Letters - 07 October 2016
From title changes to war and peace
Title changes
I am concerned about the change in titles at Friends House, as part of the changes to Management Meeting, and the lack of consultation which accompanied this change.
I am surprised that the terms ‘Head of Worship and Witness’, ‘Head of Operations’ and ‘Head of Finance and Resources’ and, in consequence, the implications of a hierarchical organisation, which these titles suggest, should have been considered suitable.
Our whole Quaker Business Method is based on the principle of collaborative working, and our current titles of the above roles [general secretaries to Quaker Life, Quaker Peace & Social Witness, and Quaker Finance and Property, and Head of Facilities and Hospitality] clearly reflect the concepts and ideals which are fundamental to Quakerism. Our Quaker language is there for good reason.
While I appreciate this has been put in place to make our structure more accessible to other agencies, the new titles may well confuse such agencies as to the essence of Quakerism.
I am saddened that this has been presented to us as a fait accompli with no apparent awareness that this might need further consideration.
Mavis Rogers
Peacebuilding and disarmament
Mark Frankel (23 September) draws from the 2016 Swarthmore Lecture a challenging point about how unilateral nuclear disarmament by Britain might ‘destabilise the international situation’. However, I think he overlooks two things.
First, the physical consequences of a nuclear war would be so devastating to so much of the planet that his comparison with the use of machetes is not convincing. Second, for any nuclear power to renounce nuclear weapons might well be a huge trust-building move – rather than destroying trust, as he argues.
John Lampen
You need to login to read subscriber-only content and/or comment on articles.