Our sixth Fforestfach Colloquium was held in the House of Lords on Thursday, 16th April, 2026. We had the pleasure of listening and responding to three excellent speakers addressing the question, ‘How Much Love, To Which Neighbours? Our Duties Within the Nation and Beyond.’
Our lead presenter was Dr Nick Spencer, Senior Fellow at Theos, a Christian think tank. He argued for an approach to the question that balances awareness of human need with the principle of subsidiarity, so that responsibility is exercised first at the most local, competent level, while still recognising that we have moral duties to aid those beyond the nation, particularly when their local structures fail.
Nick Spencer’s respondents were Daniel Johnson, journalist, founding Editor of TheArticle, an online journalism platform, and a former senior editor, editorial writer and columnist for The Times and The Daily Telegraph; and by Dr David Miller, Professor of Political Theory at the University of Oxford and author of On Nationality and National Responsibility and Global Justice (2007).
The audience of about 20 invited guests listened intently and responded readily with questions and comments that ranged freely across the speakers’ remarks. Our speakers have kindly provided us with the text of their presentations, which can be accessed below.
What are our Moral Duties as a Nation? by Nick Spencer
How Much Love, to Which Neighbours? Our Duties Within the Nation and Beyond, by Daniel Johnson