John Bercow addresses Interfaith seminar on trust in society
The Council of Christians and Jews hosted the speaker of the House of Commons for a seminar discussing the ‘decline of trust in politics, business and wider society.’
On 10 February the seminar was held as part of the CCJ’s strategy focusing on education, dialogue and social action.
It was attended by over 100 figures from the Jewish, Christian and other faith communities, in addition to a number of acclaimed speakers.
Entitled “Trust and Rust, Is the decline of trust irreversible?”, the seminar covered the ‘perceived decline of trust in politics, business and wider society.’
The Speaker of the Commons, John Bercow told that audience: ‘Enhanced confidence is the basis for trust’ in the political system and that ‘the central challenge…is that the public does not have confidence in the institutions in which politics operates’.
Fellow panelist Baroness Onora O’Neill, who is Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, emphasised a countering point. She stressed the need to reinforce “trustworthiness” rather than trust in society, as ‘the institutions we say we mistrust today are the very same as those we said we mistrusted in the past’.
The Chair of the Jewish Leadership Council Mick Davis said: ‘You will never build trust unless you are open and accountable and speak openly to people’.
The event was chaired by CCJ Chair, Bishop Michael Ipgrave, who commented that: ‘Every sphere [of society] has been marked by a decline in trust’.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
