Andrew Copson
@andrewcopson.bsky.social
Humanist. Midlander. Liberal. Xennial. Quondam Classicist. Chief Executive @humanists.uk | Ambassador @humanists.bsky.social
Tinkering around the edges of collective worship guidance does not change the fact that compulsory Christian collective worship can never really be pluralistic, objective, & critical. Every child, regardless of faith or belief, should be able to take part in assemblies that are genuinely inclusive.
UK Government ‘committed’ to collective worship in schools
The UK Government has announced plans to replace Circular 1/94, its thirty-two-year-old guidance on collective worship in England, and publish updated advice on its collective worship requirements lat...
humanists.uk
February 9, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Tinkering around the edges of collective worship guidance does not change the fact that compulsory Christian collective worship can never really be pluralistic, objective, & critical. Every child, regardless of faith or belief, should be able to take part in assemblies that are genuinely inclusive.
Pleasure to join Lori Beaman & @uottawa.ca team to discuss the future of education & non-religion. As global demand for inclusive & pluralistic education grows, there are vital lessons to be learned about what constitutes meaningful practice. Great to share UK picture & key @humanists.uk campaigns!
Ep. 7: Religion and Nonreligion in the Classroom: Educating for a Diverse World
open.spotify.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:21 PM
Pleasure to join Lori Beaman & @uottawa.ca team to discuss the future of education & non-religion. As global demand for inclusive & pluralistic education grows, there are vital lessons to be learned about what constitutes meaningful practice. Great to share UK picture & key @humanists.uk campaigns!
Public & parliamentary frustration at the filibuster of the Assisted Dying Bill by a small group of peers is growing. Urging everyone who cares about this issue, and about the integrity of our democracy, to sign this petition. humanists.uk/2026/02/06/p...
TAKE ACTION: Sign petition to tell the Lords not to block Assisted Dying Bill
Sophie Blake, a 52-year-old mother with stage four breast cancer, has launched a petition calling on ‘the Government to do everything in its power to ensure that when bills are supported by MPs & the ...
humanists.uk
February 9, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Public & parliamentary frustration at the filibuster of the Assisted Dying Bill by a small group of peers is growing. Urging everyone who cares about this issue, and about the integrity of our democracy, to sign this petition. humanists.uk/2026/02/06/p...
Looking forward to reading the newest book by @humanists.uk patron @profkepickett.bsky.social. A masterclass in how evidence-based policy can address chronic inequality in the UK, I'm sure!
‘I think we feel stuck’: Kate Pickett on how to build a better, fairer, less stressed society
In her new book, the co-author of The Spirit Level gathers jaw-dropping facts about the inequality crisis in the UK – and explores creative ways to address it
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Looking forward to reading the newest book by @humanists.uk patron @profkepickett.bsky.social. A masterclass in how evidence-based policy can address chronic inequality in the UK, I'm sure!
Reposted by Andrew Copson
It always takes me by surprise at this time of year but… the year is now 10% over! carpe diem! youtu.be/6liD8TdlJFA?...
The Specials - Enjoy Yourself It's Later Than You Think (2015 Remaster)
YouTube video by The Specials
youtu.be
February 6, 2026 at 11:13 AM
It always takes me by surprise at this time of year but… the year is now 10% over! carpe diem! youtu.be/6liD8TdlJFA?...
It always takes me by surprise at this time of year but… the year is now 10% over! carpe diem! youtu.be/6liD8TdlJFA?...
The Specials - Enjoy Yourself It's Later Than You Think (2015 Remaster)
YouTube video by The Specials
youtu.be
February 6, 2026 at 11:13 AM
It always takes me by surprise at this time of year but… the year is now 10% over! carpe diem! youtu.be/6liD8TdlJFA?...
An intimidating predecessor!
Zona Vallance, a founding figure of Humanists UK, was born #OnThisDay 1860. Zona was our inaugural secretary – a role equivalent to today’s Chief Executive, held by @andrewcopson.bsky.social – and a suffragette, writer, and powerful public lecturer. 🧵
heritage.humanists.uk/zona-vallance/
heritage.humanists.uk/zona-vallance/
Humanist Heritage: Zona Vallance (1860-1904)
Conscious morality cannot exist in any being except so far as it can look behind, before, and around; and can […]
heritage.humanists.uk
February 6, 2026 at 11:09 AM
An intimidating predecessor!
As @pollytoynbee.bsky.social rightly says, when peers use procedure to stifle a bill passed by the Commons & backed by overwhelming public support, it raises questions for our constitution. Legislation should reflect the public conscience, not procedural cynicism. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
If the assisted dying bill is killed off by the Lords, let that be the end for this unelected chamber | Polly Toynbee
With filibustering slowing the pace to a crawl, there is no chance the legislation will get through – unless the government shows some backbone, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee
www.theguardian.com
February 5, 2026 at 12:49 PM
As @pollytoynbee.bsky.social rightly says, when peers use procedure to stifle a bill passed by the Commons & backed by overwhelming public support, it raises questions for our constitution. Legislation should reflect the public conscience, not procedural cynicism. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
I recently sat down (virtually) w/ Dan Hitchens for a long-form debate on the ethics of assisted dying f/ @brightblueuk.bsky.social. While we have diff perspectives, I found the exchange to be a great example of how we can disagree agreeably. You can probably guess which side of the debate I was on!
Andrew Copson and Dan Hitchens: Would legalised assisted dying devalue the lives of the sick, the old and the suffering?
I don’t deny that there will always be at least some people who want an assisted death to relieve their suffering. Andrew presumably doesn’t dispute — and hasn’t in this exchange — that a law like…
centrewrite.brightblue.org.uk
February 5, 2026 at 12:18 PM
I recently sat down (virtually) w/ Dan Hitchens for a long-form debate on the ethics of assisted dying f/ @brightblueuk.bsky.social. While we have diff perspectives, I found the exchange to be a great example of how we can disagree agreeably. You can probably guess which side of the debate I was on!
Diane Munday was a titan of the humanist movement and a fearless architect of the 1967 Abortion Act. Fitting tribute to this wonderful woman and the legacy she leaves.
Diane Munday obituary
Pioneering abortion campaigner whose beliefs were underpinned by humanism
www.theguardian.com
February 5, 2026 at 11:12 AM
Diane Munday was a titan of the humanist movement and a fearless architect of the 1967 Abortion Act. Fitting tribute to this wonderful woman and the legacy she leaves.
Reposted by Andrew Copson
Very sorry to hear of the death of my friend Nat Dye, a fellow humanist of enormous resolve, who became a leading campaigner for more NHS cancer investment and assisted dying after his own bowel cancer. Feeling thankful through the sadness for a life dedicated to others and a change he would not see
January 30, 2026 at 10:16 PM
Very sorry to hear of the death of my friend Nat Dye, a fellow humanist of enormous resolve, who became a leading campaigner for more NHS cancer investment and assisted dying after his own bowel cancer. Feeling thankful through the sadness for a life dedicated to others and a change he would not see
So much for parliamentary democracy then! It relies hugely on a shared understanding of what’s appropriate.
February 1, 2026 at 5:24 PM
So much for parliamentary democracy then! It relies hugely on a shared understanding of what’s appropriate.
Reposted by Andrew Copson
The question then is whether it is appropriate for a small number of peers to table so many amendments that the Lords is unable to take a decision on a proposal backed in a free vote by the elected Commons - potentially contrary to the will of both chambers.
February 1, 2026 at 4:05 PM
The question then is whether it is appropriate for a small number of peers to table so many amendments that the Lords is unable to take a decision on a proposal backed in a free vote by the elected Commons - potentially contrary to the will of both chambers.
(You’re right that the process is broken, however. The Westminster PMB system is completely broken as we see when we compare it to Holyrood.)
February 1, 2026 at 3:35 PM
(You’re right that the process is broken, however. The Westminster PMB system is completely broken as we see when we compare it to Holyrood.)
There is limited time for it and a small group of peers are deliberately (I believe) tabling irrelevant amendments and talking at length to stop the bill getting effective scrutiny and development and get on its way. This is surely obstruction?
February 1, 2026 at 3:35 PM
There is limited time for it and a small group of peers are deliberately (I believe) tabling irrelevant amendments and talking at length to stop the bill getting effective scrutiny and development and get on its way. This is surely obstruction?
And these words - about the meaning of a name and which in one form or another have been an important part of the developing tradition of humanist baby naming over the decades since the 1880s - never fail to give me a little shiver:
February 1, 2026 at 2:53 PM
And these words - about the meaning of a name and which in one form or another have been an important part of the developing tradition of humanist baby naming over the decades since the 1880s - never fail to give me a little shiver:
Go, and be gay;
You are born into the dazzling light of day.
Go, and be wise;
You are born upon an earth which needs new eyes.
Go, and be strong;
You are born into a world where love rights wrong.
Go, and be brave;
Possess your soul; that you alone can save.
You are born into the dazzling light of day.
Go, and be wise;
You are born upon an earth which needs new eyes.
Go, and be strong;
You are born into a world where love rights wrong.
Go, and be brave;
Possess your soul; that you alone can save.
February 1, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Go, and be gay;
You are born into the dazzling light of day.
Go, and be wise;
You are born upon an earth which needs new eyes.
Go, and be strong;
You are born into a world where love rights wrong.
Go, and be brave;
Possess your soul; that you alone can save.
You are born into the dazzling light of day.
Go, and be wise;
You are born upon an earth which needs new eyes.
Go, and be strong;
You are born into a world where love rights wrong.
Go, and be brave;
Possess your soul; that you alone can save.
A seaside humanist baby naming ceremony today and, combined with a sibling’s third birthday party, everyone feels included!
Leading a humanist baby naming ceremony is always a joy and privilege. I particularly like today’s use of Siegfried Sassoon’s words to his own son:
Leading a humanist baby naming ceremony is always a joy and privilege. I particularly like today’s use of Siegfried Sassoon’s words to his own son:
February 1, 2026 at 2:52 PM
A seaside humanist baby naming ceremony today and, combined with a sibling’s third birthday party, everyone feels included!
Leading a humanist baby naming ceremony is always a joy and privilege. I particularly like today’s use of Siegfried Sassoon’s words to his own son:
Leading a humanist baby naming ceremony is always a joy and privilege. I particularly like today’s use of Siegfried Sassoon’s words to his own son:
Do! You won’t regret it.
February 1, 2026 at 11:51 AM
Do! You won’t regret it.
Off to Brighton to conduct a humanist baby naming! Obviously all humanist ceremonies are equally meaningful but there is something uniquely adorable about naming and welcoming ceremonies ❤️🎉 humanists.uk/ceremonies/h...
Humanist naming ceremony
Naming Ceremony stories
humanists.uk
February 1, 2026 at 10:06 AM
Off to Brighton to conduct a humanist baby naming! Obviously all humanist ceremonies are equally meaningful but there is something uniquely adorable about naming and welcoming ceremonies ❤️🎉 humanists.uk/ceremonies/h...
Reposted by Andrew Copson
Congratulations again to the team behind Heated Rivalry. Your success is a powerful reminder of why it matters to invest in Canadian content and stories.
January 31, 2026 at 11:05 PM
Congratulations again to the team behind Heated Rivalry. Your success is a powerful reminder of why it matters to invest in Canadian content and stories.
Spinechillng to be at the recording of @cosmicshambles.com Uncanny Hour podcast by @robinince.bsky.social tonight. Not one I’ve listened to before but will now!
January 31, 2026 at 10:41 PM
Spinechillng to be at the recording of @cosmicshambles.com Uncanny Hour podcast by @robinince.bsky.social tonight. Not one I’ve listened to before but will now!
It was only online but still energising to spend time with humanists from around world at today's @humanists.bsky.social general assembly. Colleagues from 🇵🇭🇺🇸🇬🇷🇦🇹🇦🇺🇮🇪🇳🇿🇲🇾🇵🇪🇲🇹🇫🇷🇬🇭🇫🇮🇱🇺🇷🇴🇬🇹🇳🇬🇳🇴🇨🇴🏴🇮🇹🇮🇳🇨🇿🇩🇪🇨🇦🇰🇪 and more! @maggieardiente.bsky.social remains a presidential successor to be proud of and global humanism is thriving!
January 31, 2026 at 3:10 PM
It was only online but still energising to spend time with humanists from around world at today's @humanists.bsky.social general assembly. Colleagues from 🇵🇭🇺🇸🇬🇷🇦🇹🇦🇺🇮🇪🇳🇿🇲🇾🇵🇪🇲🇹🇫🇷🇬🇭🇫🇮🇱🇺🇷🇴🇬🇹🇳🇬🇳🇴🇨🇴🏴🇮🇹🇮🇳🇨🇿🇩🇪🇨🇦🇰🇪 and more! @maggieardiente.bsky.social remains a presidential successor to be proud of and global humanism is thriving!