Dear Christian Voter

Posted at 1:24 PM

Dear Conservative voter,

You didn’t quite do it. The Big Society didn’t quite capture the public. You can moan all you want about “the British people decisively defeating Gordon Brown” but he’s still got a constitutional right to try to form the next government. If he succeeds, you’re not going to like it. A progressive agenda; the free speech clause in the religious hatred bill revoked, leaving evangelists and preachers open to prosecution for saying stuff from the Bible; a budget deficit that isn’t being tackled quickly enough; no movement on abortion; parents’ rights to educate their kids constricted, with secular sex education centrally mandated; electoral reform with its potential to keep this coalition going for decades. As Leo McGarry once put it, “You got beat”.

Sure, there were some astounding victories. Reading West was won with a 12% swing; Montgomeryshire with 13%. My old MP, notorious for his liberal views on euthanasia, was beaten by a Christian candidate. There are places you’ve done very well. But there’s a residual fear of the nasty old Tories that has seemingly stopped you from getting the majority you feel the country needed. Some people have been won over by hearing about the work of the Centre for Social Justice; others think you’re still the party of the rich and privileged, and are thanking God that you didn’t get a majority. Okay, so you’ll argue that inheritance tax is unfair as it taxes the same person twice on the same money; you’ll argue that your tax policies keep support for the poorest, and that inequality increased under Labour; you’ll argue that you believe in a more limited form of government (perhaps even with biblical reasons to back you up) and deeply care about the poor. Many Christians aren’t listening to you. For those for whom social justice is a priority, any attempt to cut taxes on the rich (inheritance tax) or increase the burden on the poor (cutting some benefits), or towards an unequal education system where rich parents improve their kids’ schools and the rest get landed with worse ones, will leave them confirmed in their views that you hate the poor and would horrifically damage this country. You need to convince them. I don’t know how.

At the same time, you might be tempted to demonise those Christians who supported the other parties. Don’t. Christians supporting Labour generally do so because they have a passion for social justice and eradicating inequality, an issue where your party’s reputation is (in their eyes) absolutely horrific. Don’t demonise them for promoting a anti-Christian agenda; instead, catch the same passion for the poor. This is where you fall down in your support amongst Christians; keep doing better at it. Show them by your lives that this is something you care about. Christians are called to seek the good of the city – in other words, the common good and not just the protection of Christian freedoms. Some Christians might be happy with a bit less freedom (it’s never stopped the gospel going out before) and fewer poor people. Some might not agree with your perception of the issues. Some might just not know about it. Don’t demonise them.

Don’t demonise the Lib Dems either. Christians voting Lib Dem do so because they’re opposed to war; they want a fairer tax and electoral system; they care for the environment. You might disagree with their solutions, or even think them naïve, but don’t demonise them. Some Lib Dems are militantly secular, but others aren’t, and the party whips far less than the major two. Supporting the Conservatives to them might be seen as restricting debate; a kick in the teeth for poor families; even a vote for Christendom! Re-affirm the Conservatives’ liberal heritage. You do have common ground!

Dear Labour voter,

Well, it’s not as bad as you’d feared, but it’s still your worst loss for many years. As I write, Gordon Brown is still the prime minister. The Tories have the most seats but not enough to win votes without difficulty. You’ve saved the country from stinging cuts that would send us back into recession; you’ve (for the moment) hung onto power, a small victory for the cause of the marginalised and oppressed you seek to help. A future fair for all could still be possible.

It’s still wide open, but if Cameron fails to negotiate something with the Lib Dems, you’ll have defeated his inheritance tax cut. You’ll have defeated the policies that would drain the education budget while creating more sectarianism and inequality in the school system. You’d have succeeded in standing up for the working class whose interests have always been ignored by the Conservatives. The voice of the oppressed is still heard.

But amid all the rhetoric, you too must try not to demonise your opponents. You’ll argue that you have the moral high ground – the Lib Dems are way off on so many things, and the Tories would continue to help the rich at the expense of the poor. You’ll wonder how any Christian could ever vote Conservative: their inheritance tax cuts are immoral, when families are losing their tax credits; marriage is good but no-one will stay married through a measly tax cut – again, it’s merely giving more money to those who need it least; it’s Labour who have invested in schools and hospitals, who have increased international aid so much; governments need to seek social justice – just look what the minor prophets criticised God’s people for! – and the Tories want to undo all of that.

But Conservative voters aren’t all who you think they are, nor are they all making the arguments you think they are. Some truly believe that the Bible has only granted the state a limited role, and so cutting taxes and government services, giving some of them over to communities or charities, is the most moral thing to do. They will also argue (not from the Thatcher era, but from the Bible) that social justice is best achieved through individuals, not the hard hand of government. They care for the poor! However, they’re terribly concerned about the size and power of the state, because of its potential to do harm when it steps beyond the bounds God has given it in Scripture. They are concerned that the trend over the last parliament was to more state interference, including how they bring up their children. They’re concerned that the Conservatives are the only party voting against what they see as authoritarian measures to restrict Christian freedoms. You may not agree that that’s a priority when there’s such great poverty in this country, but I hope you can see where they’re coming from.

The amount of hatred I’ve seen from Christians directed at the Conservatives is the main reason I kept so quiet about my voting intentions for so long. Whatever you think of their policies, please do not demonise the Tories. Some are very possibly as bad as you suspect. Many more aren’t. Many are passionate about seeing poverty eradicated; they want to see individuals, communities and charities get their hands dirty helping people, something of which most Labour supporters I know are in favour, even if you disagree on the role the state has to play. Christian Conservatives – and most Conservatives in general – want to help the poor. Please don’t demonise them!

Dear Liberal Democrat voter,

I’m sorry for your loss. You had a fantastic boost in the polls, but it’s gone nowhere. I know how you must be feeling: in 2005, I was feeling the same thing. The sting of losing seats to the Tories can’t be helped much even by a good showing in Eastbourne amongst other places. But you’re the kingmakers now – Labour and the Conservatives both need your support. You can hopefully achieve some of your aims, maybe even proportional representation – and if that goes through, then next time could be a very different story.

You’ve lost seats, but the Tories haven’t gained enough, so you’ve got more clout in than the last parliament. Times could be changing for you.

You might feel frustrated that other Christians seem blind to Labour’s failures: the promise of PR with no result; the war in Iraq; the growing inequality that Gordon Brown has overseen, leaving the poor worse off; excessive governmental regulation; presiding over an immigration nightmare. You might see the Conservatives as even worse: strongly supporting first-past-the-post; continuously fighting for the rights of the already privileged; not doing what was necessary to oppose Labour’s worst excesses; anti-Europe and borderline racist. I know – a year ago, I’d probably have agreed with you.

Try to understand why other Christians aren’t with you. They’re concerned that your party is immoral – members much more likely to support euthanasia and liberalised abortion; who fought hard to abolish blasphemy laws. It may be unfair to criticise you as the electoral system hasn’t given you a chance at power yet, but particularly at this election, they may have felt they needed more experience in government. Labour voters aren’t sure you’re committed to the poor as much as you say, what with seeking to abolish child tax credits and trust funds. Conservative voters have seen you support exactly the same bills they’re worried about Labour proposing: equality legislation that seems to achieve equality for all but Christians; education decisions that potentially prevent parents from bringing up their children as they choose; opposition to restrictions on abortion. They’re also worried about proportional representation creating a hung parliament every election, preventing government from doing its job properly. You might disagree with them; you might trumpet your party’s record on allowing free votes on moral issues, and party members to suggest party policy, allowing a potential Christian influence if more joined you; but please don’t demonise the Tories for being anti-progressive (their motive is to preserve what is good, even if you disagree on what that is), or Labour for not going far enough with social justice and spending too much (they’d argue that they need to to eradicate inequality).

Dear Christian voter,

There’s currently no clear outcome. You might be frightened that the Tories could still claw back power and set back all the progress of the last 13 years, leaving the poor far worse off; you might be scared of a progressive coalition eroding our Christian freedoms; you might be concerned that Gordon Brown is still hanging on. You have no need to be concerned.

Christian voter, the one who currently reigns over the nations of men is the one who died a sinner’s death to bring you to the Father. Jesus is sovereign; Jesus is Lord. Whatever government is formed in the next few hours or days, this will not change. Whether the next few years see our freedoms eroded or protected, whether the poor get poorer or richer, whatever happens: Jesus is Lord. You don’t need to worry! You can be disappointed, that’s allowed. But Jesus is still Lord.

It’s very tempting for Christians to forget that the ultimate political authority in the world belongs to the one who makes and removes governments according to his sovereign will. In the whirlwind of an election campaign, we can become so impassioned about our party that this drops off the radar. We turn on our brothers and sisters from the other parties without realising it by issuing blanket criticisms. If we remember the true King, how can we do this? Politics is vitally important, but not of ultimate importance. We can argue our cases, and seek the common good for this country and this world, always letting the Bible show us what our priorities should be in this. We can throw ourselves into the world of politics, campaigning, running, lobbying and voting. But when Paul writes “there is no Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, man nor woman, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28), he could well have added “no blue, red nor yellow”. Wider afield, knowing the grace that has saved us and the common grace that has given many people a passion to see the poor cared for, we cannot be too aggressively critical of our political opponents. We may disagree utterly, but we would be no better were it not for God’s grace at work in our lives. We have no right to feel self-righteous. Far be it from us to boast “except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to [us], and [we] to the world” (Galatians 6:14). As we seek to be salt and light in our society, we should be distinctive in this way without exception, whatever our political views.

So as the dust settles and deals are made, we need to remember that whoever is prime minister tomorrow, Jesus is Lord over everything, and to trust him, not our government, for the good of the UK; and we need to remember how much we’ve been saved from so that we can engage in politics in a godly, humble and self-giving way.

Before the election

Posted at 1:23 PM

I’ve avoided writing anything about the upcoming general election here, partly because of the dangers of saying stuff before I’ve made up my mind. Well, it may thoroughly shock long term readers of my blog that I’m voting Conservative on Thursday. (In 2005 I criticised them strongly at every opportunity, calling them “closet racists” and accusing them of ignoring the poor.) Adrian Warnock has written three entries about why he’s voting Conservative, which are worth a read:

• Part One: Social Justice
• Part Two: Christian Values
• Part Three: Leadership

Like Adrian, I want to be a “critical friend of the Conservatives”, and as such accept that there are many things I think they could do better. On the whole, though, I think they’ve got things right:

• We need a more limited state, with more of an incentive to work but without making the poor worse off
• We should be given personal responsibility and freedom, rather than nanny state regulation and restriction
• Our public debt means that we need to start work on tackling the deficit now, and that’s going to mean cuts to spending

I think that, far from leaving the poor worse off as their opponents claim, the Conservatives’ plans will help protect those most in need, while stopping the subsidy of those who don’t want to work (as Adrian writes: “Brown has also presided over a system that has increased the perverse incentives on people not to marry, not to work, and to remain on sick leave”); making sure economic inequality is dealt with in a sustainable and holistic fashion is something I think will happen better under a Conservative government.

That said, here are some things I think that, if elected, they should also think about:

• Reforming the tax system, bringing it more in line with Lib Dem proposals (long term I’d like to see national insurance and income tax merged and council tax replaced with local income tax; shorter term I’d like to see tax credits replaced by tax cuts – rather than taxing someone then giving a refund, why not tax them less in the first place?). This seems a great way to help those on low incomes financially, without giving any disincentive to work – something the Tories should be very happy with.
• Bringing not just the state pension, but the minimum wage up to a “living wage” level. If the income of a full-time worker can be guaranteed to give them enough money to live on, benefits for the poor won’t cost as much, tax revenue could potentially rise, both paying for the increased pension.
• A Religious Freedom Act, enshrining the rights of religious (and by extension ideologically-driven secular) groups to practice, preach and employ in line with their beliefs – for example, allowing Christian organisations to only employ Christians and protecting freedom of speech. The state might not recognise that Jesus is Lord, but it should allow those who know that he is to live like it. (I realise that in the UK we’ve had the unusual situation of this being the case for much of the last two hundred years, freedoms that have only recently begun to be eroded. But just because the Bible tells us to expect persecution does not mean we should not fight for just government that recognises its limits!)

The three things that I’ve been asked most about the Conservative policies (and have myself asked the most of friends) are electoral reform, immigration, and education. Again, long term readers will know that I’ve been a strong supporter of proportional representation. Well, ideologically I’m still in favour, but now understand far more of the criticisms than before: opponents claim that coalition governments are weaker and full of compromise, being created by back-room deals rather than decided by the public. (For example, a majority may vote for Labour and the Lib Dems, and end up with a new Labour PM that none of them voted for, and a legislative agenda full of each party’s least popular policies.) European countries like Germany are used to making coalitions, but in the UK, we’re far less likely to be able to sustain them, partly due to a tradition of adversarial politics. (Also see how many coalitions Italy have gone through in recent times.) However I still think the situation we have with safe seats means that votes in marginals are worth far more than others, and that’s something a PR system like AMS would address.

So I like the idea of switching to a proportional system like AMS that retains the constituency-MP link; I’m also not blind to the benefits of a single-party majority for actually getting stuff done. I’m ideologically driven one way, and pragmatically another way. In conclusion, I don’t know. Reducing the number of MPs is a start.

As to immigration, I think the priority is to sort out the administrative horrors of the system, which the Tories will hopefully tackle; I’m personally all in favour of immigration as it gives Christians great opportunities to love people and share the gospel with them, but am conscious that much of being welcoming falls down to individuals and communities rather than government. Education is a tough one, but of the three major parties the Conservatives seem the only ones that accept what the UN Declaration of Humans Rights (and the Bible!) says about parents and their children’s education (“Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children”, Article 26.3; Deuteronomy 6:4-7); I also think their free schools policy would give great potential for Christians to show that God’s values are the best values, and to sacrificially serve in communities with poorer schools. In all of this I want to continue to be a critical friend to the Conservatives (I think there are still some doubts over where the money or buildings will come from for these new schools, and that the Lib Dems have a point about allowing asylum seekers to work while their application is being processed), but I think they are best placed to defend certain freedoms we’ve taken for granted in this country (the right to homeschool, for example).

If the Conservatives win a majority, I fully expect to dislike some of what they do while in government. But then I’m reminded of Psalm 146: “Do not put your trust in princes, // in mortal men, who cannot save … [but] The LORD reigns forever.” A human government will never be perfect, simply because it’s human. But Jesus, the Man on the throne, reigns for ever. We must be careful in whom we put our trust.