Global Perspectives

On the scale of pernicious social mores, the current dilution of the role of the father has to be up there. Today, the British parliament has voted against amending a Human Embryo and Fertilisation Bill which is, among other things, will remove the obligation on IVF doctors to consider a child’s ‘need for a father’. Furthermore, parliament has opposed a further bid to ensure there is a "father or a male role model" before fertility treatment. The legislation is designed to ensure that singletons and same sex couples are not barred from gaining access to the same fertility opportunities as heterosexual couples. That is a brilliant thing. Our concept of what a ‘normal’ family is must and should broaden. My worry is this legislation confirms what has already been accepted in society at large: namely, that fatherhood has been relegated to an optional extra – like a plasma TV – a nice bonus if you can get it. Modern life puts men and women in an unenviable position. Tradition...

Something is happening in the world of philanthropy. Formerly the space reserved for the noble – it is being increasingly colonised by a new breed of smart (often young) business men and women. These ‘social change agents’ range from the high profile – such as the sports shoe tycoon, Sir Tom Hunter - who has made no secret of his desire to give away $1billion, to the more discrete such as the anonymous Arab Sheik who recently gave the government of Bangladesh over $3billion to help the country recover from recent floods. What these converts from business have in common is a recognition that commercial thinking and practice has a central role to play if this generation is to do a better job at sharing resources, empowering the vulnerable and protecting the planet. We all know the trends are alarming. By 2030, the world’s population will have increased by another third – to 9 billion. Intra state fighting (which now far outstrips conflicts between nation states) is continuing to rise as ...