What does having the vote mean to me? In my ministry in Wakefield and in Yorkshire I have met many people from other countries who are seeking asylum. Commonly they are seeking refuge from oppressive governments which they have no power to oppose and no mechanism for changing. For me, being able to …
Politics and Elections
Celebrating the Representation of the People Act
This Tuesday, the 6th February 2018 marks one hundred years since the Representation of the People Act. Whilst the anniversary has led us to focus on women’s suffrage, it is important to remember that the Act did not grant the vote to all women. It granted the vote to all men over the age of …
Does the EU want its cake, our cake, the morning croissant and afternoon tea?
As the Conservative Party conference rumbled on this week the European Parliament was discussing the future of the Brexit negotiations. The European Parliament voted to urge the EU not to open the next phase of Brexit talks until a ‘major breakthrough’ had been made in the current negotiations. …
Conversation and Conservatives
This month we have a delegation of church leaders attending each of the four biggest party conferences, alongside The Salvation Army and Quakers in Britain. We have already been to the Labour and Lib Dem conferences. This week: the Conservative Party Whilst the media coverage of party conferences …
A Labour ‘Party’
A Labour ‘Party’ This month we have a delegation of church leaders attending each of the four biggest party conferences, alongside The Salvation Army and Quakers in Britain. This blog is about our visit to Labour conference. Click to read about our visits to the Lib …
Party Conference Season: LibDems
This month we have a delegation of church leaders attending each of the four biggest party conferences, alongside The Salvation Army and Quakers in Britain. Watch this pace to hear about what we get up to. In this blog Paul Morrison tells us about the LibDem party conference. You can also click …
The Art of the Possible
Does politics have a role in the Church or is it a distraction from our mission? Is politics about compromise – what is possible – when our Christian faith is about truth? At a time when a lot of people say they are turned off by politics, many in our churches are still concerned about what is …
This is a Time… Good Government?
Much is Much is being said about the need for strong Government and strong leadership. What do these ideas mean for us? Whilst a strong Government may be desirable or even necessary, there are models around the world which rightly attract widespread condemnation. A “strong” Government is not in and …
This is a time… What (else) Matters?
Brexit is likely to be the dominant issue of this campaign, even though Article 50 has already been triggered and individual MPs will have little power to shape the eventual agreement. But there is a very real danger that Brexit becomes the only issue, and that other important concerns and …
Discernment in public issues at election times
The other day I was talking to a Catholic Priest friend of mine about secular politics and the role of the Church at election times. He was sharing something about the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola which resonated with me that might help us to avoid being co-opted unwittingly into …