Religion and Politics

There are two things, they say, which you ought not to discuss at dinner parties: Politics and Religion.

Just recently we hosted a hustings at the Church for our parliamentary candidates. It was well attended, quite exciting and got me to thinking about how, in recent years, politics has rather drifted from my life. Twenty years ago I might have been able to name the entire cabinet. That's one party trick which is now in the past. Fascinating, none the less, to wonder: are all the cabinet ministers still in situ as is Gordon Brown? Matthew Parris made a good point on Andrew Marr today. It's not entirely fair to say Gordon Brown is squatting at No. 10 since he's doing his duty in remaining PM whilst David Cameron tries to form a viable government.

This week's HIGNFY was particularly funny. The audience were roaring with laughter, including the terrible gag about a dead kitten in Paul Merton's pocket which was mildly more amusing than Harriet Harman. Go watch it here.

How exciting is the world of politics in the UK at the moment. Do you think Lord 'Paddy Ashdown will do, we know each other' Ashdown is right to say that the tone of discourse has changed in UK politics? Time will tell. I'm rather more suspicious that Andrew Marr was right to warn the Lib Dem's of the lion and the lamb sitting down together. Not least, what happens when the lion gets hungry. Oops, no lamb!

"The country has spoken - but we don't know what they've said" - Lord Ashdown

BIGOT

There has been much in the news about our Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and his comments in regard to a certain voter whom he described as a BIGOT. Having been out with a few friends this evening I am reliably informed it turns out he was quite correct in his description of Gillian Duffy as that "BIGOTed woman". Turns out she's not a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion. Rather she may be a fortune teller.

Brown Is Going On Thursday.

Choosing the Common Good

Choosing the Common Good from Catholic Westminster on Vimeo.

Archbishop Nichols speaks on the new Bishop's conference document, Choosing the Common Good. It's excellent that the Bishops are offering a steer in this important area of our lives. We will soon be asked to vote in the General Election. It is important that we vote, it is important that we, as Catholics, play our part within society. We need to undertake our civic duty. Voting isn't really an issue of should I vote or should I not, rather we have to decide how we will vote. Before voting, however, it is important that we inform ourselves not only of our own faith, but also which of the candidates we are able to support.

The video does not tell us how to vote, as Archbishop Nichols reminds us.

Speaker is silent

In a tragic day for the Mother of Parliaments, Michael Martin, the Speaker of the House of Commons has resigned. Those, sadly, not interested in politics may wonder why I'm blogging this; it's not my normal fayre. It's quite simple - I'm shocked, but not surprised. For the first time in over 300 years the Speaker, a most senior member of the House, has been forced out due to a lack of confidence in his ability to lead the chamber. My man at the BBC, Nick Robinson, sums up the reason simply:

Some will complain that he has been made a scapegoat for the failings of individual MPs. Others will insist that this Glaswegian sheet metal worker was the victim of class-based prejudice and snobbery. There is some truth in both those charges. However, the reason he has been driven from office is much more simple than that. At a time when the Commons desperately needed leadership, he failed to lead.

Michael Martin is the first Catholic Speaker of the House since the reformation. This, in itself, shouldn't be great news. But it highlights, for me, the disparity within our society. It is not that it's taken over 400 years for a Catholic to be considered for the job so much as it remains an issue which the BBC feels the need to comment about in their profile of the man.

This is a tragic day for politics, for society and for you and I. Why? Simply because it is a mere reflection of a distinct lack of honour at the centre of political life. When we operate outside of a clear moral code, then we risk the kind of approach which Michael Martin has engaged in: instead of remorse we go on the offensive, instead of humility we fail to listen and instead of leadership we are hounded and taken to places we don't want to go.

Michael Martin is a good man and a sad loss, but he serves as a salutary lesson to sort ourselves out. This is not a 'secular' problem per se as Fr Ray, of St Mary Magdalen parish, points out, here. No, Stephen Fry speaks for many when he says "it's not that important" but you know, it is important because as he then continues "we get the politicians we deserve"; so there you have it. Our MPs are, indeed, representative of us.