Political blundering

I must admit I was not looking forward to the wrangling and one-up-manship of this election campaign. I believe that most of the rhetoric on display is basically dishonest, self serving and not in the best interests of the country. I was particularly dis-enamoured of the recent radio  interview with, I think Shorten, on climate change funding. Not only was the interviewer, in particular, a bit of a bully (aren't they all) but what was trying to be unearthed was even more disheartening and reminded me an awful lot of squabbles that are often featured in parishes, clubs and societies in general. It perhaps persuades me to understand that no matter what level of politics we are involved in the same scenario comes up and must be answered time and time again by each one of us.

This is the question of change or not to change. We seem to think that because all is well we need not worry about change. We seem to think that what has worked in the past is good to work in the future. We seem to have this stark belief that we cannot grow and change, yet surprisingly everything is about life is about change and growth. The cost of not changing is often for greater than the cost associated with change. The costs may not be financial, although this is always what is argued about, I might add, vehemently, but are more to do with our social lives and well being. For, if we do not change and we do not allow change to occur we stagnate. The stagnant pond is not an environment in which life grows well. The costs to our long term emotional and spiritual and physical needs is tremendously high when we stagnate. Some years ago when I returned to the UK with a new wife, for the first time, her comment was "This place has retired, even the youth" (that view did not change). Looking at the UK, now many years later, there seems little life left. Is this the road down which the world is to travel; a road that ultimately leads to death?

The difference between life and death, can we embrace radical change?

This may seem really pessimistic but until we really understand our hesitancy over change, very little will change and we will continue to moan and grumble. It is our attitude that is most important at this point in time. In looking towards our future what do you actually see? I suppose that there are two possible views that you can commit to, with an infinite number of variations to the theme. The first is not to use our imagination and just see the same things that have gone before. In other words a democracy in decline (see AC Grayling’s 'Democracy and its Crisis', 2017) with the same party structures offering the same party lines to which we must be beholden. The second is to actually use our imaginations and visualise something that is completely different. In other words a change to how we see our lives in the future. This opens up so many possibilities. I was asked recently what would happen if there was an independent who sat as the Prime Minister? Just think of that and what that would mean for the parliamentary system? Well, it would certainly indicate change but would it be bad or would it create some innovative thinking around how we should be ensuring a minority voice within the parliament. Perhaps, the majority party should not get to set the Prime Minister but rather the second majority party? This would certainly mean that the parties would have to work together...As Christians, can we see a really different way of making the presence of Christ felt within the political and social structure of our society without alienating vast numbers of people? We are so stuck within the imaginations of our past that we can hardly encompass the new and allow change to become an integral part of our lives.