Symon's writing appears in a number of publications.  He writes most often for the Guardian website, The Friend and Ekklesia.  He has also written comment pieces for the Sunday Herald, Daily Mail and Morning Star. 

Symon's published articles are listed below.  A link is provided where available.  In the case of those with no link, a copy is available on request.

You can read also read Symon's blog by clicking here.

The 'white working class' aren't racists
Guardian online, 15th October 2009
A government initiative aimed at the "white working class" uses a loaded phrase and deflects attention from the real division in British society - between the very rich and the rest of us.  Read.

Time for BAE to face justice
Ekklesia, 1st October 2009
The news that BAE will be prosecuted shouldn't be such a surprise. In a fair world, it would be normal. But fairness is not a quality that has ever applied to BAE, a company that has spent years using its influence to avoid facing justice.  Read.

Quakers show the way on same-sex marriage
Ekklesia, 31st July 2009
Britiish Quakers have today agreed to put same-sex and opposite-sex marriage on an equal footing.  This decision, more radical than expected, is an inspiration for those working for equality within other churches and faith groups.  Read. 

Social mobility and political inertia
Ekklesia, 21st July 2009
The government's response to a recent report on social mobility is even more disheartening than the report itself.  The timid reforms to higher education that they suggest will not solve the problems of inequality and privilege.  Read.

Truth in the face of bullying
The Friend, 3rd July 2009
Southeastern Railways has provided an example of what is wrong with corporate power by bullying their customers into handing over unreasonable amounts of money. 

Armed Forces Day adds insult to injury
Ekklesia, 27th June 2009
The UK's first Armed Forces Day is a thinly veiled attempt to deflect scrutiny of politicians who have made disastrous decisions about war.  But sentiment is no substitute for accountability.  Read.

Armed Forces Day mocks the military
Guardian website, 27th June 2009
Instead of accountability over those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the government offers us only a day of sugary sentiment.  Read.

Soldiering through the recession
Guardian website, 13th May 2009
The recession has led to an increase in military recruitment.  But given the core purpose of the armed forces and their denial of employment rights, it is very worrying that anyone should join them out of economic desperation.  Read.

Sex and the Spirit
Movement, spring 2009
Christian disputes about sexuality tend to be fights over rules and boundaries.  Instead, we need a different starting-point, beginning with the Holy Spirit rather than with rules.  This involves aiming for lifegiving ethics that provide an alternative to both legalism and hedonism. 

Rowan's Rule
The Friend, 8th May 2009
A review of Rupert Shortt's absorbing biography of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. 

Arms company bosses embarrassed at AGM
Ekklesia, 7th May 2009
The board of BAE Systems has struggled to cope with a string of embarrassing questions at its AGM.  The chair spoke about ethics before being challenged about corruption, deals with dictators and nunclear weapons.  Read.

Quakers join protest against 'gay cure' conference
The Friend, 1st May 2009
Quakers from London and beyond have joined a protest against a homophobic conference organised by Anglican Mainstream.

Christians protest against 'gay cure' conference
Ekklesia, 26th April 2009
Christians were yesterday amongst protesters against a conference promoting 'therapy' and 'cures' for homosexuality.  Read.

Students lead the way 
Baptist Times, 3rd April 2009
As the Student Christian Movement celebrates its 120th anniversary, Christians in other contexts can learn much from its resilience and its effective commitment to the "radical inclusivity of Christ".

Inclusive and challenging
The Friend, 3rd April 2009
Religion need not be a choice between prejudice and meaninglessness.  Radical Christian groups show that it is possible to be both inclusive and challenging. 

Christian students thank God for activism in cathedral celebration
Ekklesia, 29th March 2009
The Student Christian Movement (SCM) has focussed on activism in an ecumenical service in Manchester Cathedral, held to celebrate its 120th anniversary.  Read.

Government faces backlash over 'Welfare Abolition Bill'
Ekklesia, 9th March 2009
Opposition to the Welfare Reform Bill has reached a new level, with campaigners dressed as bankers taking over the lobby of the Department for Work and Pensions.  Read.

Bible, violence and sex headline at Christian student gathering
Ekklesia, 23rd February 2009
The annual conference of the Student Christian Movement (SCM) has heard calls for a more open and positive discussion about gender and sexuality within Christian contexts.  Read.

Universities face renewed student protest over arms trade links
Ekklesia, 16th February 2009
The last week has seen a nationwide string of student protests against universities' links with arms companies, an issue that has become increasinlgy prominent in recent years.  Read. 

Big Brother is watching you masturbate
London Progressive Journal, 30th January 2009
A new law against "extreme violent pornography" raises fresh concerns about civil liberties while failing to tackle the real dangers of the pornography industry.  Read. 

It's not just about whips and leather
Guardian website, 16th January 2009
International Fetish Day is a chance for us all to celebrate the diversity of human sexuality as expressed in loving, consensual adult relationships.  Read.   

London church defends carol concert support for Palestinians
The Friend, 5th December 2008
A London church has used a service with rewritten carols to promote human rights in Palestine and reconciliation between the groups involved in the conflicts there.

White Poppies
New Statesman online, 7th November 2008
Quakerism conflicts with the dominant values of society.  The Quaker commitment to pacifism leads to controversy at this time of year due to the wearing of white poppies.  Read.

No defence in the eyes of the public
Guardian website, 9th October 2008
Public opinion has turned against the arms trade in recent years, but Clarion Events is ignoring the trend and enthusiastically buying up arms fairs.   Read.

Friendship with Friends - and why it matters
Baptist Times, 2nd October 2008
Baptists and Quakers frequently shared prisons in the seventeenth century.  Links between them are now as important as ever. 

We fought the law
Movement, October 2008
The highs, lows and real impact of taking the government to court over the ending of a criminal investigation into BAE's Saudi arms deals.

Progress and prospects for university campaigners
CAATnews, October 2008
A new academic year is getting underway and students across the UK are building on the progress of recent years in cutting their universities' links with arms companies.  Read. 

BAE: No way out
CAATnews, October 2008
The law lords have overturned the High Court's ruling against the ending of a criminal investigation into BAE, but the political effects of the matter are much wider and BAE is now under pressure from all directions.  Read.

You can keep your principles intact
Third Sector, 24th September 2008
Radicalism and effectiveness are not alternatives.  Campaigners can keep stick to their principles while bringing about real change. Read.

Unfair trade 
Guardian website, 6th May 2008
Supporters of the arms trade tell us to "live in the real world", but is they whose arguments rely on fantasy.  Read.

Bashing the bishops
Movement, spring 2008
The recent media storm over the Archbishop of Canterbury's comments on sharia law shows the urgent need for Christians to place a much higher priority on media engagement.

CAAT disarms BAE
Labour Briefing, May 2008
The arms trade has suffered a significant setback, with CAAT and The Corner House winning their judicial review over the cancellation of a corruption investigation into BAE's Saudi deals.

Strange Land of Stars
The Friend, 11th April 2008
A review of the play Strange Land of Stars by Emily Hunka, a shocking reminder of the need to tackle the severe threats we face to our civil liberties. 

Student apathy?
CAATnews, April 2008
Student campaigners across Britain have turned out for a day of action against universities' links with the arms trade.  Read.

DESO - No Hollow Victory
Peace News, March 2008
The closure of the Defence Export Services Organisation, greeted with outrage by arms dealers, is a significant victory for the peace movement.  Read.

Why the silence?
Guardian website, 8th January 2008
Progressive Christians should be speaking out against the reactionary comments of the Bishop of Rochester.  Their failure to do so shows how unprepared they are for media engagement.  Read.

King for the day
The Big Issue, 31st December 2007
We urgently need an alternative to the government's subservience to the arms industry.  Let's reopen the BAE-Saudi corruption investigation, scrap subsidies for arms companies and end corporate influence over government. 

Universities' arms trade funding revealed
The Friend, 14th December 2007
New research reveals that over 1,900 projects at 26 top UK universities are funded wholly or in part by arms companies or military bodies.

Weapons of choice
Guardian website, 12th December 2007
Arms companies and military bodies are buying influence in UK universities, and their research is subsidised with public money.  Read.

The long arms of the law
Labour Briefing, December 2007
The High Court has granted permission for a judicial review of the government's decision to drop a Serious Fraud Office investigation into BAE's Saudi arms deals. 

Bribes on trial
Peace News, December 2007
In a victory for CAAT and The Corner House, the High Court has given permission for a judicial review of the cancellation of a Serious Fraud Office investigation into BAE's Saudi arms deals.  Read. 

"The trade that killed my sister" (interview with Richard Wilson)
Red Pepper, November 2007
Symon interviews Richard Wilson, whose book, Titanic Express, tells how he sought to uncover the chain of events that led to his sister's death and discovered the complicity of western arms companies.  He now campaigns against the arms trade. 

Dealing with the arms trade
Morning Star, 12th September 2007
It's time for the trade union movement to speak out firmly against the arms trade and to support workers' true interests. 

Guarding the gunrunners
Guardian website, 9th September 2007
The media has been full of stories about gun crime.  But instead of tackling guns, thousands of police officers will this week be assigned to guard the people selling them - at the London arms fair.  Read.

Arms fair future in doubt
Peace News, September 2007
The London arms fair will take place again this month, but with political and financial support falling away from the arms industry, it's future is in doubt.  Read.

Arms pushers to close
Peace News, September 2007
After three decades of campaigning by CAAT and other groups, the government has announced the closure of the infamous Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO), well known for providing arms dealers with a channel of undemocratic influence over ministers.  Read.

Dirty deals and bribes
Socialist Review, July 2007
Recent scandals surrounding BAE's Saudi arms deals have increased public opposition to the arms trade and to the power of arms companies. Read.

Laying down arms
Guardian website, 12th June 2007
In a dramatic victory for a wide-ranging campaign, the company Reed Elsevier have agreed to sell their arms fairs.  Read

Let's stop the arms trade
The Friend, 8th June 2007
Stop the Arms Trade Week will see action across the UK at a time when public opinion is turning sharply against arms companies. 

Corruption unlimited
Peace Matters, June 2007
The government has triggered widespread outrage by cutting short a corruption investigation into BAE's Saudi arms deals.  This is a crucial moment in public opposition to arms companies.  Read.

We'll be better off when BAE isn't calling the shots
Daily Mail, 14th May 2007
The government and the opposition both seem happy to put BAE above the law, but the public interest lies in holding arms dealers subject to the same laws as the rest of us.

Question and answer
Morning Star, 9th May 2007
In an interview, Symon explains why the BAE AGM today will be a focus of opposition to arms companies' undemocratic influence within government.

Arms trading is Britain's new slave trade
Ekklesia, 19th April 2007
Two hundred years after the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, Britain is once again at the forefront of a trade in human lives.  However, public opposition to the arms trade is growing as a result of the cancellation of a corruption investigation into BAE's Saudi arms deals.  Read.

Taking a stand against titles
Young Quaker, April 2007
The Quaker testimony against titles, involving a witness to God-given equality, remains very relevant.  Quakers can continue to live up to it in today's changing world.

Using local media
CAATnews, February 2007
The media is a vital tool for local campaigning. Here are ten principles for making effective use of it.  Read.

Time to fight shady ethics of the UK's arms trade
Sunday Herald, 15th October 2006
Government support for the arms dealing means that companies based in the UK are top players in this appalling trade.  Tomorrow, campaigners will encircle the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) to call for change.

How to get ahead in arms dealing
Morning Star, 6th October 2006
The UK government makes life easy for arms companies, not least thanks to the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO), a government unit that works to promote private arms deals.

Come, friendly bombs
The Friend, 29th September 2006
BAE's have announced the launch of environmentally friendly weapons.  But their green guns have backfired and they are being treated with derision across the media.

Ensure time's up for UK arms traders
The Friend, 29th September 2006
The Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO), a government unit for promoting private arms companies, is facing a strong campaign calling for its closure.