GE2017 - Some initial thoughts on how to approach the election

First up...

Should ministers of religion get involved in politics?

Some people think that ministers shouldn't be political. I think that's entirely wrong - Jesus responded to the politics of his age and we are called to follow him. I think what we shouldn't do is be partisan; what we shouldn't do is be party to the personal attacks and character assassinations; what we shouldn't do is shackle ourselves to one party for life, regardless of the flaws of our chosen party.

However, I think we should get involved with the conversation, talk about the issues and the policies, the morality and the ethics. We should challenge and debate and dig under the surface of the popular reactions. We should perhaps offer some wisdom that goes beyond national boundaries and things that look good to me and mine in the here and now, towards those things that are for the good of humanity, the good of all creation in the long run. We should challenge people to look under the surface of the sound bites and the quick slogans to the complex interconnectedness of people, ideas and resources around the globe. When a party's policies or tactics offend us we should say so - and when a party offers a better choice we should feel free to say so too, even though that party will no doubt have other points with which we disagree. That's me, but what about you? ...

Advice for Voters

There's likely to be a lot of toing and froing about who the contenders are for this election and what Theresa May's motives were for calling it now. For now I want to concentrate on the notion that we put too much blame on the quality of our politicians - and not enough on the quality of our own voting or our engagement in the process before the day. The electorate are both the strength and the weakness of democratic systems. I'm not going to say who I think you should vote for at this point. Partly because political landscape of the election is, as of yet, far from fully established, but more importantly because it needs to be your choice. That is the intended nature of democracy. What I would like to do is suggest some ways in which I would like to see people approaching this election.

1. Don't just leap to the defence of the people you like - or attack those you don't. Hear what they are really saying and respond to real policies.

2. Don't just vote on the basis of how it affects you, remember that if a policy hurts someone else, even if you don't have an innate moral sense of responsibility to all, ultimately one day that someone else might be you - and even if it's never you, the world that you live in will be populated by people you decided were less important than you when you voted. And they may not thank you for that.

3. Question everything, get the other side of each report and hear the voices of those whom the policies effect. Question the 'facts' as well as the motives - and get independent confirmation of each story.

4. Understand that economies are never static. It's right when somebody says 'we will invest in...' to ask where the money will come from - but whenever somebody says 'we will save money by...' - ask yourself what the flipside is. What is the long term effect of not investing in this or that; what is the cost of not spending? (Think education, health, small businesses, infrastructure etc.)

5. Avoid the politics of character assassinations, but do look for leaders who have personal qualities that go beyond the policies. Ultimately policies will need to be adjusted to fit the reality of the situation. Those with a strength of character, with compassion and an understanding of the real needs of real people will adjust those policies in a direction that serves all the people - not just the ones that hold the power.

6. Understand that while we might hope for a level playing field for the opportunities of all people - and whilst for many in Britain, prospects are more equal than they might be in other parts of the world, no such level playing field exists yet. Don't judge the decisions of people whose lives you have not lived and whose experiences you haven't experienced. And be deeply suspicious of any politician or policy that does try to make such judgements. Any policy that considers someone as other, not our problem, or unworthy because of poor life choices is stepping beyond the bounds of what good politics are meant to be. Government should be for the benefit of all, not just those that the current government deems worthy. I think this understanding should be true for all people, it certainly ought to be true for any of us who would claim to be Christian.