‘Religion shows no sign of going away or allowing itself to be relegated to the private sphere’

7^th December 2015

The National Theatre has just revived Harley Granville Barker’s play, Waste, about public and private morality in politics. The action turns on a Bill to disestablish the Church of England and divert the church’s assets to educational purposes.

The Multiple Costs of Food Waste

1^st December 2015

Food insecurity is a global tragedy. More than 10% of humanity, almost 800 million people, are undernourished. Even in a relatively high-income country like the UK, almost 25% of the population is at risk of poverty or social exclusion and over a million people have been helped by Trussel Trust food banks.

Climate science is to geo-engineering as genetics is to GM food

30^th November 2015

Advocates of GM lean heavily on the claim that GM is ‘science’. But this is itself a highly dubious assumption. GM is essentially a technology. It is more like engineering than science.

Food

Think Food and Fuel!

27^th November 2015

We tend to argue at length about issues we encounter every day, whilst we make quick decisions about far-reaching issues of which we have limited understanding, such as climate change, or food security.

Delivering sustainable food security with a pick axe, a two-way torch and a mirror

26^th November 2015

Food products criss-cross around the world every day, carrying with them embedded water, carbon, energy and sweat (figuratively if not literally, in the effort put in by farmers, growers and manufacturers to bring the product to market).

Food + Food industry

For food, read energy

25^th November 2015

The issues surrounding energy are now well understood. We have growing needs yet realise that our historical energy sources are not as cheap – or abundant – as first appeared. This has lead to a re-pricing of energy and the development of new technologies, including for energy preservation and storage.

Retailers’ Promotions on Sugary Products: Should they be regulated?

24^th November 2015

A poor diet fostered by a rapid increase in the supply of affordable, processed food has been widely blamed as one of the major contributors to obesity. Associated to increases in affordability are the promotions used by retailers with such foods.

Food

Is the food industry always the villain on childhood obesity?

23^rd November 2015

Sugar is the new tobacco, and the battle lines are sharpening around Jamie Oliver’s campaign for a sugar tax to be the centrepiece of the Government’s Childhood Obesity Strategy, due out in the New Year.

Food + Food industry

Food for Thought

22^nd November 2015

Food is a vital part of human well-being and flourishing. Over the course of the next week ResPublica will be running a blog week on establishing good food practices for all in society.

Keeping Sunday Special and the Politics of Rest

5^th November 2015

The human need for regular rest is an inconvenient truth for capitalism. It would be easier if we could simplify the world into a liberal paradigm, allowing rational agents and perfect markets to efficiently distribute our natural resources, our relationships, and even our sleep.