Values are tapes we play on the Walkman of the mind: any tune we choose so long as it does not disturb others.

Volunteering has been undervalued in Britain for a long time. Often it has been seen as a kind of cut-price, amateur version of work that would be better done by the state. When politicians speak about it, people hear in the background the sound of budgets being cut.

Religion is the best antidote to the individualism of the consumer age. The idea that society can do without it flies in the face of history and, now, evolutionary biology.

The world we build tomorrow is born in the stories we tell our children today. Politics moves the pieces. Education changes the game.

The royals - all of them, especially Prince Philip and Prince Charles - have done outstanding work with the faith communities.

Giving is what makes a nation great.

Yom HaShoah is a vital day in the Jewish calendar, providing us with a focal point for our remembrance. We cannot bring the dead back to life, but we can bring their memory back to life and ensure they are not forgotten. We can undertake in our lives to do what they were so cruelly prevented from doing in theirs.