Press Releases
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Press Releases from 2019
The truth about social mobility in Britain today
15 November 2019
False claims about social mobility risk demotivating youngsters from poorer backgrounds and are leading to damaging policies to rectify problems that do not exist, a new Civitas report shows today. In 'Social Mobility Truths', sociologist Peter Saunders debunks claims that the UK’s social mobility rate is very low, that very few children from working class backgrounds succeed in landing good jobs, and that progress has gone into reverse in recent decades. He demonstrates instead…
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Warnings on early reinforcement of transgender feelings among young children
1 November 2019
A new essay published by Civitas today warns of the dangers of reinforcing childhood feelings of ‘gender dysphoria’ at too young an age. Parent coach and teacher trainer Stephanie Davies-Arai cautions that encouraging pre-pubescents identifying as transgender to believe that they really are will often not be in the child’s best interests. This ‘gender affirmative’ approach is increasingly adopted by organisations that come into contact with young gender dysphoric children and yet…
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Social democracy faces extinction without a new high-growth economic strategy – John Mills
9 October 2019
The centre-left faces ‘extinction’ unless it can break free of neoliberal economic dogma and find a way to credibly deliver significantly higher rates of growth in the years ahead, a new book by the businessman and Labour donor John Mills warns. Social democratic parties across the west face ‘potentially existential threats’ and ‘secular decline’ like that which led to the demise of the Liberal Party in the early 20th century, he writes. He traces…
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Muslims targeted for supporting counter-extremism initiatives - new report
6 October 2019
Liberal Muslims working on counter-terrorism and counter-extremism are routinely subjected to abuse and intimidation, a new Civitas study shows. Some have been forced to move home and install CCTV, such is the scale of harassment they have received for supporting initiatives designed to weed out extremists and bring communities together. In one case, the Iranian state became involved in subjecting a community mosque to extreme pressure and intimidation. In another, a small community…
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Hate crime laws undermine freedom of speech and should be scrapped
27 September 2019
Hate crime laws should be abolished and new legislation passed creating an absolute right to free speech, a new Civitas publication argues. Civitas director David G. Green warns that the rise of victim culture is undermining freedom of speech and equality under the law as identity groups seek to secure special treatment. He sets out how the emergence of ‘hate crimes’ has weakened the impartiality of the police and the judiciary by treating offences more…
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Islamophobia definition risks ‘burning the bridges of liberty and freedom of expression’
22 August 2019
Attempts to define ‘Islamophobia’ risk curtailing freedom of speech and work to expose extremist activities, a new collection of essays warns. Activists and authors ranging from the human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell to the former Islamist Ed Husain warn of the dangers posed to liberal values by attempts to promote the concept of Islamophobia. Other contributions come from Lord Singh of Wimbledon and Professor Richard Dawkins, who provide prefatory comments, and essays from representatives of…
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Experts and Faith Groups Warn Against Adoption of Islamophobia Definition
15 May 2019
A coalition of experts and multi-faith leaders have written to the Home Secretary counselling against the definition of Islamophobia which serves as a ‘backdoor blasphemy law’. The definition has so far been adopted by the Labour Party, the Mayor of London and a growing list of local authorities. The signatories to the letter hail from a wide range of backgrounds and fields, including representatives of leading Sikh, Hindu, Christian and Secularist organisations. Others who…
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Tens of thousands of repeat offenders to be spared jail under government plans
25 February 2019
Government plans to put an end to short prison sentences will mean about 30,000 repeat offenders will be spared jail every year, a new Civitas analysis shows. The proposals will result in non-custodial sentences for about 34,000 offenders who would currently receive prison terms of less than six months. They include thieves, burglars, drink-drivers and those caught in possession of knives and drugs. No more than about 4,000 of these…
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1m more young adults living with their parents than two decades ago
8 February 2019
Almost a million more young adults are living with their parents today compared with the late 1990s as housing pressures have exerted a two-decade squeeze on household formation, a new Civitas paper reveals today. The proportion of 20-to-34-year-olds in the UK living in the parental home increased by a third between 1998 and 2017 – from 2.4 million (19.48 per cent of that age group) to 3.4 million…
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The failings in the UK’s asylum system, by former Home Office immigration chief
11 January 2019
Less than half of failed asylum seekers are ever removed from the UK, even after they have exhausted their avenues for appeal, a new Civitas publication reveals today. It shows how, of the 80,813 applications that were refused or withdrawn between 2010 and 2016, only 29,659 individuals were removed. The pamphlet is written by David Wood, who served as director general of immigration enforcement under Theresa May when she was home secretary. He…
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