As I write this month’s letter, there is a lot of political angst in the papers about the Prime Minister’s decision not to hold the general election on 2nd May as has been predicted by most papers and political pundits. Pat McFadden, Labour’s election co-ordinator said, “The British public have the right to expect an election to be called by the 26th March and held on the 2nd May. Rishi Sunak should stop squatting in Downing Street and give the country what it desperately needs – a chance for change with a Labour government”. Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, accused the Prime Minister of ‘running scared’. Whether we should agree with these sentiments or not is not for me to say, but surely Rishi Sunak was right when he replied, “There won’t be a general election on that day but when there is a general election, what matters most is the choice.”
Which of course immediately made me think about the other enormously important election taking place at this time, which is the election of Vladimir Putin as Russia’s President for six more years. We are told by the media that the result is not in doubt because Mr Putin has no credible opponent, for not only has he changed the rules by forcing through an amendment which gives him personal exemption from the law which states that no Russian President is allowed to serve more than two terms in office, but he has taken every opportunity to crush meaningful opposition. Most opposition figures are either in prison, exile or, like the most charismatic figurehead Alexei Navalny met an untimely death. Despite the televised superficial veneer of running the election, the reality is that deep down there is no actual substance – no freedom, no democracy and no choice! A point that has been made by a few brave individuals who have either spoilt their ballots, poured paint into election boxes or discretely demonstrated their discontent.
The Christian will be aware that the Bible tells us to pray for those who are in authority and this we do with sincerity, but we also do it in the knowledge that Jesus himself was not afraid to be critical of the political and religious authorities of his day, especially when he thought that they were taking advantage of the people and abusing their God given political positions. The Psalmist reminds us that “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry: the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (Psalm 34.15-16), and in the previous verse “turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34.14). Ultimately, how we behave is a choice – a choice to stand up to tyranny, promote peace and seek the common good – or not. The much-quoted statement by Edmund Burke, recently restated by Alexei Navalny still holds true – “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”. It may appear that our general election is still some way off, but we all still have a choice as to how we wish to live and the society we wish to live in. Let’s use that choice wisely and cherish it!
“And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6.8
Stephen Thorp 