Tag: news

‘Political homelessness’ and the perfect governance that is to come 

Published on by Poppy FairLeave a comment

Since becoming a political Campaign Organiser in October, I have spoken to hundreds of people whilst canvassing, and so many are saying the same thing. They’re fed up. There’s a huge distrust of politicians and people have no idea who to vote for. 

The Independent recently shared an article stating that “Britain is heading for the lowest general election turnout in modern history, pollsters have warned, with the main parties and their leaders leaving many voters ‘politically homeless’.”

I’d like to reflect a little on this… 

A democratic country

Here in the UK, we’re supposed to be one of the more politically stable countries. We’ve had a consistent democratic system for a very long time, and currently have the freedom to express ourselves through protests and free speech. 

The Freedom House has given the UK a “freedom score” of 93/100. This is in comparison to North Korea scoring 3, Russia scoring 13, and Nigeria scoring 44. 

When we compare ourselves to other countries in the world, we have a pretty good system – yet, it still consists of corruption and lies. 

Although we have the democratic right to vote and apparent political freedom, none of our national political leaders seem worthy to vote for. It feels as though there is something seriously wrong for this to be the case. 

The root of the problem

Humanly speaking, there never has been and never will be a perfect government. Our world is too broken. 

We fight for freedom, justice and equality, and yet too often human nature takes over and a good intention soon becomes a hunger for power. Society struggles to agree on an issue because we have pride, greed and envy. Even when we’re fighting for what we think is right, it often comes from a selfish cause. 

Why is this?

Well, I believe that we have been created in God’s image – this is where our thirst for justice and righteousness comes from. We feel angry when we see corruption. We feel sorrow when we see poverty. We feel frustration when we see inequality. We feel these things because that is how God feels when He sees corruption, poverty and inequality.  

However, humankind also adopted a sinful nature. This means that even when we have the best intentions, we often put ourselves first. God created humans to be equal and to worship Him as King, but we often steal His crown, reject His ways and put ourselves above others. God created the world with order and purpose but more and more often, we fight against it.

I think that this is the root to the disruption we find ourselves in. The more our society celebrates individualism and self, the more unrest and disagreement there seems to be – it spreads from our every day living all the way to the politicians sitting in Parliament. 

And yet, there is hope

When I look around, I’m tempted to fall into despair. When everything seems such a mess, what can we do? The more we try to fix things as humans, the worse things seem to get. 

But before I reach despair, I look to my Bible for the promises within. 

The Bible gives an overview of all of time, and even looks forward to what is to come. At the end of the Bible, it points to a time when Jesus will return and reign forever: 

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)

But it doesn’t only talk about it at the end, this promise was also given 700 years before Jesus was even born! Isaiah describes what this promised reign will look like:

“He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore.” (Isaiah 9:7)

This points to the perfect governance that we long for, one of justice and righteousness. But it is important to see that this governance lies in Jesus, it lies in being reunited with the image that we were created to mirror. 

So really, what I’m trying to say is:

1) When all seems doom and gloom, and we feel anger and frustration at the political state of this country – that is understandable. There is something in all of us that feels the brokenness of this world and it is within our DNA to want better.

2) Recognise that it is a privilege to live in a country that allows us to vote and have political freedom. Research your local politicians and what they stand for. We need more politicians with integrity, and if those with integrity give up on voting, we’re only going to get more political corruption. 

3) Most importantly of all, keep your eyes up and remember the reason why things feel broken. Work on having a relationship with the One that you were made to mirror, so that you too can look forward to the perfect governance that is to come. 

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6)

A bright orange sky thanks to a sunsetting over the sea. The picture signifies hope and the article talks about the hope that is to come in a perfect governance.

Politics through a Christian lens

Published on by Poppy FairLeave a comment

Politics is such an interesting subject when addressing it from a Christian perspective – especially in this day and age when it often feels like our country’s politics are anti-Christian. 

As I spoke about in my last post, our government is run by human beings, and we all have flaws. Sometimes it feels like our system is so unjust and broken, it doesn’t seem right to follow it. So how should a Christian respond? 

Recognising authority

I’ve recently been reading through 1 Samuel in the Old Testament and one of the recurring themes is David honouring and respecting Saul because he is the one that God anointed to have authority over him – even though Saul was trying to kill him! 

“He [David] said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master [Saul], the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” 1 Samuel 24:6

This points to 1 Peter 2:13-17 from the New Testament: 

“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority,or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.”

And also points to Romans 13:1:

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

This is essentially saying that by honouring our worldly authorities, we are honouring God and recognising that He is sovereign in His appointment of these authorities. 

But it is vital to remember in this that God, through Jesus, holds true authority over the entire world, as Matthew 28:18 states,

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

What does this look like in practice? 

It’s wonderful that, although Jesus was on earth 2,000 years ago, He spoke into so many real life situations that are still relevant today – and politics is no different. Here’s a snippet from Mark 12: 

“Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

And they were amazed at him.”

Context is key 

It’s helpful to remember the context of this passage. During this time, Jews were being forced to pay taxes straight into the Roman emperor’s treasury – it signified the Roman oppression over Israel. The Jews hated having to pay it and some more patriotic Jews (such as Zealots) refused to pay it at all. The Pharisees and Herodians were asking Jesus an immensely controversial political question.

This reminds me of today’s political sphere. Our government seems corrupt, and society seems to be moving further and further away from the Christian faith. But I find the context of Mark 12 helpful to remember because even during a time of oppression, Jesus still recognises the authority of the Roman Empire. 

One commentator has described Jesus’ answer as, “Full of consummate wisdom. It establishes the limits, regulates the rights, and distinguishes the jurisdiction of the two empires of heaven and earth.”

This is built on even more later in the Bible. When Romans and 1 Peter were written (passages quoted above), Nero was emperor of Rome and he burnt Christians alive! Even during such oppression of Christians, believers were still being called to recognise that “the authorities that exist have been established by God”. 

What is “Caesar’s” and what is God’s? 

Jesus calls us to follow Him. The Bible reveals to us the way that God wants a Christian to walk. God wants our worship, devotion and love. 

In the UK, our government tells us to pay taxes, follow their laws and to live in a land peacefully. 

Our relationship with God must always come first, as He is the true authority. This means that if our government commands us to do something that is against God, our loyalties and honour lie with God first, and then His anointed governance.

However, other than that I think the Bible clearly shows us the importance of submitting to and honouring our government. 

This is a truth that I really struggle with. Out of my friends, I’m probably the first one to point out when the government is doing something for their own gain, or lying to us, or acting corruptly. 

After reflecting on all of this, I need to really check in with myself as to how I respond in these situations. But it’s also important to recognise where your heart lies in the simple things like paying taxes, keeping to speed limits, and not pushing the boundaries of basic civil etiquettes.

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Romans 13:1)

Believe it or not, there’s more that could be said about this! Here’s a sermon my church did around Jesus and Politics:

3 things I’ve learnt working in politics

Published on by Poppy Fair1 Comment

The General Election was called on Wednesday, which means the next six weeks are going to be pretty busy for me…

For anyone that doesn’t know, I am the campaign organiser for the Liberal Democrats, which means the calling of the General Election will have me rather tied up in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, this means that I may get a little behind on my new writing venture, but I’ll do my best to keep up! 

Not that political…

I used to say that I’m not very political, in fact I used to not even vote! I felt that all parties are the same, and that our votes don’t make much of a difference anyway, so what’s the point. Furthermore, on a national level, it just seems to be between Labour or Conservative and I don’t feel like I align with either of these parties, I’ve always thought of myself as more of a centrist. 

After working in this job since October 2023, I can no longer say that I’m not political – I understand it all a little too much now! However, I am thankful for the opportunity to gain a better understanding of politics – so here are some of my key takeaways.

1) There is no perfect government

I think this is quite an obvious one, especially when we look at the political world around us. No country has it right. Britain is supposed to be one of the politically ‘better’ countries and look at what a mess our government is in. 

I think this comes down to the fact that our government is made up of human beings, and not one of us is perfect – even the so called “goodens” have flaws. Plus, everyone has different opinions on moral, social and economic issues, so no government will keep everyone happy, we’re all too subjective. 

However, I think working in politics and seeing some of the ‘behind the scenes’, has given me a greater understanding of the privilege it is to have the right to vote. Knocking on doors and speaking to people about their concerns and where they feel the government has helped or let them down, has given me a greater insight into our democracy. This is something that has come as quite a surprise to my historically-cyncial self. 

2) Local politics is important

I think the biggest thing I’ve learnt in this job is to appreciate local politics. I still feel that on a national level, our votes don’t really make that much of a difference.

But they do matter locally, and I don’t think this is something that’s emphasised enough. How often do we look into the candidate that we are voting for, rather than just putting a cross next to the party that we think we may relate to the most? When we’re voting for a party, the person we’re voting for locally can often be rather different to the party we’d be voting for nationally. 

What’s more, when do we (especially younger people) pay any attention to local elections and the voting in of local councillors? It’s been an honour to work closely with councillors throughout North Wiltshire and The Cotswolds. Many of them are hard working and have stood for councillor because they really care for their community and area.

Realistically, if we do ever have a problem, it will be our local political representatives that we will be turning to. 

3) Trusting where God has placed me

In all honesty, sometimes this job is really tough. It’s a big old challenge (even before the General Election was called!), and some days are just really hard. Because I’m not particularly politically driven, when I’m finding the job hard, it can be difficult to find motivation. 

In these moments, I turn to God in prayer. He graciously reminds me that I am where He has placed me, and I remind myself that He probably has a lot to teach me: 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

And really, this job has been a wonderful experience. It’s helped me to get a better understanding of people and the needs and challenges they’re facing. Plus, I’m grateful God has given me the opportunity to gain such an understanding of how our country is run nationally and locally, and I’m excited to see how He will use me after having gained this knowledge. 

I also want to close highlighting what many of us are feeling. As the General Election approaches, it’s clear that we need people of integrity and honesty in government. It’s a privilege to have the right to vote, and when we are using this democratic privilege, please do your research (especially on a local level) – perhaps using The Electoral Commission. Please think before putting down that cross, and celebrate that we have the right to do so. 

But overall, remember the true governance of this world. But more on this next time…

“For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)