politics & policy
Stewarding well: Making waves in Westminster
Tim Farron
These last few weeks, I’ve been talking poop. Even more than usual! As Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesman, I’ve been scrutinising the Water Bill, which involved much discussion of sewage outflows!
I’ve followed the bill through the Second Reading debate before Christmas, five meetings of the committee which discussed the bill line by line, and back to the Commons for Report and Third Reading. It now goes back to the Lords, where it began, and will ‘ping pong’ between the two Houses until they agree, before the King gives Royal Assent and it becomes an Act of Parliament.
Should you feel guilty for scrolling past the bad news?
Do you ever feel like switching off the news? I know I do. Another alert flashes up on your phone, another crisis, and you sigh, “again,” before setting it aside.
And then come the questions: is that wrong? Am I tuning out when the world needs more compassion? Maybe, like me, you’ve seen so much bad news that your heart feels a bit worn out. You scroll past a tragic story not because you don’t care, but because, honestly, constantly caring can feel exhausting.