Are you sitting comfortably? I hope so, because we might be locked down for quite some time to come…
2 big stories
There’s no avoiding what is the biggest story of the day, the suggestion by the Office for Budget Responsibility that the United Kingdom economy could shrink by 35% in the second quarter of 2020, with 2 million joining the ranks of the unemployed. And yes, it will bounce back to some extent, but as the IMF’s economic counsellor, Gita Gopinath says;
the size of the hit to the global economy, uncertainty about the how long the shock would last, and the need to discourage economic activity to contain the virus had to led to a crisis “like no other”
Remember, the Job Retention Scheme only accepts applications from next Monday…
We’ve all suspected that people are marrying later and later, if at all, but yesterday’s data relating to couples marrying in England and Wales may well come as a surprise even so. The number of marriages continued to fall in 2017, and the average age of marriage for men was 38 (for women, 35.7) in opposite-sex marriages, with the average ages for same-sex couples slightly higher. Is this significant? I suspect not so much so, reflecting the divorce rate and the difficulty in getting onto the housing ladder. The article doesn’t touch on the average age at which women have their first child, but we know that that’s on the increase too.
2 blog posts
Chris, from the Chipping Sodbury, Yate and Dodington Focus Team, notes that Yate Town Council have held their first online Council meeting. I know that this might not seem hugely significant, but for those of us who hold positions at the lowest tier of local government, it’s a big step – Parish and Town Councils are, in my experience, pretty conservative when it comes to technology.
I’m probably going to upset quite a few people when I say that, whilst I’m sure that Doctor Who is fascinating, it doesn’t do that much for me. I ought to turn in my Liberal Democrat rosette, I guess. But it would be churlish to ignore the fact that there are plenty of Liberal Democrats who take a keen interest in the characters, the story lines and all that goes with that. Here, Nicolas Whyte reviews volume 3 of the The Tenth Doctor Adventures.
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3 Comments
As far as the economy is concerned, aren’t most nations in the same boat? Can’t we just cancel the debts around the world and start again with a clean sheet? And can’t we start making a few more things again on these islands, even if the products cost a little more instead of relying on places like that Petri dish called China?
I ought to turn in my Liberal Democrat rosette, I guess
You & me both. But someone had to say it. I used to enjoy Tom Baker’s Doctor as a child but these days I really can’t get at all excited by it.
I was struck by the marriage data: marriage as a social institution does appear to be in decline at the moment, with this trend being led by the fall in religious marriages.
That decline is unfortunate: as a society, we should welcome and encourage couples making a firm and lasting commitment to one another, as a social good – largely for the long-term happiness and life chances of any children.
That commitment is formally recognised and celebrated by the act of marriage, but it’s the commitment that matters. Married couples are statistically more likely to stay together than unmarried couples – probably mainly because couples that are more doubtful about the endurability of their relationship are less likely to tie the formal knot. However, the ceremony of marriage, and all of the anticipation and expectation around it, is also likely to deepen a couple’s sense of commitment to one another and the strength and endurance of their relationship.
The legal recognition of same-sex marriage, then, should be celebrated, not just as a massive step towards equality and respect for same-sex couples but also as beneficial for society.
What a shame, then, that the government has spent the last few years finding excuses for not permitting the legal recognition of humanist marriage ceremonies, which was enabled by the 2013 Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act, with strong support from our party, but which has never been implemented.
In Scotland, humanist weddings have been legally recognised since 2005, and have already overtaken Church of Scotland weddings and Catholic weddings in popularity.
In England and Wales, however, non-religious couples must still traipse before a civic registrar to have their marriage legally recognised. Religious couples can choose to be legally wed at a ceremony that reflects their beliefs and values, with a celebrant who shares those beliefs and values. Non-religious couples cannot.
If the government really cared about marriage as a social good, it could end this blatant and pointless discrimination at the stroke.