Bradlaugh Lecture 2020: Disestablishing the Church of England

The National Secular Society's annual Bradlaugh Lecture provides a space for a distinguished speaker to explore a secularist topic in depth. In 2020 we were delighted to hold our first ever online lecture with our distinguished guest speaker, Geoffrey Robertson QC

For more than a century the National Secular Society has actively campaigned for separation of church and state – specifically, disestablishment of the Church of England. But today, the Church still retains considerable influence and power within the UK's political arena. The UK is the only country besides Iran to have religious leaders in the legislature by right, and the head of state is also head of the Church. Is disestablishment a lost cause?

In this online lecture, human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson QC explained why disestablishment is essential for democracy in the 21st century, and how it might be achieved. He recalled the struggle to abolish England's blasphemy law, and considered the effort to disestablish the Church of England before the coronation of Charles III.

Find out more: https://www.secularism.org.uk/bradlaugh-lecture.html

This lecture was held in partnership with Conway Hall Ethical Society, who also produced and edited this video. Find out more: https://conwayhall.org.uk/

Find out more about the case for disestablishment: https://www.secularism.org.uk/disestablishment/

Transcript: https://www.secularism.org.uk/uploads/bradlaugh-lecture-2020-transcript.pdf

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