Evict the bishops? January 27, 2010

Should the bishops be evicted from the House of Lords?

A parliamentary debate on the future of the Lords Spiritual



Chair: David Aaronovitch

Yes: Polly Toynbee, President of the British Humanist Association; and Jonathan Bartley, Co-director, Ekklesia

No: The Rt Revd Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester and Convenor of the Lords Spiritual; and Rt Hon Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss

Time and date: 7:30pm, Wednesday 27 January 2010

Location: Committee Room 10, Houses of Parliament, London, SW1A 0AA

The room is fully accessible and has suitable audio support facilities. Please use the Cromwell Green entrance (the main public entrance for Parliament) and take the public route to the Committee Corridor.



Please note that Committee Room 10 has seating for 120. We have set a limit of 145 tickets on the basis of their being a handful of no-shows. In order to guarantee a seat, please arrive early. Latecomers will be able to stand at the back of the room.





The UK is the only Western democracy that has clerics in its parliament as of right. With reform of the House of Lords currently a hot topic, Labour Humanists are hosting an open debate on whether it is time to evict the "Lords Spiritual."

Is their presence in the House of Lords unsupportable in a country where less than half of the people belong to Christianity, far less, the Church of England? Those opposed would point out these clerics are all men, they are unrepresentative and - despite their claims - they have no special insight or universally accepted morality to bring to the debate. They also point out that this is unfair on those of other faiths, and those of no faith. If we are to have religious leaders in our legislature, then should we not also have Islamic, Jewish, Sikh and Scientologist leaders in there too, by right?

Yet their supporters would say that as non-aligned members, their activities in the Upper House are not subject to a whip, and can be a force for good. Their presence in the Lords, supporters claim, is an extension of their general vocation as bishops to preach God's word and to lead people in prayer. Bishops provide an important independent voice, and spiritual insight to the work of the Upper House; and are a voice for all people of faith, not just Christians.

Join us for a vigourous debate!





Format of the debate



The format will be very much like BBC1's "Question Time" albeit with a modified start: each panellist will speak for 5-7 minutes to make their case. Then each panellist will speak again for a further 2 minutes to take issue with anything their fellow panellists might have said in their opening argument. Then the Chair will take questions and comments from the audience. Questions will only be accepted through the Chair and will be put to the whole panel for their response, and not individual panel members. Please keep your questions/comments as brief as possible, to allow maximum participation.





Profiles of the panellists



Chair: David Aaronovitch

Writer and Broadcaster

David Aaronovitch is a writer, broadcaster and commentator on international politics and the media. He writes for The Times Comment page on Tuesdays. He has previously written for The Guardian, The Observer and The Independent, winning numerous accolades, including Columnist of the Year 2003 and the 2001 Orwell prize for journalism. He has appeared on the satirical TV current affairs programme Have I Got News For You and made a number of radio and TV programmes on historical topics and current affairs.



Jonathan Bartley

Co-director, Ekklesia

Jonathan Bartley is a Co-Director of Ekklesia, an independent think-tank seeking to examine the role of religion in a creatively critical way, and also to advance policy ideas from a religious perspective. Ekklesia’s approach to issues of religion in the public sphere is primarily shaped by a strong theological and political critique of ‘Christendom’ – the historic collusion of institutional churches with governing authority and vice versa. Jonathan is also a regular writer and commentator on religious and social issues. He has lectured and tutored in Theology and Politics at Sarum College in Salisbury. Jonathan also worked in Parliament for a number of years, including with the then Prime Minister John Major. Between 1997 and 2001 he ran the cross-party Movement for Christian Democracy. He has served on the Church of England Evangelical Council, and is the author of a number of books on religion and public life.



Rt Hon Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss

After being called to the Bar in 1955, Elizabeth Butler-Sloss rose to become one of Britain’s most senior judges before retiring. During her career she served as a High Court judge, a Lord Justice of Appeal and, between 1999 and 2005, as the President of the Family Division of the High Court. From 2006-7 she was Deputy Coroner of the Queen's Household and Assistant Deputy Coroner for Surrey and for Inner West London. She has presided over many important cases including the Cleveland child abuse inquiry in the late 1980s and the decision that James Bulger’s killers should be granted lifelong anonymity. In 2006 she was gazetted as Baroness Butler-Sloss, of Marsh Green in the County of Devon and sits in the House of Lords as a Crossbencher. A church-going Anglican, in 2002 she chaired the Crown Appointments charged with the selection of a new Archbishop of Canterbury. She is also formerly Chairman of the Advisory Council of St Paul's Cathedral.

The Rt Revd Tim Stevens

Bishop of Leicester and Convenor of the Lords Spiritual

The Rt Revd Tim Stevens is Bishop of Leicester and Convenor of the Lords Spiritual. After working in business and the civil service, Bishop Stevens was ordained in 1976 and has since ministered in East London, Essex and Suffolk. In 1995 he was appointed Suffragan Bishop of Dunwich before being appointed Bishop of Leicester in 1999. In that role he has taken a particular interest in interfaith relations, a commitment that he has been able to combine with his interest in city regeneration through working with other faiths to promote urban development. He is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Children’s Society, a major national charity with ties to the Church of England, and chairs the council of Council of Westcott House theological college in Cambridge.



Polly Toynbee

President of the British Humanist Association

Polly Toynbee has worked as a journalist including posts at Observer, the Independent and as BBC Social Affairs Editor from 1988-1995. Since 1998 she has been one of the Guardian's leading columnists and one of Britain's most widely recognised commentators. Since 2007 she has been the President of the British Humanist Association and often writes and speaks on the issues that concern humanists: religious fundamentalism, faith schools, equality and secularism. She has written a number of social commentary books and is a strong advocate of constitutional reform. She is also President of the Social Policy Association and in 2007 was named “Columnist of the Year” at the British Press Awards.

Official Website: http://evict-the-bishops.eventbrite.com/