Universe Column, September 23rd 2007 Some months ago I wrote to Amnesty International protesting at the proposal to make support for abortion one of their worldwide objectives. I said that Amnesty's founder, Peter Benenson, a Catholic, would have regarded this as a...
That hideous Strength
Universe Column, August 19th 2007 The climax of C.S.Lewis's brilliant novel "That Hideous Strength" takes place at a banquet held in Belbury. For readers unfamiliar with the story, Belbury is the centre of operations for the not-so-nice National Institute for...
The Cost of Conflict in Africa
Universe Column, November 11th, 2007 A new report estimates that during the 15 years up until 2005 the cost of conflict in Africa has been around $300 billion. Between 1990 and 2005, 23 African nations have been involved in conflict and according to research by the...
Darfur: Will there be anyone left to save?
Universe Column July 29th 2007 For four years, as perhaps as many as 400,000 people have been killed in Darfur, the Government of Sudan has cynically manipulated the international community. While playing fast and loose on promises to allow effective peacekeeping, the...
Brave Vietnamese Priest Jailed Again
Universe Column for May 6th 2007 A court in the central city of Hue, Vietnam, recently sentenced a Catholic priest, Father Nguyen Van Ly (pronounced Lee) to an eight-year jail term. Fr.Van Ly's name will be familiar to Universe readers because this is not the first...
Eugenics and Euthanasia
Universe Column for December 3rd 2006 It was deeply disturbing to read that the Anglican Bishop of Southwark, Bishop Tom Butler, has joined the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecology, in calling for legal euthanasia in the case of seriously disabled newborn...
The United Nations – saving North Korea from hell
Universe Column for December 10th 2006 I recently met Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn, the United Nation Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea. During our discussion I pointed to the 2 million people who have starved to death in North Korea, the 200,000...
The lonely 21st century
Universe Column for November 19th 2006 Will the 21st century be remembered as the lonely century? Mother Teresa once remarked that “in the developing world there is an epidemic of poverty, in the west an epidemic of loneliness.” At a White House Prayer breakfast,...
At Crewe: “Where Ought I to Be?”
In "At Bertram's Hotel", Agatha Christie immortalised her fellow writer, G.K.Chesterton, with am amusing anecdote: "Ever heard that story about Chesterton? G. K. Chesterton, you know, the writer. Wired to his wife when he'd gone on a lecture tour 'Am at Crewe...
Playing Games While Darfur Dies
Last December the British Government confirmed the details of the proposed peace-keeping force for Darfur. It was all going to be in place at the beginning of this year. Many of us argued that it was already nearly four years too late. Too late for the 3-400,000...
For 18 years David Alton was a Member of the House of Commons and today he is an Independent Crossbench Life Peer in the UK House of Lords.
Social Media
Site Search
Recent Posts
Expansion of Aukus
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL4060): Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the Foreign Secretary has...
Defence Personnel Data Breach and Harvesting of Personal Data for the Subversion of Democratic Elections Raised In Parliament
Defence Personnel Data Breach https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2024-05-08/debates/27C3FAE1-7087-4D8C-A2D4-C5F31F23FD59/DefencePersonnelDataBreach Lord Alton of Liverpool (CB) My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for repeating the Secretary of State’s Statement....
A new Opium War, on British streets: Government responds to illicit Chinese pharmaceutical and chemical companies producing and smuggling illegal drugs into the UK and the use of the internet to promote sales of opioids hundreds of times stronger than heroin, which are flooding western countries, and have been responsible over the past year for 100 British deaths.
A new Opium War, on British streets: Government responds to illicit Chinese pharmaceutical and chemical companies producing and smuggling illegal drugs into the UK and the use of the internet to promote sales of opioids hundreds of times stronger than heroin, which...