Activism

The shocking behaviour of Grant Thornton

Founded in 1904, with swanky offices and globe-trotting executives the accountancy practice Grant Thornton looks solid and dependable. But underneath the professional veneer is a curious mixture of incompetence and ethical failures. Since 2017 its fines have amounted to over £25 million. Each year the Financial Reporting Council issues a report on it that would make any lesser villain blush. The FRC says Grant Thornton’s work is ‘unacceptable’. A UK judge speaks of “negligence of… Read More »The shocking behaviour of Grant Thornton

Using town twinning to combat prejudice

  I’ve got a new campaign. It’s to encourage towns that are twinned with anti-gay Polish towns to de-twin. It will send a message that bigotry is unacceptable. Will it have an effect? I hope so. It includes a carrot. Towns that rescind the policy will be re-twinned. It will also have the effect of discouraging other towns from passing similar motions. It’s not easy to change people’s minds. Treating them as outcasts or pariahs… Read More »Using town twinning to combat prejudice

Combatting Polish homophobia – Part 2

  Rabka council has announced that it does not have an anti-gay policy.  http://www.frometimes.co.uk/2020/08/21/town-council-respond-to-concerns-that-polish-twin-town-is-anti-gay/ Reading between the lines, the Rabka coucil is trying to steer a narrow path that avoids incurring the wrath of the nationalist bigots while also not pandering to them. It’s not the same as issuing a public statement supporting gay rights. But it’s possibly as good as it gets, for now. Our questioning of Rabka’s policy has done three things. 1.… Read More »Combatting Polish homophobia – Part 2

Combatting the hate towns of Poland

It takes courage to demonstrate in favour of gay rights when faced with hostile bigots.

There’s a lot of anti-gay activity in Poland right now. My town has twinned with towns in France, Germany and … a town called Rabka in Poland. So I wondered whether Rabka was a hate town? I found out it’s located in a county/region that has declared itself to be a ‘gay-free zone’. Hmm. So I asked my town council (and the other towns that are twinned with Rabka) to see whether the twin had… Read More »Combatting the hate towns of Poland