Truth, Lies and the Spirit Level: feedback and next steps

Thanks to everyone whos shared feedback, made suggestions and nominated organisations
working locally. We need to join together to challenge the current story and rewrite it in a more
compassionate, generous spirit of care for everyone in society. Here are our thoughts, gathered
from Post-its and emails:

Challenge everyone about this: it is time not to be polite
Be vocal, be active
Challenge beliefs about what is really in peoples interests: compassion + love = win:win
Organise meetings to spread the message in our churches and local groups
Education campaign: teach young people to engage
Get politically involved: get young people to vote
Work on voter participation, increase registration and awareness of postal voting. It is
through voting that democracy functions better
Get voter registration docs and distribute to churches and encourage faith based groups to
sign voters up
How do we enable people to feel that they are valued, important and listened to?
Think, demand, vote
A framework to enable engagement on the range of issues raised today. How would the
York academics wish to involve their concerns?
York Minster community needs to take more action
Them bellyful, were starvin: Bob Marley. Fight this iniquitous fascist coalition government
attacking the weak and disabled (great conference)
Raise children without the whats in it for me mindset.
Forum for engaging further with the issues raised. How to raise these within the Christian
Community? Further conferences 2014 Immigration 2015 Millennium Goals
Organise meetings to spread message in our churches and local groups
Encourage wider participation (interfaith action)
Get involved with trade unions
Alternative to taxpayers alliance: show some taxpayers want to pay!
Set up rebuttal unit
Keep generating evidence
Support organisations that give practical help like Homestart
I want to join a Trade Union because we need to build political will to change this
Do an equalities newsletter with actions. All do simple things
(NB The Equality Trust sends out a monthly newsletter on equality, and from America theres the
excellent weekly newsletter/blog Too Much, an online publication of the Institute for Policy
Studies, Editor: Sam Pizzigati. | E-mail: editor@toomuchonline.org)
Actively develop a manifesto for change which is future orientated/develop creative
hubs/inspire those who inspire/develop groups for social competency/prepare skills
lists/make change fun (moneyforfutures@gmail.com
Send info list of organisations represented here: many new to me
Raise awareness in church
Meet Julian Sturdy MP to ask him to tackle poverty.
Write to our MPs involve and empower those who are more challenged i.e. those living with
poverty and mental health issues.
(NB We can all write to our MPs about these issues I have been writing and emailing mine about
food banks and housing)
Pensioners should commit to investing in credit unions so their adequate resources can
help their poorer neighbours (Carol Smith, Diocese of Ripon and Leeds Urban Task Group)
We have already organised a public meeting locally (Baildon) in February. We ain to set up
the Baildon Chapter Equality Trust
Support Progressive tax (badges? Hooray!) Tax is not legitimate theft!
Reflections on my blog www.treadinglightly.org.uk
Promoting the virtues and validity of progressive taxation to maintain and enhance social
cohesion. Such a policy would have the support I suspect of all those at the conference.
The promotion of a living wage which again leads to social inclusiveness.

Organisations
Timebank: www.yorktimebank.org.uk
The incredible movement in York www.timinYork.org.uk
York Peoples Assembly http:yorkpeoples assembly.wordpress.com
Openspace technology is a great way of tapping into audience creativity and moving to
action. More info on Youtube. Facilitators in York: Peter Gay mailbox@talktalk.net
Restore (York) ltd. Providing homes: giving hope. barrie@restoreyork.co.uk
20s plenty for York www.20splentyforus.org.uk aanas@20splentyforus.org.uk
working with women: the Newcastle Conflict Resolution Network has experience of working
with vulnerable women. Peter Gay AVPBRITAIN.org.uk
York defend our National Health Service http:defendournhsyork.wordpress.com
Be the change initiative.org regional developer Trine Moore contact through
moneyfutures@gmail.com

Some inspiring quotes about fairness, poverty and inequality:

If every man took only what was sufficient for his needs, leaving the rest to those in want, there
would be no rich and no poor.

St Basil of Caesarea (Homily on Luke 12:18, 372 CE)

The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much;
it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (Second Inaugural Address, 1937)

If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.

John F. Kennedy (Inaugural Address, 1961)

Riches, power and fame last only for a few years! Why do people cling so desperately to these
transitory things? Why cant people who have more than they need for themselves give that
surplus to their fellow citizens? Why should some people have such a hard time during their few
years on this earth?

Anne Frank (diary entry, 1944)

How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment; we can start now, start slowly changing the
world!

Anne Frank (diary entry, 1944)

The race of mankind would perish did they cease to aid each other. We cannot exist without
mutual help. All therefore that need aid have a right to ask it from their fellow-men; and no one
who has the power of granting can refuse it without guilt.

Sir Walter Scott (1771 1832)