News

As events take place across the UK to celebrate Refugee Week, new polling suggests that people value the contribution of migrants, and in particular refugees, with Sigmund Freud being ranked the refugee to have contributed the most to the UK.

The people of Woolwich, those of all faiths and none, refuse to be defined by the recent brutal killing of Drummer Lee Rigby. Their Woolwich is a place of community, where people of all backgrounds live together, side by side. And it is that Woolwich which gathered on Friday 31st May at the Greenwich Islamic Centre, writes Jo Tanner.

While the whole world flocked to London to witness the buzz of the Olympic summer 2012, north-east England felt somewhat excluded and not just in terms of geography. However, an Olympic legacy lives on, even if not as pronounced as hoped, writes Next Generation blogger Matilda Neill from Whitley Bay.

In a letter published in the Times newspaper, a mix of parliamentary, military and campaigning voices welcome the government’s commitment to offer asylum to some of the interpreters, but are concerned that the terms will arbitrarily deny protection to many who need it.

In 1953, the sociologist Michael Young, in a famous essay, described the Queen’s coronation as a “great act of national communion.” He and his co-author Edward Shils were struck by the galvanising effect the coronation had on family and community life. In which ways does the monarchy continue to unite people within the UK, asks Zaki Cooper, who used to work in the press office at Buckingham Palace, ahead of this week’s 60th anniversary of the coronation.

Most people believe that far right groups like the English Defence League stir up hatred and violence in Britain in a way which increases the risk of future terrorist incidents. A rising proportion of Britons say they would never join the EDL – a view held by 84% of people who have heard of the group – according to new polling released this weekend.

“English to me is the sum of synchronic and diachronic evolution of other mixed languages” and “English is the medium through which I experience people, news, literature, culture and my own consciousness.” These are just two posts dangling from the Thought Wall in response to “What does the English language mean to you,” a question posed at the British Council’s latest exhibition, The English Effect, writes Jemimah Steinfeld.

Too many titles handed the killers in Woolwich the megaphone they craved. Those who quietly reject the offer of hatred and division deserve to be heard too, writes Sunder Katwala.

Bradford City’s proud fans did not want to leave Wembley, almost now their adopted second home, after they clinched promotion with a 3-0 victory over Northampton Town in the play-off final, providing a celebratory finale to the most remarkable season in this venerable football club’s 110-year history, writes Sunder Katwala.