A prayer for tomorrow's election by Revd Dr Sam Wells
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Martyn Joseph - Nye: Song for the NHS.
Showing posts with label general election. Show all posts
Showing posts with label general election. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 December 2019
A prayer for tomorrow's election
Saturday, 17 June 2017
We don’t know where we’re going
I've appreciated Gary Younge's recent reflections on the Election result in The Guardian (click here and here). The following quotes align with my reflections following the result:
The Brexit vote revealed a fundamental division within our nation and the Election result shows that we remain a divided nation and don't know how to address that reality - 'When Big Ben called time on Thursday night, we saw clear evidence of a political realignment that the media and the political establishment had dismissed with hostility, and now regarded with confusion. We saw a polity that has lost touch with its people; a political culture unmoored from the electorate, and a mainstream media that drifted along with it. The election did not create that dislocation; it was merely the clearest and least deniable manifestation of it so far. We are in new territory. And we don’t know where we’re going.'
Brexit unleashed a wave of self-centred isolationism which is not representative of the majority within our nation and the Election result indicated a corrective to this - 'During the EU referendum, much of what was wrong with Britain was blamed on foreigners – either the faceless bureaucrats in Brussels who took our money at the expense of the NHS, or immigrants, who, it was claimed, took our jobs and plundered our benefits. But this time round, there was no one else to blame. There was a concern in that room in Wembley that Britain had become too harsh and unforgiving. One woman said she thought things had swung too far the wrong way, and that it was time to “make things fairer”. Another agreed. “We need to show people we care about them,” she said.'
'For far too long, cynicism has been the dominant force in British electoral politics, willing failure at every turn. When they saw large, engaged crowds, the political class and its stenographers in the media dismissed them. They did not appeal to people’s better nature because they assumed people did not have one. Mistaking morality for naivety, they presumed that people were motivated solely by self-interest – in the narrowest and most venal sense – and could not be moved by principle.'
'One of the most important lessons, and one that goes beyond our borders, from this result is that there is a response to the multiple pathologies of xenophobia, racism and rabid nationalism, bequeathed by globalisation, that does not demand pandering to bigotry.'
We are seeing a backlash to the unfairness of austerity cuts which have targeted those already poor whilst allowing those already rich to continue to make money - 'After the 2010 election, the Conservatives insisted on a period of austerity, claiming that it was necessary to repair public finances in the wake of the global banking crisis. The poor and the public sector have borne the brunt of these cuts – but after seven years, the pain of austerity has spread well beyond the very poorest ... As this sense of precariousness broadened to touch those who had never felt it before, and the desperation felt by an ever-widening cross-section of society deepened even further, we should not be surprised that there was an electoral backlash.'
The Brexit vote revealed a fundamental division within our nation and the Election result shows that we remain a divided nation and don't know how to address that reality - 'When Big Ben called time on Thursday night, we saw clear evidence of a political realignment that the media and the political establishment had dismissed with hostility, and now regarded with confusion. We saw a polity that has lost touch with its people; a political culture unmoored from the electorate, and a mainstream media that drifted along with it. The election did not create that dislocation; it was merely the clearest and least deniable manifestation of it so far. We are in new territory. And we don’t know where we’re going.'
Brexit unleashed a wave of self-centred isolationism which is not representative of the majority within our nation and the Election result indicated a corrective to this - 'During the EU referendum, much of what was wrong with Britain was blamed on foreigners – either the faceless bureaucrats in Brussels who took our money at the expense of the NHS, or immigrants, who, it was claimed, took our jobs and plundered our benefits. But this time round, there was no one else to blame. There was a concern in that room in Wembley that Britain had become too harsh and unforgiving. One woman said she thought things had swung too far the wrong way, and that it was time to “make things fairer”. Another agreed. “We need to show people we care about them,” she said.'
'For far too long, cynicism has been the dominant force in British electoral politics, willing failure at every turn. When they saw large, engaged crowds, the political class and its stenographers in the media dismissed them. They did not appeal to people’s better nature because they assumed people did not have one. Mistaking morality for naivety, they presumed that people were motivated solely by self-interest – in the narrowest and most venal sense – and could not be moved by principle.'
'One of the most important lessons, and one that goes beyond our borders, from this result is that there is a response to the multiple pathologies of xenophobia, racism and rabid nationalism, bequeathed by globalisation, that does not demand pandering to bigotry.'
We are seeing a backlash to the unfairness of austerity cuts which have targeted those already poor whilst allowing those already rich to continue to make money - 'After the 2010 election, the Conservatives insisted on a period of austerity, claiming that it was necessary to repair public finances in the wake of the global banking crisis. The poor and the public sector have borne the brunt of these cuts – but after seven years, the pain of austerity has spread well beyond the very poorest ... As this sense of precariousness broadened to touch those who had never felt it before, and the desperation felt by an ever-widening cross-section of society deepened even further, we should not be surprised that there was an electoral backlash.'
'The print media are losing their influence in part because people receive much more information online nowadays but also because the right-wing press stopped try to report news objectively and began reporting news polemically (and, as a result, can no longer be trusted as an accurate source of news) - 'But while it was possible to see how most voters had formed their first impressions of Corbyn and May from the image presented by the media, what became clear to me while I was covering the campaign was that the impact of Fleet Street was not decisive. Thanks to the proliferation of online media sources, the decline in newspaper readership and weakening loyalties to established brands, the press does not have the same electoral clout it once did.'
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Deacon Blue - The Believers.
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Deacon Blue - The Believers.
Saturday, 9 May 2015
Ticking the box of our own self-interest
In all the analysis of the surprise and shock of yesterday's election result, three key influences to do with the process rather than the content of contemporary elections stand out:
First, polling is a distraction from the reality of what is occurring. Polling has provided the media with their primary source of news and debate throughout the election and, as a result, much of that debate and discussion has proved wholly irrelevant to the outcome. Lynton Crosby, who masterminded the Conservative's victory, has been quoted as saying, 'Ignore most of the opinion polls that you see in the newspapers, because they are so simplistic.' This proved true for Labour who were 'given false comfort by the national opinion polls showing the party neck and neck.'
Second, Crosby's strategy of negative campaigning, which is based on the politics of fear, has proved once again to be successful. In this case the fear was of 'the influence the SNP might hold over a minority Miliband government'; a fear which is a essentially unfounded but which, 'with typical shrewdness and ruthlessness, Crosby identified ... as a wedge that could be used against Labour, both in Scotland and in England.' Crosby has stated that, 'At its absolute simplest, a campaign is simply finding out who will decide the outcome … where are they, what matters to them, and how do you reach them?' (Andy Beckett). No-one has been more effective than Crosby at focusing on this simple truth.
Third, the continuing power of the predominantly right-wing press has been demonstrated. 'When Murdoch appeared before the Leveson inquiry he argued that the Sun’s “won it” headline had been “tasteless and wrong”, adding: “We don’t have that sort of power.” The election of 2015 might just prove him wrong.' The 'campaigning coverage of the Rupert Murdoch-owned Sun and the Times, Lord Rothermere’s Daily Mail and the Barclay brothers’ Telegraph titles has been a marked feature of this campaign ... the Sun, Murdoch’s biggest-selling title, was more virulently anti-Labour in this campaign than it was in the runup to the 1992 election when Neil Kinnock was depicted in a lightbulb on polling day.' 'With a party now in power whose only manifesto pledge on the media was to freeze the BBC’s licence fee, Murdoch and his UK executives can rest easy that they can do business again. Calls for a Leveson-approved press regulator are likely to diminish.' 'It is likely that whoever replaces Miliband as Labour leader will be even more wary of threatening Murdoch or any other press baron with increased regulation and the breakup of their empires.' (Jane Martinson)
Giles Fraser, as often, is both clear and honest in his reaction:
'Right now I feel ashamed to be English. Ashamed to belong to a country that has clearly identified itself as insular, self-absorbed and apparently caring so little for the most vulnerable people among us. Why did a million people visiting food banks make such a minimal difference? Did we just vote for our own narrow concerns and sod the rest? Maybe that’s why the pollsters got it so badly wrong: we are not so much a nation of shy voters as of ashamed voters, people who want to present to the nice polling man as socially inclusive, but who, in the privacy of the booth, tick the box of our own self-interest.'
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Patti Smith - After The Gold Rush.
First, polling is a distraction from the reality of what is occurring. Polling has provided the media with their primary source of news and debate throughout the election and, as a result, much of that debate and discussion has proved wholly irrelevant to the outcome. Lynton Crosby, who masterminded the Conservative's victory, has been quoted as saying, 'Ignore most of the opinion polls that you see in the newspapers, because they are so simplistic.' This proved true for Labour who were 'given false comfort by the national opinion polls showing the party neck and neck.'
Second, Crosby's strategy of negative campaigning, which is based on the politics of fear, has proved once again to be successful. In this case the fear was of 'the influence the SNP might hold over a minority Miliband government'; a fear which is a essentially unfounded but which, 'with typical shrewdness and ruthlessness, Crosby identified ... as a wedge that could be used against Labour, both in Scotland and in England.' Crosby has stated that, 'At its absolute simplest, a campaign is simply finding out who will decide the outcome … where are they, what matters to them, and how do you reach them?' (Andy Beckett). No-one has been more effective than Crosby at focusing on this simple truth.
Third, the continuing power of the predominantly right-wing press has been demonstrated. 'When Murdoch appeared before the Leveson inquiry he argued that the Sun’s “won it” headline had been “tasteless and wrong”, adding: “We don’t have that sort of power.” The election of 2015 might just prove him wrong.' The 'campaigning coverage of the Rupert Murdoch-owned Sun and the Times, Lord Rothermere’s Daily Mail and the Barclay brothers’ Telegraph titles has been a marked feature of this campaign ... the Sun, Murdoch’s biggest-selling title, was more virulently anti-Labour in this campaign than it was in the runup to the 1992 election when Neil Kinnock was depicted in a lightbulb on polling day.' 'With a party now in power whose only manifesto pledge on the media was to freeze the BBC’s licence fee, Murdoch and his UK executives can rest easy that they can do business again. Calls for a Leveson-approved press regulator are likely to diminish.' 'It is likely that whoever replaces Miliband as Labour leader will be even more wary of threatening Murdoch or any other press baron with increased regulation and the breakup of their empires.' (Jane Martinson)
Giles Fraser, as often, is both clear and honest in his reaction:
'Right now I feel ashamed to be English. Ashamed to belong to a country that has clearly identified itself as insular, self-absorbed and apparently caring so little for the most vulnerable people among us. Why did a million people visiting food banks make such a minimal difference? Did we just vote for our own narrow concerns and sod the rest? Maybe that’s why the pollsters got it so badly wrong: we are not so much a nation of shy voters as of ashamed voters, people who want to present to the nice polling man as socially inclusive, but who, in the privacy of the booth, tick the box of our own self-interest.'
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Patti Smith - After The Gold Rush.
Thursday, 7 May 2015
Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves
Ed Miliband has had his manifesto commitments carved in stone in order to try to address the public perception that politicians routinely break their promises and therefore talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. Nick Clegg has had to address this issue regarding tuition fees. Kevin Maguire, reporting in the Daily Mirror on Clegg’s Question Time performance, wrote that: “The shattered promise was his first question and he struggled for credibility after that ... He probably is a decent man. But that breach of trust was catastrophic.”
In politics, Dan Hodges has written, “there are a multitude of forgivable sins. Cheat on your wife. Lie about your record. Stab your colleague in the back. Lie with your colleague’s back-stabbing wife. The voters will tut, shake their heads, and move on. But there is one offence for which there is no pardon. Never, ever, under any circumstances, get caught preaching one thing at the public while practising another. Incompetence, duplicity, arrogance – each one hurts. Hypocrisy kills.”
Consistency also applies in business. William C. Taylor, author of Practically Radical: Not-So-Crazy Ways to Transform Your Company, Shake Up Your Industry, and Challenge Yourself, has written that, “One of the most ubiquitous aphorisms in business is that the best leaders understand the need to “walk the talk” — that is, their behavior and day-to-day actions have to match the aspirations they have for their colleagues and organization.”
Investors in People argue that “Everybody needs someone to look up to in the workplace. They want role models. This may seem like a daunting responsibility for a manager or employer, but it needn't be. It's largely just a matter of what we call ‘walking the talk’” and leading by example. “A manager's behaviour has an impact on everyone around them, and an effective manager is one who inspires their team by showing the way with their own actions.”
So, if we say that someone talks the talk but does not walk the walk, we mean that they do not act in a way that agrees with the things they say. The phrase “if you’re going to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk” is a modern version of old sayings like “actions speak louder than words” and “practice what you preach.” Another early form of the expression was “walk it like you talk it.” Many people now condense this to “walk the talk.”
All these are essentially versions of James 1. 22, “be doers of the word, and not merely hearers.” If we are hearers of the word and not doers, we are like those who look at themselves in a mirror and immediately forget what they were like. “A first century mirror was not the silvered glass one without which no bathroom is complete today. It was beaten bronze and gave a fuzzy image. If you wanted to be sure your face was not dirty a quick glance was not sufficient. You would need to peer intently, work out what was required, then go and find some clean water to do something about it. The same is true of the way we react to encountering God. The real blessing of the Christian faith does not lie in listening to sermons or reciting liturgies, but in dwelling on what is true until it transforms what we do. A genuine encounter with Jesus provokes action.”
The action it produces is “care for orphans and widows in their distress.” Jesus said, in the Parable of the sheep and goats, that God’s judgement on us will be based on our actions; giving food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked and visiting those in prison. These actions are to be the end result of our faith. If our looking deeply into God’s word does not result in our doing these things, our faith is not genuine and we are not walking the walk as Christians.
God’s judgement on our current General Election and the Government that results will be on the same basis. The confession which precedes our Eucharist is our weekly opportunity to acknowledge the reality that we often talk the talk without walking the walk. It is our opportunity to turn away from insincerity and to seek the consistency in our faith to which James calls here. “Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.”
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T Bone Burnett - Criminals.
In politics, Dan Hodges has written, “there are a multitude of forgivable sins. Cheat on your wife. Lie about your record. Stab your colleague in the back. Lie with your colleague’s back-stabbing wife. The voters will tut, shake their heads, and move on. But there is one offence for which there is no pardon. Never, ever, under any circumstances, get caught preaching one thing at the public while practising another. Incompetence, duplicity, arrogance – each one hurts. Hypocrisy kills.”
Consistency also applies in business. William C. Taylor, author of Practically Radical: Not-So-Crazy Ways to Transform Your Company, Shake Up Your Industry, and Challenge Yourself, has written that, “One of the most ubiquitous aphorisms in business is that the best leaders understand the need to “walk the talk” — that is, their behavior and day-to-day actions have to match the aspirations they have for their colleagues and organization.”
Investors in People argue that “Everybody needs someone to look up to in the workplace. They want role models. This may seem like a daunting responsibility for a manager or employer, but it needn't be. It's largely just a matter of what we call ‘walking the talk’” and leading by example. “A manager's behaviour has an impact on everyone around them, and an effective manager is one who inspires their team by showing the way with their own actions.”
So, if we say that someone talks the talk but does not walk the walk, we mean that they do not act in a way that agrees with the things they say. The phrase “if you’re going to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk” is a modern version of old sayings like “actions speak louder than words” and “practice what you preach.” Another early form of the expression was “walk it like you talk it.” Many people now condense this to “walk the talk.”
All these are essentially versions of James 1. 22, “be doers of the word, and not merely hearers.” If we are hearers of the word and not doers, we are like those who look at themselves in a mirror and immediately forget what they were like. “A first century mirror was not the silvered glass one without which no bathroom is complete today. It was beaten bronze and gave a fuzzy image. If you wanted to be sure your face was not dirty a quick glance was not sufficient. You would need to peer intently, work out what was required, then go and find some clean water to do something about it. The same is true of the way we react to encountering God. The real blessing of the Christian faith does not lie in listening to sermons or reciting liturgies, but in dwelling on what is true until it transforms what we do. A genuine encounter with Jesus provokes action.”
The action it produces is “care for orphans and widows in their distress.” Jesus said, in the Parable of the sheep and goats, that God’s judgement on us will be based on our actions; giving food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked and visiting those in prison. These actions are to be the end result of our faith. If our looking deeply into God’s word does not result in our doing these things, our faith is not genuine and we are not walking the walk as Christians.
God’s judgement on our current General Election and the Government that results will be on the same basis. The confession which precedes our Eucharist is our weekly opportunity to acknowledge the reality that we often talk the talk without walking the walk. It is our opportunity to turn away from insincerity and to seek the consistency in our faith to which James calls here. “Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.”
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T Bone Burnett - Criminals.
Tuesday, 14 April 2015
Towards a Politics for the Common Good
Towards a Politics for the Common Good was a Pre-Election Debate at St Martin-in-the-Fields tonight.
In the run-up to the General Election a panel of eminent parliamentarians from different political parties and denominations discussed their approaches to key election issues in the light of Christian social and ethical teaching. They explored how we can, as we exercise our democratic right to vote, best serve the Christian principles we believe in. Is it possible to see the issues of our time through a different lens? Can we work together to cultivate a politics for the common good?
Rather than a hustings, the guest parliamentarians responded to questions posed by theologians Dr Sam Wells (St Martin-in-the-Fields) and Dr Anna Rowlands (Durham University), and audience members from all political persuasions. The event was organised by St Martin-in-the-Fields in partnership with Together for the Common Good:
"We need the associations and collaborations of civil society" Sam Wells
"Local churches are witnesses on the ground in every local community" Anna Rowlands
"The common good in a human fallible society faces the challenge of agreeing on what that is and how to achieve it." Dominic Grieve
"How do we cope with choice when we can't always decide what the common good is?" Alistair Burt
"We are hooked on home ownership in this country - makes solving housing problem harder." Alistair Burt
"The biggest challenge to common good is hyper individualism and Christians should care passionately about this." David Lammy
"It's hard to achieve common good in a culture of bad faith and there is lots of bad faith at the moment." David Lammy
"If we assume bad faith - common ground, is hard to achieve." David Lammy
In the run-up to the General Election a panel of eminent parliamentarians from different political parties and denominations discussed their approaches to key election issues in the light of Christian social and ethical teaching. They explored how we can, as we exercise our democratic right to vote, best serve the Christian principles we believe in. Is it possible to see the issues of our time through a different lens? Can we work together to cultivate a politics for the common good?
Rather than a hustings, the guest parliamentarians responded to questions posed by theologians Dr Sam Wells (St Martin-in-the-Fields) and Dr Anna Rowlands (Durham University), and audience members from all political persuasions. The event was organised by St Martin-in-the-Fields in partnership with Together for the Common Good:
"We need the associations and collaborations of civil society" Sam Wells
"Local churches are witnesses on the ground in every local community" Anna Rowlands
"The common good in a human fallible society faces the challenge of agreeing on what that is and how to achieve it." Dominic Grieve
"How do we cope with choice when we can't always decide what the common good is?" Alistair Burt
"We are hooked on home ownership in this country - makes solving housing problem harder." Alistair Burt
"The biggest challenge to common good is hyper individualism and Christians should care passionately about this." David Lammy
"It's hard to achieve common good in a culture of bad faith and there is lots of bad faith at the moment." David Lammy
"If we assume bad faith - common ground, is hard to achieve." David Lammy
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Bill Fay - Order Of The Day.
Friday, 12 April 2013
Legacy of marketisation, privatisation, economic stratification and social dislocation
In considering the continuing divisive effect of Margaret Thatcher's legacy and funeral, it is worth reminding ourselves of what was said about Britain in the Faith in the City report published by the Church of England during Margaret Thatcher's second term of office.
As is noted on the Church of England's website, the Commission which produced this report met during what was the first half of Margaret Thatcher's second term of office as Prime Minister:
"There had been little explicit policy change during her first term in office regarding urban regeneration. What the report designated as 'Urban Priority Areas' did however feel the harsh impact of other policies as unemployment increased, public spending and taxation were reduced and a change in approach to the welfare state was initiated. The policies which put the market to the fore were beginning to take effect: it was claimed that the 'slump years' were over as inflation was reduced and privatisation caught the public imagination. Many of the problems highlighted stemmed from changes in society which could be associated with the demise of traditional industry. Other factors identified included estate design; institutional racism; poor quality housing; and lack of investment in educational and social services."
What the report says was actually far more damning than the above sounds:
"We have to report that we have been deeply disturbed by what we have seen and heard. We have been confronted with the human consequences of unemployment, which in some urban areas may be over 50 per cent of the labour force, and which occasionally reaches a level as high as 80 per cent - consequences which may be compounded by the effects of racial discrimination. We have seen physical decay, whether of Victorian terraced housing or of inferior system-built blocks of flats, which has in places created an environment so degrading that some people have set fire to their own homes rather than be condemned to living in them indefinitely. Social disintegration has reached a point in some areas that shop windows are boarded up, cars cannot be left on the street, residents are afraid either to go out themselves or to ask others in, and there is a pervading sense of powerlessness and despair ... It is our considered view that the nation is confronted by a grave and fundamental injustice in the UPAs. The facts are officially recognised, but the situation continues to deteriorate and requires urgent action. No adequate response is being made by government, nation or Church. There is barely even widespread public discussion."
As Gary Younge notes in today's Guardian, Margaret Thatcher's "is a living legacy of marketisation, privatisation, economic stratification and social dislocation." Her policies caused "a grave and fundamental injustice" in society at the time and continue to do so today.
My father, Phil Evens, was in ordained ministry during this part of this period setting up The Voice of the People Trust to sponsor Christian ministry in Urban Priority Areas through community work projects linked to parishes and the Aston and Newtown Community Youth Project which was particularly successful in reaching out to young people on the streets and steering them away from criminal and anti-social activities towards further education, training, employment and faith. His third book, Despair and Hope in the City, published in this period explored the relevance of community work to urban ministry.
What follows is an account of a dream that my father had in the early morning after the 1987 General Election:
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Elvis Costello - Tramp The Dirt Down.
As is noted on the Church of England's website, the Commission which produced this report met during what was the first half of Margaret Thatcher's second term of office as Prime Minister:
"There had been little explicit policy change during her first term in office regarding urban regeneration. What the report designated as 'Urban Priority Areas' did however feel the harsh impact of other policies as unemployment increased, public spending and taxation were reduced and a change in approach to the welfare state was initiated. The policies which put the market to the fore were beginning to take effect: it was claimed that the 'slump years' were over as inflation was reduced and privatisation caught the public imagination. Many of the problems highlighted stemmed from changes in society which could be associated with the demise of traditional industry. Other factors identified included estate design; institutional racism; poor quality housing; and lack of investment in educational and social services."
What the report says was actually far more damning than the above sounds:
"We have to report that we have been deeply disturbed by what we have seen and heard. We have been confronted with the human consequences of unemployment, which in some urban areas may be over 50 per cent of the labour force, and which occasionally reaches a level as high as 80 per cent - consequences which may be compounded by the effects of racial discrimination. We have seen physical decay, whether of Victorian terraced housing or of inferior system-built blocks of flats, which has in places created an environment so degrading that some people have set fire to their own homes rather than be condemned to living in them indefinitely. Social disintegration has reached a point in some areas that shop windows are boarded up, cars cannot be left on the street, residents are afraid either to go out themselves or to ask others in, and there is a pervading sense of powerlessness and despair ... It is our considered view that the nation is confronted by a grave and fundamental injustice in the UPAs. The facts are officially recognised, but the situation continues to deteriorate and requires urgent action. No adequate response is being made by government, nation or Church. There is barely even widespread public discussion."
As Gary Younge notes in today's Guardian, Margaret Thatcher's "is a living legacy of marketisation, privatisation, economic stratification and social dislocation." Her policies caused "a grave and fundamental injustice" in society at the time and continue to do so today.
My father, Phil Evens, was in ordained ministry during this part of this period setting up The Voice of the People Trust to sponsor Christian ministry in Urban Priority Areas through community work projects linked to parishes and the Aston and Newtown Community Youth Project which was particularly successful in reaching out to young people on the streets and steering them away from criminal and anti-social activities towards further education, training, employment and faith. His third book, Despair and Hope in the City, published in this period explored the relevance of community work to urban ministry.
What follows is an account of a dream that my father had in the early morning after the 1987 General Election:
After watching the early election results, I went to bed at 3.00 a.m. and had the following dream ...
I dreamt that an elderly but important relative had died. In my dream I found myself outside the house they had lived in. It was quite small. All its furniture and possessions had been brought out lining the nearby streets and overflowing into a large warehouse type building. There was an amazing amount of furniture, bric-a-brac and general family possessions, from such a small house.
Many well dressed, upright looking relatives and, any people who had any conceivable connection with the family, had come from everywhere. They were moving around the furniture, lining the streets, pulling out drawers and taking anything they fancied. When I came near anyone they all looked as though they were politely looking on. As I went around, in my dream, I became increasingly concerned and bewildered at what was happening. No one seemed to be around to control or stop this.
In the warehouse type building the furniture and possessions were stacked on raised walkways. Here, some people, mainly young people, rushed off when they saw me coming and hid. One fell off the edge in the rush and I managed to reach out and draw him back to safety.
As I moved around this enormous collection of family possessions I found thrust into my hands a large glass container, beautifully made, into which had been put a few valuable family treasures - some small pieces of silver and a number of flat packs of what seemed like old one pound notes. I felt an increasing sense of distress at what was happening.
On waking up the dream remained vivid and the following thoughts immediately came to mind ...
The old relative who had died was the nation of Great Britain, and the small house was the United Kingdom. The nation's real wealth and assets, that had been a vital part of this small house and its family life, had been plundered by the well-dressed, polite and, in appearance, respectable people who, inside, had been rapacious and greedy. This wealth had now been dissipated and was no longer available for the home or its family life. I felt a deep sense of sadness and loss.
The interpretation of the dream was concluded by a picture of the Monarchy and the Royal Family. They were the only possession that the patriotic poor, the deprived, the dispossessed, now had that linked them into the life of the nation. Everything else of worth had been taken away from them and now belonged to the rich and powerful.
The final thought that came to me, was that I wouldn't wish to be in the shoes of Margaret Thatcher or her cabinet members for 'all the tea in China'. She, and her Government, had been weighed in the balance and found wanting.
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Elvis Costello - Tramp The Dirt Down.
Saturday, 8 May 2010
How Barking & Dagenham saw off the BNP
Well justified celebrations here from Hope not hate:
"It's official: the BNP suffered a humiliating defeat in yesterday's election.Not only did the BNP fail to elect Nick Griffin or Simon Darby to Parliament, they also failed to take any council seats in Barking & Dagenham and Stoke-on-Trent. The BNP is divided and defeated - and it's all thanks to you ... this ... victory ... belongs to all of us who stood for hope, not hate."
Billy Bragg explains how Barking and Dagenham saw off the BNP here:
"This is a huge victory for the antifascist movement. Hundreds of activists have made the trip up the District Line to Barking and Dagenham in the past few weeks. Hope Not Hate, a non-partisan organisation led by Searchlight magazine and supported by trade unions, organised a forensic campaign that identified and then got out the anti-BNP vote.
Almost 1,000 volunteers came through the doors of the Hope Not Hate HQ, distributing 130,000 leaflets aimed at pensioners, black and Asian voters, young voters, women voters and male voters who had been identified as opposing the BNP. The results of this massive effort were visible when Barking's Labour MP, Margaret Hodge, defied all the night's trends and the laws of gravity by increasing her majority.
The people of Barking and Dagenham have resoundingly rejected the fascism of the BNP. Now the Labour party needs to begin to address the genuine concerns of the local population, white and black, about jobs, housing, education and health care. It was these issues – and the pressure put on them by incomers looking for the cheapest housing in London – that allowed the BNP to gain a foothold in the borough."
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Switchfoot - Mess Of Me.
"It's official: the BNP suffered a humiliating defeat in yesterday's election.Not only did the BNP fail to elect Nick Griffin or Simon Darby to Parliament, they also failed to take any council seats in Barking & Dagenham and Stoke-on-Trent. The BNP is divided and defeated - and it's all thanks to you ... this ... victory ... belongs to all of us who stood for hope, not hate."
Billy Bragg explains how Barking and Dagenham saw off the BNP here:
"This is a huge victory for the antifascist movement. Hundreds of activists have made the trip up the District Line to Barking and Dagenham in the past few weeks. Hope Not Hate, a non-partisan organisation led by Searchlight magazine and supported by trade unions, organised a forensic campaign that identified and then got out the anti-BNP vote.
Almost 1,000 volunteers came through the doors of the Hope Not Hate HQ, distributing 130,000 leaflets aimed at pensioners, black and Asian voters, young voters, women voters and male voters who had been identified as opposing the BNP. The results of this massive effort were visible when Barking's Labour MP, Margaret Hodge, defied all the night's trends and the laws of gravity by increasing her majority.
The people of Barking and Dagenham have resoundingly rejected the fascism of the BNP. Now the Labour party needs to begin to address the genuine concerns of the local population, white and black, about jobs, housing, education and health care. It was these issues – and the pressure put on them by incomers looking for the cheapest housing in London – that allowed the BNP to gain a foothold in the borough."
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Switchfoot - Mess Of Me.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
A night that reaffirmed democracy
The Contextual Theology Centre Blog has footage from Monday's assembly with the leaders of the three main parties. Most importantly, it lists the policy commitments which were won from each. These were backed up with a promise to attend future assemblies at which they will be held to their words.
The leaders of all the major party agreed...
- to be held to account by Citizens UK - in assemblies and round-table meetings - during the next Parliament
- a Community Land Trust on the Olympic Park after 2012 - caps on exploitative lending and a stronger mutual banking sector
- Labour committed to a Living Wage for Whitehall workers - something the Tories are also looking to fund
- Labour and the Tories committed to reviewing the practice of detaining children seeking sanctuary
- LibDems committed to ending child detention - and to a one-off earned amnesty for undocumented migrants.
Yesterday's Guardian included Patrick Wintour on the front page ('Battered PM finds his voice'); Allegra Stratton on p. 4 ('Brown triumphs in unofficial fourth leadership debate') and Marina Hyde on p. 5 ('Real people, excruciating stories and a bit of recycling'). The Telegraph had a sketch on p.8, emphasising the role of faith in the event - 'Son of the manse in his element among the righteous'. Online, there was good coverage from the Finanical Times and Reuters. More coverage has come in the Spectator ("Brown's best speech of the campaign") and Mirror (PM is "a signed up citizen") - while Michael White in the Guardian said this was a "night that reaffirmed democracy."
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Flyleaf - Fully Alive.
The leaders of all the major party agreed...
- to be held to account by Citizens UK - in assemblies and round-table meetings - during the next Parliament
- a Community Land Trust on the Olympic Park after 2012 - caps on exploitative lending and a stronger mutual banking sector
- Labour committed to a Living Wage for Whitehall workers - something the Tories are also looking to fund
- Labour and the Tories committed to reviewing the practice of detaining children seeking sanctuary
- LibDems committed to ending child detention - and to a one-off earned amnesty for undocumented migrants.
Yesterday's Guardian included Patrick Wintour on the front page ('Battered PM finds his voice'); Allegra Stratton on p. 4 ('Brown triumphs in unofficial fourth leadership debate') and Marina Hyde on p. 5 ('Real people, excruciating stories and a bit of recycling'). The Telegraph had a sketch on p.8, emphasising the role of faith in the event - 'Son of the manse in his element among the righteous'. Online, there was good coverage from the Finanical Times and Reuters. More coverage has come in the Spectator ("Brown's best speech of the campaign") and Mirror (PM is "a signed up citizen") - while Michael White in the Guardian said this was a "night that reaffirmed democracy."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flyleaf - Fully Alive.
Monday, 26 April 2010
Faiths together for hope not hate (3)
The Rt Reverend David Hawkins, The Bishop of Barking pictured with Hope not Hate staff, Sam Tarry, Campaign Organiser, and Caroline Alabi, Faith Communities Organiser
The Rt Reverend David Hawkins, The Bishop of Barking, Sam Tarry and Caroline Alabi, with a group of passing students, who asked to join in the photo shoot when they discovered it was to promote considered and informed voting!
The Rt Reverend David Hawkins, The Bishop of Barking, urges all registered voters to get out and vote on 6 May.
Bishop David’s Episcopal Area covers the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest, together with Epping Forest, Ongar and Harlow in Essex. Parties of the far-right are fielding candidates in nine of the fourteen parliamentary constituencies and this part of east London and Essex is a key target of the extreme parties hoping to get a foothold in Parliament.
Bishop David says: “Racist ideologies, seeking to divide people on the grounds of ethnicity have no place in mainstream British politics and I encourage people to vote in such a way as to prevent racist political parties making any electoral gains.”
The Bishop adds: “This election is arguably the most important General Election in a generation. I urge all those who are registered and ready to vote to think carefully about where they place their cross on 6 May. The result we wake up to on 7 May will influence and shape life in our country for the next four or five years and I emphasise the need to carefully examine consider party policies before voting.”
The Contextual Theology Centre writes that:
"David Cameron and Nick Clegg have agreed to attend a 2500-person Citizens UK assembly at Methodist Central Hall on Monday 3rd May at 2.45pm (Gordon Brown is still to confirm).
The Contextual Theology Centre (CTC) is sponsoring this event, and has a limited number of tickets for church leaders who are considering joining the Citizens movement.
The candidates will be responding to an agenda determined by Citizens UK's member institutions, including: The Living Wage; A cap on interest rates; Community land trusts; Ending child detention for sanctuary seekers; and Earned citizenship for long-term migrants.
In advance of the election, CTC has launched two books on Christian teaching and community organising - more information is online at http://www.theology-centre.org/resources/books:
Crunch Time: A Call to Action is a collection of essays by John Milbank (Nottingham) and CTC Fellows Luke Bretherton (King’s College, London) and Vincent Rougeau (Notre Dame) on a Christian response to the credit crunch. This is also available as a free PDF. Faithful Citizens is a book on community organising and Catholic social teaching by organiser, journalist and CTC Fellow Austen Ivereigh.
To keep up to date with the increasing impact of citizen organising on the election campaign, you can follow CTC's Jellicoe Blog at http://jellicoecommunity.blogspot.com
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Thousand Foot Krutch - Phenomenon.
Saturday, 24 April 2010
Faiths together for hope not hate (2)
Please think about joining the HOPE not hate FINAL campaign day before the elections on 6 May to ensure the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham is kept safe from negative politics.Help HOPE not hate deliver their new leaflet to residents in Barking and Dagenham.
Time: 10:30am
Place: HOPE not Hate HQ 3rd Floor, Transport House, 50-52 New Road, Dagenham RM9 6YS.
SIGN A PLEDGE TO VOTE FOR HOPE ON 6 MAY
At 1pm all faith communities are invited to sign a ‘Faiths United’ pledge to vote on 6 May for HOPE not hate. The signing of the giant pledge board will take place at Barking Town Hall. This will be followed by the HOPE not Hate summer party where foods from many nations will be
available for people to sample at St Patrick’s Church, Blake Avenue, Barking, IG11 9SQ starting at 1:30pm.
available for people to sample at St Patrick’s Church, Blake Avenue, Barking, IG11 9SQ starting at 1:30pm.
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Robert Randolph & the Family Band - Aint Nothin' Wrong With That.
Friday, 23 April 2010
Faiths together for hope not hate
This is my Vicar's letter for the May edition of the Church magazine at St John's Seven Kings:
"This month brings local and national elections and in Redbridge, the British National Party (BNP) is actively seeking the Christian vote by issuing leaflets from supporters which argue that the BNP, although a secular party, supports Christian values because its policies fit with the concerns of some Christians.
These policies are mainly about being opposed to particular groups and legislation; being anti equality, anti immigration, anti-Muslim and anti homosexual. Do we, as Christians want to be known as the 'anti people' associated in the minds of others with bigotry, fundamentalism, and narrow moral agendas or do we want to be known as “good news” people associated with positive action and agendas?
Jesus broke down barriers. He treated all people with respect. As a Jew he talked to the shunned Samaritans. Through the cross he reconciled people to God and to each other. “There is neither Jew nor Greek” (Galatians 3. 28). Christians assert that all human beings are created equally in the image of God. The Christian vision of society is one where each person is treated with dignity and respect, whatever their ethnic group or religion. It is a positive vision of hope not a negative agenda of hate.
The BNP, however it presents itself, is rooted in racist and fascist thinking; its message is one of hate. The BNP believes that white people are genetically superior to black people. The BNP believes that black and Asian people can never be British, even if they were born here. The BNP is a racist party and as such does not share the true Christian values. Therefore I endorse the following statement made by the Bishop of Barking and other church leaders:
” … we call upon all people of goodwill to reject racist politics in the forthcoming General Election and local elections.
We encourage people to vote in the forthcoming elections to prevent racist political parties making any more electoral gains, indeed to out-vote such parties where they have already been elected.
In particular, we urge people to reject the BNP, English Defence League (EDL), National Front (NF) and similar political organisations for the reason that there is no place in mainstream British politics for dividing people on the grounds of ethnicity. The racist ideology of parties like the BNP, who speak of a "traditional British genotype", is not only inaccurate and misguided but is also contrary to the Christian belief that "all people are created as one race, the human race".
As church leaders we do not endorse any particular political party and recognise that there are many social issues today which require much closer attention from elected politicians, not least those of housing, immigration, unemployment and the sheer speed of social change in some of our communities. But we call on everyone to reject the BNP and like-parties as providing solutions to these issues. We all have a responsibility to work for a more just society. This will never be achieved by those who seek to divide our society based on a racist politics.”
I am involved in a "Faiths Together in Barking and Dagenham" initiative in the run up to the 2010 General and Local Council Elections. This project is being taken forward in partnership with the campaign HOPE not hate. The overall project involves a Faiths worker building support among faith communities in Barking and Dagenham to resist the BNP's attempts to divide communities on faith and ethnic lines. This work involves: faith community visits, presentations and voter registration drives; a range of literature targeted at faith communities; and a Gospel concert including literature dissemination and voter registration.
Click on this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnFMcBNweio&feature=channel to see a short film of the Gospel concert that was held as part of this initiative. The concert encouraged church members to join the Day of Action held on 17th April which saw 541 volunteers deliver 91,000 Hope Not Hate newspapers across Barking and Dagenham. Organisers say the event was the biggest political mobilisation of the campaign.
Ekklesia report that the head of political reform campaign Unlock Democracy has said that a vote for the British National Party is "a vote for the abolition of democracy." Peter Facey's verdict comes in the wake of a new report assessing and 'marking' the pledges for democratic change made by a range of the most prominent political parties - not just 'the big three'.
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The Ruts - In A Rut.
"This month brings local and national elections and in Redbridge, the British National Party (BNP) is actively seeking the Christian vote by issuing leaflets from supporters which argue that the BNP, although a secular party, supports Christian values because its policies fit with the concerns of some Christians.
These policies are mainly about being opposed to particular groups and legislation; being anti equality, anti immigration, anti-Muslim and anti homosexual. Do we, as Christians want to be known as the 'anti people' associated in the minds of others with bigotry, fundamentalism, and narrow moral agendas or do we want to be known as “good news” people associated with positive action and agendas?
Jesus broke down barriers. He treated all people with respect. As a Jew he talked to the shunned Samaritans. Through the cross he reconciled people to God and to each other. “There is neither Jew nor Greek” (Galatians 3. 28). Christians assert that all human beings are created equally in the image of God. The Christian vision of society is one where each person is treated with dignity and respect, whatever their ethnic group or religion. It is a positive vision of hope not a negative agenda of hate.
The BNP, however it presents itself, is rooted in racist and fascist thinking; its message is one of hate. The BNP believes that white people are genetically superior to black people. The BNP believes that black and Asian people can never be British, even if they were born here. The BNP is a racist party and as such does not share the true Christian values. Therefore I endorse the following statement made by the Bishop of Barking and other church leaders:
” … we call upon all people of goodwill to reject racist politics in the forthcoming General Election and local elections.
We encourage people to vote in the forthcoming elections to prevent racist political parties making any more electoral gains, indeed to out-vote such parties where they have already been elected.
In particular, we urge people to reject the BNP, English Defence League (EDL), National Front (NF) and similar political organisations for the reason that there is no place in mainstream British politics for dividing people on the grounds of ethnicity. The racist ideology of parties like the BNP, who speak of a "traditional British genotype", is not only inaccurate and misguided but is also contrary to the Christian belief that "all people are created as one race, the human race".
As church leaders we do not endorse any particular political party and recognise that there are many social issues today which require much closer attention from elected politicians, not least those of housing, immigration, unemployment and the sheer speed of social change in some of our communities. But we call on everyone to reject the BNP and like-parties as providing solutions to these issues. We all have a responsibility to work for a more just society. This will never be achieved by those who seek to divide our society based on a racist politics.”
I am involved in a "Faiths Together in Barking and Dagenham" initiative in the run up to the 2010 General and Local Council Elections. This project is being taken forward in partnership with the campaign HOPE not hate. The overall project involves a Faiths worker building support among faith communities in Barking and Dagenham to resist the BNP's attempts to divide communities on faith and ethnic lines. This work involves: faith community visits, presentations and voter registration drives; a range of literature targeted at faith communities; and a Gospel concert including literature dissemination and voter registration.
Click on this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnFMcBNweio&feature=channel to see a short film of the Gospel concert that was held as part of this initiative. The concert encouraged church members to join the Day of Action held on 17th April which saw 541 volunteers deliver 91,000 Hope Not Hate newspapers across Barking and Dagenham. Organisers say the event was the biggest political mobilisation of the campaign.
Ekklesia report that the head of political reform campaign Unlock Democracy has said that a vote for the British National Party is "a vote for the abolition of democracy." Peter Facey's verdict comes in the wake of a new report assessing and 'marking' the pledges for democratic change made by a range of the most prominent political parties - not just 'the big three'.
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The Ruts - In A Rut.
Thursday, 15 April 2010
Prayers for voters ahead of next month's election
The Church of England has published prayers to help voters as they consider their options in the forthcoming General Election. The prayers remind voters that they can make a difference, ask that the concerns of all may be heard and seek protection from despair and cynicism. The prayers, for personal use or during church services are published on the web alongside details of relevant debates in the General Synod over the last five years.
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McIntosh Ross - All My Trust I Place In You.
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McIntosh Ross - All My Trust I Place In You.
Crunch Time - A Call to Action
The Contextual Theology Centre has just launched Crunch Time: A Call to Action - a collection of essays by John Milbank, Luke Bretherton, Maurice Glasman and Vincent Rougeau. The essays are available as a free pdf, or copies can be ordered for £6.99.
It outlines a community organising agenda to which all the major parties have been responding - with significant commitments on economic policy and on the renewal of civil society. You will see from their recent blog posts that the Centre's partner churches, officers and interns have been playing a key role in this process. They hope that these successes will increase Christian engagement in the work of London Citizens, the capital's community organising alliance.
Also on the their blog you will find coverage of the 75th anniversary of Fr Basil Jellicoe's death. The Jellicoe Community will be involved in a service of thanksgiving in July at which the Bishop of London will preach - and last Friday's Church Times contained anniversary essays by Prof Diarmaid MacCulloch and Simon Cuff (one of the first Jellicoe interns).
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Luxury - The Luxury Theme.
It outlines a community organising agenda to which all the major parties have been responding - with significant commitments on economic policy and on the renewal of civil society. You will see from their recent blog posts that the Centre's partner churches, officers and interns have been playing a key role in this process. They hope that these successes will increase Christian engagement in the work of London Citizens, the capital's community organising alliance.
Also on the their blog you will find coverage of the 75th anniversary of Fr Basil Jellicoe's death. The Jellicoe Community will be involved in a service of thanksgiving in July at which the Bishop of London will preach - and last Friday's Church Times contained anniversary essays by Prof Diarmaid MacCulloch and Simon Cuff (one of the first Jellicoe interns).
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Luxury - The Luxury Theme.
Monday, 25 January 2010
Church preparation for the election
A general election will be held sometime before 3 June 2010, with predictions for 6 May, the same date as many local elections in England.
The Churches Together in Britain and Ireland website has resources to help churches and Christians in general to prepare for the election. These materials do not support a 'Church' view or party line, but aim to help Christians engage with a range of important issues facing our country, however they may decide to vote.
Faith in Politics: Preparing Churches for the General Election 2010 covers a range of the most important policy issues, such as children and young people, criminal justice, the economy, education, environment, health, migration, poverty, and others. For each topic there are sections on subject background, the main issues, suggested questions to candidates and contact details for more information.
Planning a Hustings Meeting contains guidelines for local churches, Churches Together groups or Christian organisations thinking of organising a hustings meeting.
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Billy Bragg - Save The Country.
The Churches Together in Britain and Ireland website has resources to help churches and Christians in general to prepare for the election. These materials do not support a 'Church' view or party line, but aim to help Christians engage with a range of important issues facing our country, however they may decide to vote.
Faith in Politics: Preparing Churches for the General Election 2010 covers a range of the most important policy issues, such as children and young people, criminal justice, the economy, education, environment, health, migration, poverty, and others. For each topic there are sections on subject background, the main issues, suggested questions to candidates and contact details for more information.
Planning a Hustings Meeting contains guidelines for local churches, Churches Together groups or Christian organisations thinking of organising a hustings meeting.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Billy Bragg - Save The Country.
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