The truth behind the Tory propaganda

May 6, 2017May 12, 2017 / Minimalist Christian / 1 Comment

I am not a politician. I don’t know how to manipulate people to vote for me. But I do know injustice when I see it, and I do know lies and deceit when I see it, and I have learnt to recognise logical fallacies when I read or hear them. The Conservative government have taught me well. Local election results show that the population has unfortunately not learnt the same lesson.

There is massive injustice in our nation.

Look at the distribution of income (latest available figures)

What personal virtue led to the highest earners being paid ten or a hundred times more than those at the bottom? It was all accident. Accident of birth that gave them the attributes to succeed in business, or accident of birth that gave them the education and contacts that they needed. But are they a hundred times more valuable people than the lower paid? And as by accident they have more income, is it not right that they should give more money to the community? Yet the Conservative government wants them to pay less. The Conservative government wants their wealth to increase, and wants to put control of our lives in their hands.

And look at the distribution of wealth.

What personal virtue led to the inheritance of wealth or debt? None, it was all accident of birth. Without wealth you cannot buy your own home without having to borrow. You cannot start a business without having borrow. You cannot have a university education without having to borrow. And when you borrow without wealth you have to pay high rates of interest.

And look at the direction of taxes.

The Conservative governments have reduced tax on the highest earners, they have reduced inheritance tax on the wealthiest, they have increased VAT – tax that is paid by everyone – poor and rich alike.

Conservative values are to tax the poor and to increase the wealth of the wealthy. And yet they manage to manipulate the press and the people to avoid these truths and focus on jingoistic slogans and false national pride. Oh yes, they are very good politicians – but I have learnt to see though their smokescreen. I have looked at the data instead of the rhetoric. I have seen the unnecessary suffering that the Conservatives have caused. And so I will vote for the party with compassionate and just policies. Will you join me?

Why we need more council houses

May 1, 2017May 1, 2017 / Minimalist Christian / 1 Comment

The chart below shows the income distribution in the UK (latest figures available from government statistics) and the corresponding amount that you can borrow if you have a 10% deposit (using the Halifax building society mortgage calculator).

Two thirds of the working population would be earning too little to buy a house for £150,000 by themselves. If you do not have the ‘bank of Mum and Dad’ then you have no chance.

Your only option is to rent, from the private sector, at a cost that is higher than your mortgage repayments would be if you were able to get a loan.

That is why we NEED more council houses.

That is why I’m voting for a Labour government. (see Pledge 2)

“Forgive me my sin, as I forgive those who sin against me.”

January 23, 2017 / Minimalist Christian / Leave a comment

Think about this carefully. It is the route to national and individual healing.

If we are a wealthy banker and are angry and unforgiving of those who voted for Brexit, then this prayer gives the Brexit voter permission to be angry and unforgiving of us, as we maintain the system of oppression of the poor. The country tears in two, hatred spreads and we are all worse off.

If we are poor and homeless and are unforgiving of the uncaring nature of those who are financially safe, then that gives those in power no incentive to change the situation. And we can expect to be punished for any bad behaviour on our part.

If we are unforgiving of less than perfect service from (say) hospital A&E, teachers, or waiters then we can expect no forgiveness when we fall short of perfection in our work.

If we cannot forgive our friends or family when they say or do something that upsets us, then we must be perfect in our behaviour towards them.

The prayer asks that we are forgiven in the same way that we forgive others. If we cannot forgive others, we must maintain the same demand for perfection in ourselves; a demand that we will never be able to live up to. If we want to free ourselves from feelings of guilt or inadequacy, we must choose to forgive others first for their shortcomings, and then we can know then that we are forgiven.

Immigrants!

November 14, 2016April 29, 2017 / Minimalist Christian / Leave a comment

“A business man was coming back from a sales trip overseas. His flight was delayed and he managed only to get the last train back to where his car was parked at the station. It was late at night, and as he took his keys to open his car he was set upon by robbers. They beat him up, stole his keys, wallet and computer, and left him lying there in the station car park.

The car park was quiet, for it was late at night and he lay there, hunched up and groaning in pain.

Another late train drew in. The first into the car park was a wealthy land owner and landlord. He saw the man lying there and muttered under his breath about how drug addicts were spreading everywhere. As he clicked the central locking on his 4×4 he made a mental not to write to the leader of the council about cleaning addicts out of the area.

The next person into the car park was a middle classed lady coming back from a day shopping. She looked across at the man, and in the dark assumed that he was one of the homeless, turning to drink to drown his sorrows. She kept her distance; she was worried for her own safety. Why doesn’t the government do something to help these people she thought to herself. I might have to think about voting for one of the other parties next time.

No more trains came in, but later that night an immigrant was walking by on his way to his night shift at an out of town warehouse and distribution centre. He saw the man still slumped there, and went across to him. He saw the state of the man, and tried his best to bandage the wounds and make him comfortable, wrapping his own coat around him and giving him a sip from the hot drink he’d brought with him to keep out the cold on the walk home. He called the emergency services and waited with the man for the two hours until they came. Finally some paramedics arrived and told the immigrant that they would now look after the business man and that he should go on his way.

He walked the two miles to his warehouse job, but when he arrived the supervisor berated him for lateness and summarily dismissed him. His story of helping the injured man was treated as such – a story made up to cover his laziness, and he was told that he was a shirker who should go back to his own country. He sadly walked back to his shared room, wondering how to break the news to his family, and worrying about how he would now be able to afford this month’s rent.”

Which of these people was making our nation great again?

“Back in the day …” But why not now?

November 3, 2016April 29, 2017 / Minimalist Christian / Leave a comment

There was a time when it was wrong to tell a lie.

There was a time when we were taught that “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

There was a time when we were taught that it was good to share.

There was a time when we were taught to “do as you would be done by”; to treat others as you would like them to treat you. That every person was our neighbour, irrespective of where they came from, or which ‘tribe’ they belonged to.

All of these were accepted fundamental truths: words of Christ which spoke to our conscience and were proved correct by our experience.

Look at the papers, with the lies and attitudes of politicians in the US election and the Brexit campaign, the inequality, the refugee situation, the callous treatment of the poor, and we can see that we do not live in such a time.

I miss when human beings cared about each other, when decency was valued and we respected each other. I want to see our nation, our world return to those values.

Do you?

Let it start with you and me. Let’s vote knowingly, and act selflessly to change society back to what it should be.

Time to repent.

August 7, 2016August 7, 2016 / Minimalist Christian / Leave a comment

In an earlier post I wrote “Inequality between the richest and the poorest is a man-made thing. Men have put it in place. Men defend it. Men can dismantle it.” I was wrong.

Recent events clearly show that left alone, mankind is selfish, greedy and tribal. Only when empowered by the spirit of love and goodness can men and women make a difference.

We need more leaders who promote that spirit, but we are cursed with politicians such as Trump who despise love and goodness. Many of the Brexit arguments from both sides were appealing to our baser nature. And we listen to them and subdue the spirit of love in our heart.

So what must we do to change the state of things? We were given the answer two thousand years ago:

“Repent, and give up our life of sin”

Each one of us needs to take stock of our values and choose to live by what really matters: to love our neighbour as ourselves. We need to embrace the spirit of love and goodness, accept forgiveness for how we have been and from now on choose to love. That is the only way that the evil in this world will be defeated.

For more details, go to your local church or read:

Why I will be voting to remain in the EU.

June 11, 2016 / Minimalist Christian / 4 Comments

The result of the vote is likely to have little or no impact on me personally, so why do I come across as passionate that we should stay in? Because I care deeply about the wellbeing and spiritual health of all in our nation.

The current suffering of the poorest in our society has absolutely nothing to do with the EU, but everything to do with the UK government’s austerity program and with the culture of inequality that is peddled by the press and protected by the wealthy. It is within our nation’s power to deal with this today – irrespective of whether we are in or out of the EU. The ‘out’ campaign put the blame for the current difficulties on immigration and ‘Jonny Foreigner’. This creates anger, tribalism and hate in the hearts of those who listen to their message. I do not want our nation to move further in that direction.

The claims from both sides that Britain will be better off ‘in’ or ‘out’ are all speculation. Nobody knows how other nations will respond, what the markets will do, or any of the other predictions. Of course, the ‘out’ campaign can claim that things will be better than they are today, and in response all that the ‘in’ campaign can say is that they will be worse. In the present austerity regime, the ‘out’ offers an end to the pain, in the same way as the National Lottery offers a way out of financial troubles – and you don’t even have to buy a ticket, just tick the right box. And in the same way that the lottery takes money from the poorest with the promise of wealth, the out campaign is appealing to the poorest with the promise of a wonderful future. This is manipulative, and I will not support a group of people who use such tactics.

We are currently governed by a party that was elected by 25% of the nation (we call it democracy), composed of the privileged class. Without hindrance from the EU they are introducing policies that do not consider the personal pain of the poor. The most extreme members of this group are the ones that want us to leave the EU. I ask why, and the answer is simple – they don’t want the EU to constrain their policies with any social justice laws and regulations. They want to be unfettered in pursuing their personal agendas. I do not want to see these people given completely free reign in this county.

And finally, the whole question is causing people to ask ‘what is best for me’, whereas I would rather see people to ask ‘what can I do to help my neighbour’. I want the leaders of our nation to encourage us to be more moral in our thinking, and yet the in/out debate is a perfect example of our politicians appealing to the basest emotions that we have. So I advocate: “Vote to stay in Europe, stop listening to the rantings on the politicians, and get on with loving and caring for your neighbour, near and far”.

A morning prayer for the wealthy

January 1, 2016 / Minimalist Christian / 1 Comment

Dear Lord,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

Thank you for bringing me safely through another night and for the promise of a new day.
Thank you for blessing me with health, wealth and good friends, and thank you for my family.

Thank you for the blessings that I can bring to others. Forgive me please for the times when I have not acted as you would wish, and please strengthen and encourage me to carry out your will in the future. Guide my steps to places and people who I can bless, and form in my heart the desire and will to be that blessing. Let me feel joy at the good that I have been able to do in your name.

It is hard to be joyful when there is evil confronting us each day, sustained by misguided beliefs and the cold hard hearts of so many.

Yet all good things come from you and are part of you, so please help me to know you, love you and enjoy your presence. Please lift my spirit to worship and praise you, and to appreciate your gifts to me. Please be present with me every moment of the day and night, filling me with your goodness and keeping me from harm. Please protect those who I love, and heal those who are suffering in body, mind and spirit.

In this cruel and selfish world, I ask that you work in all people to draw us to love you with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves.

Please correct the growing culture of inequality where we, your children, believe others to be less important and valuable than we are. Help us to see each human being as our brother or sister, parent or child, and to love them as such.

Father, let your spirit drench this land as the wind and rain of winter. Convince the people in this nation of your existence, bring us to see our sin, and to repentance and forgiveness. Draw us close to you.

And please mould your church to feed us with the bread of life and to help us praise you as you deserve. Please remove the barriers that we put in the way of people who would follow you, forgive our mistakes and guide our actions to properly serve you and those we live among.

I ask all this in Jesus’ name, for I believe and trust that this is your will.

Amen

Two shirts at Christmas?

December 21, 2015 / Minimalist Christian / Leave a comment

Friends on Facebook know that I often share posts highlighting injustice. And I have written blog posts prompted by claims that ‘austerity’ is working. But in the face of injustice, with a government that shows no sign of compassion, and with years to the next general election, doesn’t this just breed despair and helplessness: “It’s too big a problem, and what can a single human being do to change things?” So why do I speak out about injustice?

To grumble and whinge? No
To cry out for change? Yes
To educate that it is indeed injustice? Yes
To encourage readers to ask “what can I do?” Definitely.

Many years ago a wise man said “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” He was speaking in a time of great injustice, under a government that brooked no dissent. There was no changing the system, but he was calling every person to make a difference. He was challenging the culture of the day. That is what I hope to achieve.

I choose not to follow the culture of self-interest and greed endemic today, where we are expected to make all decisions on the basis of maximising our personal income. I try to make life decisions on what is good and right, and that includes recognising that I have “two shirts”. I long for the wealthy to recognise the same.

But where does the strength come from to be counter-culture? It does not come from the media, or from political leadership. It comes from the one that the wise man served.

Do you want to make a difference? Then begin. Choose goodness. Choose love. Transfer your allegiance from the culture of selfishness to the one who is supreme goodness; the one whose birthday the world is celebrating.

Have a great Christmas!

Greece is on the verge of a great future – don’t throw it away!

July 15, 2015 / Minimalist Christian / 8 Comments

What is it that defines a successful country? The wellbeing of the citizens, or the nation’s riches? The two are not the same.

Wellbeing: feeling loved and valued, health, happiness, contributing to society –these are the things that matter, that make us human. These do not come with national wealth but with equality and relationships – how people value and treat each other.

In the war, everyone was ‘in it together’ and although times were hard, apart from the obvious war wounds, people were healthy, valued and fulfilled. Society became much more equal. If Greece chooses to adopt a true attitude of unity (not like Cameron’s phony ‘Big Society’) where everyone looks out for each other, where those with more help out those with less – because they matter as fellow human beings – then Greece will thrive!

The worry is that Greece is so keen to stay in the “Euro” club that they will give up their wellbeing to do so. They are already feeling un-valued, un-loved and betrayed. They are dealing with institutions, but institutions don’t have a soul and don’t care about people, so why is Greece surprised. But they don’t have to shackle themselves to the rich man’s yoke to live well.

So long as there is food on the table and friends to eat it with, so long as their whole society unites in a common cause, they will thrive. But if they choose to be victims of the wealthy, if their society chooses to take what they can as individuals then they will indeed suffer. The richer Greeks will be materially fine but the poor will hurt, health for all will worsen, there will be riots and unrest, and productivity will reduce too – the signs are already there.

Greece is at a crossroads, but it’s not the crossroads reported in the press. It is a crossroads of its citizen’s attitude to each other. They can lead the world in showing how to be successful without being serfs to the economic barons. I hope that they choose wisely.