Could we create a humanist radio station?

By David Brittain

As well-funded religious advocacy groups extend their influence in the UK, David Brittain raises concerns about the place of religion in public life and the relative invisibility of humanism. In response, he proposes a new and ambitious initiative to strengthen the humanist voice through radio. David is the Founding Editor of Humanistically Speaking

We know that the majority of people in the UK are quite content to live moral and fulfilling lives without the need for religious direction. Not everyone shares this view, of course, and if following religious doctrine is their choice, that is entirely their right to do so. But the historic achievements of humanism are now under threat from some well-funded religious advocacy organisations headquartered overseas, notably in the US, which have expanded their activity in the UK. In particular, they support litigation and lobbying on issues such as abortion, LGBT rights, assisted dying and ‘religious freedom’. This raises worrying questions about overseas influence in UK public life. And let’s not forget that the Church of England itself still enjoys a privileged place in the House of Lords, bringing religious influence to bear on key debates such as assisted dying.

Despite the important political and cultural influence which humanism has had on the evolution of modern Britain, the majority of people in the UK still seem to be unaware of what humanism is. How many times, I wonder, have we humanists heard people say that they have never heard of humanism? This may be changing for younger generations, as humanism is now much more widely taught in schools, but we still have a long way to go to raise public awareness of humanism. 

Since 2020, Humanistically Speaking has been aiming to increase public awareness of humanism and we have had some success, both here and abroad. But there’s more we can do to exploit other forms of communication and media. It’s with this aim in mind that I am currently exploring the possibility of setting up a humanist radio station – on a local level to start – so that we can more widely promote the humanist outlook on life and explore humanist ideas. Using this medium, we could interview humanist representatives, promote other humanist media such as books, explore issues raised by Humanists UK, advertise local groups, promote humanist events, and discuss wider current events from a humanist perspective. And, at last, we could have our own humanist Thought for the Day slot if we wish to.

This is a bold idea, but it has to start somewhere, and so I'm appealing to all those radio enthusiasts in the south of England – particularly if you are based in London, Surrey, Hampshire or Dorset – to consider participating in this great project. If you are, do get back to me direct at my personal email address: davidbrittain1234@gmail.com  I look forward to hearing from you.