One of many nice issues about Christianity is that it provides hope in a hopeless world and the final word new starting – a brand new beginning. Nothing else comes shut. In truth, every other idol that provides them finally ends up being pretend. Because of this I used to be actually stunned by the virtually evangelical language some Christian leaders used to elect a brand new Labor authorities.
One wrote about change, a brand new starting and a brand new sense of hope. Others inspired Christians to vote for Justice, Compassion and Peace – which is “Newspeak” for Labor or Liberal. However will the brand new authorities ship all this? On the opposite aspect there are folks like Peter Hitchens who for years informed us to not vote Tory, simply earlier than the election he obtained ugly and urged us all to vote Tory or we’d find yourself with a radical left authorities.
I'm not a giant fan of both utopian or apocalyptic language. I actually consider that the 40 % of voters who couldn't be bothered to vote as a result of they see it as a small distinction could also be proper. However, elections are vital and it’s a privilege to have the ability to vote. Let's attempt to keep away from the “kingdom come” or “we’re all doomed” hyperbole and take into consideration what this consequence means for the UK and the church.
1. The outcome doesn’t bode properly for the way forward for British democracy.
On the one hand, our first postal system previous gave us a robust authorities – maybe too sturdy – with a majority of over 250. However, solely 20% of the voters elected this authorities. 22,000 votes had been wanted for every Labor MP and 1 million for a Reform MP. Labour, with 34% of the vote (the bottom for a governing social gathering), received 64% of the seats; the Tories, on 24%, received 19%; Reform (14%) and the Greens (7%) acquired 1% every.
For me, probably the most fascinating statistic of the evening was that whereas Jeremy Corbyn obtained 12,877,918 votes in 2017 and 10,269,051 votes in 2019 (he misplaced and was thought-about a large failure), in 2024 Keir Starmer obtained 9,643,399 and received a large parliamentary the bulk!
The FPTP system works properly in a two-party system; it turns into patently unfair in a multi-party system. It’s unlikely that the Tories or Labor will search to alter this – as a result of it retains them each in enterprise. But when issues keep the identical, it’ll trigger extra disillusionment and restlessness.
2. The UK is protected for the subsequent decade.
One of the vital important outcomes of the election was the devastation of the SNP – down from 48 seats to 9. The SNP spin docs tried to color it as a few of their supporters lending their votes to Labor to get the Tories out – however that doesn't make sense. The Tories won’t ever win greater than the six seats they already had. The truth is that simply because the end in England was as a result of dissatisfaction with the Conservative authorities, so the end in Scotland was primarily as a result of dissatisfaction with the Scottish authorities. Because of this, the reason for independence was delayed for no less than ten years.
3. The rise of the Reform Occasion with greater than 4 million votes and 5 MPs is important.
This creates an actual dilemma for conservatives. On the one hand, all of the pundits are telling them to not veer to the precise (they might then lose much more of their seats within the leafy suburbs of southern England to the Lib Dems). However however, there are big numbers of individuals throughout the nation who’re involved about immigration, the consequences of Internet Zero, and varied manifestations of the woke up ideology that has captured most of our elites. In the long run, the Conservatives weren’t elected as a result of they mismanaged the nation and since they weren’t conservative sufficient. If neither of the foremost political events provides social conservatism, who will the social conservatives vote for?
4. The emergence of sectarian politics is deeply disturbing.
The election of the 4 independents, plus that of Jeremy Corbyn, was legitimate as a result of they embraced Muslim opposition to Israel's actions in Gaza. The emergence of sectarian politics based mostly on faith within the UK isn’t one thing to be welcomed. I discover it completely weird that left-wing commentators describe these MPs as “radical left”! I don't assume homosexual rights and girls's rights actually matter in Iran or Pakistan! As an indication of issues to come back, contemplate the therapy of Jesse Phillips, the newly elected Labor MP for Birmingham. She was heckled and abused by her Islamist opponents, who practically succeeded in ousting her. I believe that to be able to appease this crowd, the brand new Labor authorities will do as promised and introduce new “Islamophobia” legal guidelines. In different phrases, what’s going to truly be a brand new blasphemy regulation banning any criticism of Islam.
5. The brand new Labor authorities has many issues to cope with.
The financial system (particularly rising nationwide debt), failing public establishments, training, the psychological well being disaster, housing, the NHS, the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and immigration. We are able to solely pray that they’ll show to be a extra competent and succesful authorities than the federal government they’re changing. One space of specific concern is that the modifications promised by the federal government will typically be ideological. Having a brand new training secretary, Bridget Phillipson, who seems to be a supporter of trans ideology, doesn’t bode properly. Or a dedication to ban conversion remedy – together with any counseling associated to transgenderism.
On this regard, it was unhappy to see two of the main campaigners for girls's rights, Miriam Cates (Conservative) and Jo Cherry (SNP), lose their seats. Within the case of the previous, the BBC ran a very nasty hit a couple of days earlier than the election questioning her church affiliation. No marvel Pink Information rejoiced at being changed by an “inclusive” candidate.
Let's return to this concept of change, new hope and new beginnings. I believe that principally not a lot will change – within the phrases of the nice Who's 'Received't Get Gooled Once more', “meet the brand new boss similar to the previous boss”. Sir Keir Starmer spoke of the nation's confidence in Labor and that they won’t allow us to down as they lead us into a brand new begin and a modified society. It's onerous to consider that anybody else falls for this.
My very own view is that the UK is at present beneath God's judgment within the sense of Romans 1. When we’ve got given up on God and our Christian roots, the Lord principally offers us what we requested for and leaves us to regulate ourselves. We have now and can proceed to spoil it. We’d like repentance, restoration and reformation; not the false political idols that promise us paradise however can not defend us from the issues that can destroy us.
There are seven biblical ideas for Christians to recollect.
- Don’t put your belief in politicians (Psalm 146:3)
- Pray for politicians (1 Timothy 2:1)
- The place there isn’t a imaginative and prescient, the folks perish (Proverbs 29:18)
- We’re to do justice, love mercy, and stroll humbly with our God (Micah 6:8)
- We’re to evangelise the phrase, in season or out of season (2 Timothy 4:2)
- We’re to evangelise the phrase to politicians (Psalm 119:46)
- Jesus is the King. All nations, people and leaders will bow down earlier than him (Philippians 2:10)
It is a manifesto that offers me actual hope! what about you
David Robertson is minister of the Scottish Kirk Presbyterian Church in Newcastle, New South Wales. She blogs at The Wee Flea.