Author: Keith Porteous Wood
Edward Leigh’s Bill to put religious conscience opt-out into Equality Act is doomed
Posted: Fri, 01 Feb 2013 by Keith Porteous Wood
By Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society
A ten-minute rule Bill — the Equality (Marriage) (Amendment) Bill — was introduced in the House of Commons on 29 January 2013. Its aim is to amend the Equality Act to add... Read More »
Why it's important to add your voice to the Scout's consultation on non-believers
Posted: Thu, 06 Dec 2012 by Keith Porteous Wood
It was nearly five years ago that I went with a colleague to speak to Derek Twine, the chief executive of the Scouts, and his senior colleagues, to discuss the possibility of the Scouts being opened up to the non-religious. Accommodating non-believers would... Read More »
It’s time to restore free speech – no-one has the right not to be offended.
Posted: Wed, 04 Jul 2012 by Keith Porteous Wood
Today, Lord Mawhinney is tabling an amendment in the House of Lords to remove the word "insulting" from Section 5 of the Public Order Act. It's one of those catchall provisions with a very low prosecution threshold that tarnishes our reputation for freedom... Read More »
A message from Keith Porteous Wood of the National Secular Society and Simon Calvert of The Christian Institute
Posted: Wed, 23 May 2012 by Keith Porteous Wood
A week ago we launched Reform Section 5 with a press conference in the House of Commons. The reaction was exactly what we hoped for: within hours everyone was talking about how ridiculous it is to outlaw insults.
The biggest problem we had was finding anyone... Read More »
Government to work with Church of England to promote more religious schools
Posted: Thu, 19 Apr 2012 by Keith Porteous Wood
During Education Questions in the House of Commons on Monday, Michael Gove, the Education Secretary (for England) intimated that the Government is working with the Church of England to bring about its ambition to open hundreds more church schools.
The recently... Read More »
Religious education GCSE will lose its appeal when the exam is toughened up
Posted: Fri, 03 Feb 2012 by Keith Porteous Wood
The Churches love to tell us how "popular" religious studies are in schools. Keith Porteous Wood suspects the popularity may have more to do with the course being ridiculously easy, rather than any desire for a deeper understanding of religion.
The Churches... Read More »
Executive Director’s Diary: Sharia, Civil Partnerships and Lords Reform
Posted: Fri, 16 Dec 2011 by Keith Porteous Wood
NSS Executive Director Keith Porteous Wood on a busy week of campaigning in Parliament.
