similar approach and would commend this to DEFRA. We would hope that the Inter-Governmental Agreement which has been made between the UK and Welsh Governments will allow Welsh policies on occasion to be adopted across the UK rather than a mechanism for imposing English solutions in the devolved nations.”

Although Devolution has been limited to certain areas of control, the Welsh Government has introduced many pieces of progressive legislation, for example:

• Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013
• Human Transplantation (Wales) Act 2013
• Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014
• Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015
• Environment (Wales) Act 2016
• Public Health (Wales) Act 2017
• Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Act 2018

In these cases, for example in charging for plastic bags, in organ donation, in free prescriptions, in a smoking ban, and a ban on fracking, the Welsh government has taken positive action well in advance of the UK government and has been quite clear in their decision making, while the UK government has hedged about with options, and taken much longer over reaching a decision. There have been many cases where the UK Government has preferred to attempt to achieve their aspirations with voluntary industry- led programmes rather than directives. Generally speaking the health and well-being of Welsh people have been primary for the Welsh government, while in England targets and finance have been more important.

Although devolution has been part of UK Government policy there has been a tendency for the UK Govern-ment to create uncertainty about the decisions already taken, with a real danger of back-sliding. This tendency has become linked, particularly since the Brexit vote, to the UK Government taking on the European Union role of coordination as we move away from Europe. The UK Government is both the “national government” for the UK, and the “national government” for England. That dual role is not always clearly understood, either by the UK Government or by the media when reporting such matters. In a recent post from QPSW there is an item with the heading, “Should fracking permission be given by the government?” Neither the brief introduction nor the detailed brief mention that this policy is specific to England. Both the Welsh and Scottish governments have said that they will not sanction any applications to frack.

The history of Christianity in Wales influences our present politics. The New Testament was translated into Welsh by 1567, and the whole Bible was translated into Welsh by 1588 (i.e. before the King James Authorised version.) Translation of the Bible, with the arrival of the printing press using moveable type, facilitated others than the priesthood to explore religious concepts. Although church and chapel attendance is mainly in decline in Wales as elsewhere in the UK, Wales retains an underlying respect for religion; the chapels and local churches retain an essential role in communities that contain a high proportion of working farms, where even though the weekly congregation may be in single figures the death of a popular local farmer can still attract a thousand mourners.

Non-conformist churches have a much greater cultural influence in Wales than the Anglican church. The administration of the Church in Wales is top down while the chapels are self-governing, with any priests being the employees of the congregation, keeping them strongly linked to the community. The one form of Christian practice showing growth is in the Evangelical churches which are also very community based. The Evangelical Alliance is not a member of Cytûn (Churches Together in Wales), but the two bodies work together in some matters.

When the National Assembly was established, a role for Cytûn was included, recognising the limited time span of politicians (5 years maximum between elections), which helps to provide a longer vision. Because there is no established church in Wales public events/services tend to be organised by Cytûn rather than one of the member churches. A meeting between the First Minister of the Government and church leaders was established very quickly; this has now been extended to include other faiths.

Although rural depopulation is a factor in Wales as in the rest of the UK, the topography of Wales has caused the retention of a greater number of small farms, which in turn retains a stronger farming community. Possibly because of this tradition of small farms a sense of place is an essential part of the Welsh person's nature. “Where are you from?” is a far more likely opening question than “What do you do?” Welsh people like to “place” others in the landscape.

Papur bro (local paper) is a Welsh language local community newsletter, produced by volunteers and generally published monthly. There are currently 58 papurau bro, produced throughout Wales. With changing times and appetites, more modern, online versions of papurau bro have started to appear. During 2015-2016, papurau bro had a combined distribution of 66,808 copies each month, an example of the importance of local communities in Welsh life.

Young Farmers Clubs (YFC) are a vital and stable part of rural Welsh community and culture. YFC is a remarkable organisation promoting social, cultural and political awareness and involvement. Young people involved in YFC develop confidence, knowledge, stage presence, debating ability and an awareness of national and local matters.

Traditionally there were very limited opportunities for young people in Wales following the Industrial Revolution. The economy of Wales was closely tied to mining, heavy industry and farming. Many youngsters left Wales for careers in drapery, teaching and the churches. Those who stayed found opportunities for personal development in organisations such as Young Farmers Clubs and the Miners Institutes and social clubs that were an essential feature of the towns. Although for many these establishments provided social opportunities, they were also essential in educating many of the working class in cultural and political skills that resulted in a vibrant political, poetic, musical society which includes both solo and group performance.

Eisteddfodau and agricultural shows at all levels of Welsh community interaction from village to nation are still vibrant. The Royal Welsh Show is described as the pinnacle agricultural show in Britain. The National Eisteddfod is one of the largest cultural festivals in Europe, while the Urdd (youth) Eisteddfod and the Llangollen International Eisteddfod continue to grow in popularity.

One of the most popular songs in Wales since it was written in 1981 is Dafydd Iwan's “Yma o hyd” (English: Still Here) a patriotic song that tells of the survival of the Welsh nation over the centuries since Macsen Wledig^* led a Romano-British army in 383 AD during the final years of the Roman Empire, right through to “Maggie (Thatcher) and her crew”. The chorus proudly proclaims Ry'n ni yma o hyd, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth which translates as "We're still here, in spite of everyone and everything."

It has been argued that the song played a significant role in raising the morale of Welsh nationalists during the 1980s, thereby inspiring a resurgence in support for the Welsh language and culminating in three key Acts of Parliament: the Education Reform Act of 1988, the Welsh Language Act of 1993and the Government of Wales Act of 1998 (the last of which authorized the establishment of a National Assembly for Wales in 1999). Today, Yma o Hyd is very popular with Welsh folk music fans and widely considered second only to Hen Wlad fy Nhadau (the official national anthem of Wales). It has also become a popular song sung by the fans of the Scarlets and Wrexham FC fans. (Wikipedia)

It is interesting to wonder why one of the nations of the United Kingdom needed to have its morale raised, before it could begin to establish its own personality, but, of course Macsen Wledig and his army could not prevent the pushing of the British peoples to the western edges of what is now England, and, while the later Norman invaders used intermarriage as their main tool for subduing those they lorded over, eventually it was their force and their castles that had the greatest effect until money and the ownership of land completely subdued the Welsh to become what Paul Robeson recognised as a people in a similar state to the American Negroes of his time. Aberfan was a reminder of the oppression of industrialisation, and yet also of the strength of community.

Many parts of England suffered Norman invasion, land expropriation, enclosure, industrialisation, collapse or closure of industries and were significantly non-conformist in their religious practice, and would recognise most of these feelings. However the Welsh were explicitly discriminated against for extensive periods. After Edward I’s conquest, for about 150 years, there was systematic colonisation, with the setting up of English walled towns in which the Welsh could not spend the night, and in rural north Wales, thousands of acres of Welsh Princes’ lands with bond tenantships were expropriated and leased to English settlers. Free lands without heirs fell to the Crown. After the Glyndwr uprising, the Penal Laws of 1402, restricted education in Wales: the Welsh were not allowed to attend universities, hold court office, or own property in England. These laws were not repealed until 1624, seventeen years after the English laws against the Scots had been repealed, despite Henry VIII’s two Laws in Wales Acts of 1536 and 1543 legally unifying the law in England and Wales. It may seem strange to talk of the Normans, Glyndwr and Henry VIII in a paper reflecting on cultural differences today, but it was clear that the votes for and against devolution in 1997 followed a geographical distribution that mirrored the pattern of Norman influence.

A second phase of enclosures followed the beginnings of industrialisation as the nouveau riche created estates out of land that had been used by farmers and peasants. The Rebecca Riots grew from a community based vigilante process to fight against the fences and toll gates that suddenly blocked their access. The Government, frightened of the French Revolution spreading to Britain, gave way to some of their demands and legislated to ensure that the newly taxed roads were improved to reflect the taxation.

The notorious Blue Books of 1846, written by monoglot English school inspectors, taking much of their evidence from Anglican clergymen, disparaged the Welsh as immoral, (i.e. non-conformist,) and ignorant, (i.e. failing to learn much from their English-speaking teachers,) and so recommending that the use of Welsh be stamped out. There were remnants of that approach in Welsh schools as recently as the 1950s. In spite of that, learning, certainly in the post war years, seemed more important than status and not only as the vehicle to escape the oppression of industrialisation; thus the transition via education to professions has been more available.

The drowning of Capel Celyn still resounds in Welsh culture and politics. The Act of Parliament in 1957 to create the Llyn Celyn reservoir and drown the village was opposed by 35 of the 36 Welsh MPs of the day, but was still pushed through. Prior to that the village of Llanddwyn was drowned in the process of building Lake Vyrwy to supply water to Liverpool. The creation of the Elan and Claerwen Valley reservoirs for Birmingham (begun in 1890) was forced on the local farm tenants with two weeks’ notice to vacate. The post World War II clearance of the Epynt for live ammunition exercises allowed the tenants six months’ notice, but the promised return of the land is still awaited. In 1958, without even a vote in Parliament, Trawsfynydd Nuclear power station was imposed within a National Park that had been set up as recently as 1951.

The implication of these events is that Wales is still considered exploitable. As recently as the mid 1990s John Redwood, then Secretary of State for Wales was proud of sending £3,000,000 back to the UK Treasury when Wales was recognised as one of the most disadvantaged regions of Europe (GDP per capita was below 75% of the EU average; it is still the poorest of the UK nations). That same politician refused to answer any correspondence in the Welsh language, returning it with “I don't speak this language” scrawled across it. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation the proportion of households living in income poverty remains higher than in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and poverty among couples with children has been rising since 2003/06

https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/poverty-wales-2018.

North-South transport links in Wales are poor, a consequence of the topography and the economy over centuries being part of England's with routes tending to lead to and from England. The A470 Cardiff-Llandudno is the only North-South trunk road except for the A487 Bangor to Haverfordwest west coast road. There have been no North-South rail routes within Wales since the Beeching closures in the 1960s, so today's North-South route runs through England from Chirk to Abergavenny. Wrexham and the North Wales north coast are further by rail from Cardiff (4+ hours from Bangor) than London (3 1/4 hours) by the fastest train. Reputedly Pwllheli at the end of the Cambrian Coast line is the furthest point by time from London at about 6½ hours (and probably within Wales from Cardiff at about 6 hours) via Shrewsbury.

Sport has become the opportunity for the occasional triumph which usually brings the whole nation together in celebration, and makes up for the far more usual succession of our footballers losing to some even smaller nation, our rugby players not quite getting to where we hoped they would, or our athletes simply disappearing amongst the numbers of others. So when Geraint Thomas wins the Tour de France thousands of us travel to wave our dragon flags and cheer.

The status of Wales as a small nation tends to lead its people to a greater awareness of other small nations and minorities (e.g. Bretons, Catalans, Croatians, Native Americans). This, with the concepts of community and of the well-being of future generations leads to empathy with other peoples. The Gorsedd of Bards may well be historically poppycock, but its creation had pacific foundations that are embedded in the call “A oes heddwch? (Is there peace?)” during the bardic ceremonies. That has implanted itself in the psyche of many Welsh people and Jane Harries' lecture at the Eisteddfod this year was a reminder that there is a strong peace message driving some aspects of Welsh consciousness. There seems to be a great sense of the importance of equality and lack of class in

Wales, as there is in other parts of the UK away from the main areas of population.

CONCLUSION

There is still indignation among Welsh people related not just to history but also to an ongoing injustice in the way this part of the UK is financed. There is a recognition too that in some matters Wales is approaching the problems of today in a more progressive way than the UK Government is. Devolution is allowing Wales to develop a different character to other parts of the UK, and that character is increasingly attractive, and anyway ry'n ni yma o hyd, er gwaetha pawb a phopeth!

Peter Hussey, Clerk of MFW Focus Group (with MFW Wales Focus Group and Trustees, with others)

October 2018

*23% according to the 2013-14 Welsh Language Use Survey [AM Clerk]

*aka Magnus Maximus [Note by AM Clerk]