‘We must campaign so that all humans can flourish’ | Humanists UK at Green Party Conference

Humanists UK raised the need to support inclusive education and freedom of religion and belief while attending the Green Party Conference in Bournemouth. Our conference attendance included a drinks reception, and speaking to parliamentarians and party members at our exhibition stand.

Our drinks reception was opened by Humanists UK Assisted Dying Campaigner Nathan Stilwell, who welcomed attendees. Next up was Paul Pettinger, co-chair of Green Humanists, a newly formed special interest group within the Green Party, who highlighted the rise of non-religiosity in the UK, citing the studies that show that less than half of Britons believe in God. Paul said:

‘As humanists, we don’t have a set of commandments which are set in stone. We cherish the growth of knowledge, and so hopefully all of our understanding of the world will continue to grow during our life, and of course, we as a species and as a planet will face new challenges that we are not aware of yet. So I hope as humanists we can contribute to these issues in the future.’

Baroness Bennett, a member of the House of Lords, then addressed attendees. She spoke of her concerns regarding the rise of Christian fundamentalists, especially those receiving funding from the USA. She stressed the difference between being free to believe in what you want, without imposing those beliefs on others. She added:

‘I’ve worked with Humanists UK on many issues in the House of Lords, one of which is religious assemblies in non-religious schools. The UK is the only sovereign state where Christian worship is compulsory in state schools, including those of a non-religious character. 70% of school leaders say they don’t want this to happen.’

Concluding the reception at the Humanist UK Green party conference reception, Nathan Stilwell commented on the long-standing shared values of tolerance, secularism, freedom of thought and belief and human rights in increasingly divisive times. He said:

‘We are campaigning to make sure that everybody has the right opportunities at the very start of their life until the very end of their life. Humanists UK has also been at the forefront of many issues, such as same-sex marriage, abortion decriminalisation, LGBT rights and others. Making sure that every single individual in this country can flourish to the very best of their ability. We are incredibly proud to support those campaigns, and we are incredibly proud to work with the Green Party on those campaigns too.’

Humanists UK attended the conference in Bournemouth to advocate for humanist campaign issues. Nathan Stilwell, Assisted Dying Campaigner for Humanists UK, also spoke at the Green Humanists fringe event and covered a range of topics such as the legal recognition of humanist weddings in England and Wales, supporting the passage of the Assisted Dying Bill, campaigning against blasphemy laws, and an end to religious discrimination in education.

Green MPs and peers, councillors and party members, joined Humanists UK at their stand and found out how to get involved in the campaigns, as well as hear about the great work of humanist celebrants, pastoral supporters and school speakers across the country. 

Humanists UK attends all the major party conferences to meet with parliamentarians, advocate for humanist issues, and to engage with our party-political members and supporters. We were also at the Liberal Democrat, Labour, and Conservative conferences.