Tag: Prime Minister

Praying for Parliament, Politicians and the Prime Minister

Things are certainly hotting up today, for not only has The Met Office issued a red warning (level 4) indicating a state of national emergency as the country braces itself for a heat wave that could exceed 40oC,  but also Conservative politicians are in a race to see who will be the next leader of the Conservative party and with it, the next Prime Minister. At the time of writing 5 candidates remain, Kemi Badenoch, Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss and Tom Tugendhat and as they appeared in the first TV debate, sparks began to fly.

But whatever your politics or personal preference, it’s worth taking a step back and asking yourself seriously, who would really want the job at this particular time in the nation’s life?  Oh yes, there is certainly plenty of power, prestige and glory to be had if you get things right and make the right decisions, but if you get things wrong, or make a mistake or simply have a run of bad luck, you can very quickly find all that power and authority slipping away from you, as Boris Johnson was to discover, and before you know it – you’re toast! Or as Boris Johnson strangely put it ‘them’s the breaks’. And of course the problems upon any future successor are considerable, such as the cost of living crisis and inflation (with huge pressures by trade unions for higher wages and pay settlements); sorting out the Northern Ireland protocol and making the most of Brexit; and most seriously of all, the terrible war in Ukraine which looks like it is only going to get worse before it gets better, leading to an immense loss of life, tremendous pain and suffering, and global food shortages exasperated by climate change; not forgetting that the coronavirus is still with us. Any one of these would be a real headache for any Prime Minster, but to face them all at once is an immense challenge.

The Bible encourages us to pray ‘for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness’ and whatever your politics or religious outlook, we should all prayerfully, support and encourage our politicians to act with fairness, honesty and integrity, and with strength to meet the challenges of the day upon which all our lives depend.     

I urge, then,… that …prayers, …be made for everyone— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

1 Timothy 2.1–2

Finding Common Ground After The Election!

It’s 12th December and I’m writing this letter on the day of the General Election! Although it may have been interesting to write after the Election and once the result is known, I thought that perhaps it might be fairer and more helpful to write a comment before we do so! Because it seems to me that one of the things that the election has drawn out and made clear is just how divided we are as a nation! It’s not just simply a case as to whether one voted Labour or Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Brexit or Green – the divisions in our society are much broader and deeper than that; whether one voted for ‘Leave’ or ‘Remain’; whether you be rich or poor; privileged or disadvantaged; old or young; male or female; employed or unemployed; from the north or the south; socially conservative or liberal; married or not – and all these things challenge and shape our perspective. Not only this but despite the fact that our parliamentary system isn’t supposed to be presidential, the focus was very much on personalities rather than policy – with some of the language used being vile and abusive. So where can we find unity and how can we develop trust?

It’s interesting to note that the BBC wrote an article entitled Crossing Divides – What unites us: 10 reasons why we’re not a divided nation, in an attempt to find and construct a new sense of unity, being:

1. Being faithful to our partners
2. The principle of equal pay
3. Viewing a woman’s role as no longer in the home
4. Seeing gay relationships as “not wrong at all”
5. Supporting a woman’s right to have an abortion
6. Trusting science and scientists
7. Believing in the NHS
8. Believing the Royal Family is important
9. Thinking climate change is at least partly caused by humans
10. Loving David Attenborough, health charities, Heinz, Lego, Google Maps and Malteasers

Whilst the majority of Britain’s may agree with some of these attitudes, it only takes a moment to appreciate that not everyone will agree with all of them, particularly those of a more traditional, socially conservative or religious persuasion. Perhaps in truth this list reflects more of a ‘wish list’ held by those who run the BBC.

For as John Stevens an online commentator observes ‘unity cannot be established or maintained on the basis of values and attitudes that do not in fact capture the hearts and minds of the vast majority of the people’ and I would like to add that it cannot be imposed upon us either.

The Christian will immediately recognise that what we need is a higher narrative, something that looks beyond our immediate, narrow and somewhat self-absorbed (and perhaps selfish) perspective and gives us a new standard and guide to live by, something that transforms our hearts and minds for the better. No one is saying that the Church is perfect or that it can’t ever make mistakes or disagree, but it does have a larger vision than that presented by party politics and a common framework by which it can promote reconciliation and encourage unity and trust within itself and the wider community. A kinder, gentler politics always has to begin with us as we try to serve one another in the loving manner that Christ served us, and I’d like to encourage you all to give it a try.

May I wish you all a very happy and peaceful new year.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3.5-6