Weekly Thoughts

I have never aspired to be wealthy which is just as well since I would have to be judged a total failure. As it is I am grateful that our resources are sufficient for my wife and I to live comfortably without money worries. But some people are very rich, some have resources amounting to more than 1billion pounds. Some people will have inherited their wealth but in that case, they probably have responsibility for an ancient estate which of course carries its own responsibilities. Some people are lucky: perhaps they win a lottery or discover some buried treasure. Some work hard for it, particularly in the earlier years of setting up a business. In all cases this raises the questions are how did they come by such wealth and what do they intend to do with it. Some wealthy people are content to live quietly enjoying their good fortune or the fruits of their labours. Others however are not content with being wealthy, they want to be powerful as well.

There are various sorts of power, industrialists exert power in their particular fields, newspaper proprietors like Rupert Murdoch can wield great power through their publications. And then there is political power; by its name that power has to be exercised within a community. In a democracy that means winning some sort of election and then once in power doing a good enough job to hold it down. That is all very well but if you are very wealthy it must be very tempting to try to use your wealth to buy power. If you and a number of wealthy people succeed in doing that we end up with an oligarchy where a few wealthy individuals control society rather than a democracy. That is what seems to be happening in the USA and could happen here if Reform UK ever came to power.

The Christian attitude to politics is determined by two considerations first that every individual is made in the image of God and, whoever they are, deserves to be respected as such and secondly for same reason, each individual whoever they are should count as one and no-one whoever rich and powerful should count as more than one. The result of such reasoning should be a democracy such we now have here in UK. The weakness of our system is our antiquated first-past-the-post voting system. Proportional representation although likely to result in a coalition government is a far more representational system. All people in a society have the right to have their essential humanity respected. The 1942 Beveridge Report which was the genesis of our welfare state identified five "giants" (social evils) and aimed to eradicate them: Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor, and Idleness. After 80 years of the welfare state most of these evils have been considerably reduced, but none have been entirely eradicated.

The second consideration is to see power as a form of service. Jesus said, “I am among you as one who serves” and that should be the outlook of everyone in a position of authority from the Prime Minister down to the humblest local government employee. There should be no place for power as a form of domination as a means of furthering your interests at the expense of the rest of society.

Someone said that democracy is a very bad system of government but it is the best there is. We live in a fallen, that is less than perfect world, so perhaps democracy as we have it is the best we can manage. Nevertheless, there is more work to be done before we achieve the goals Beveridge set even here in Britain, to say nothing of the rest of the world.

READINGS AND PRAYERS

15 FEBRUARY – SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE LENT – Matthew 17.1-9 – the Transfiguration – for grace to keep a good Lent

16 FEBRUARY – Monday – James 1.1-11 – face trials with joy – for courage to face the challenges of Lent

17 FEBRUARY – Shrove Tuesday – James 12-18 – every good gift comes down from the Father of lights – sorrow and repentance for our sins

18 FEBRUARY – ASH WEDNESDAY – Matthew 6.1-6,16-21 – your Father who sees in secret will reward you – for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we begin Lent

19 FEBRUARY – Thursday – Esther 14.1-5, 12-14 – Esther seeks refuge in the Lord – that the Holy Spirit will sustain us as we keep Lent

20 FEBRUARY – Friday – Matthew 5.20-26 – be reconciled to your brother or sister – those with whom we find elations difficult

21 FEBRUARY – Saturday – Deuteronomy 16.16-end – you will diligently observe the Lord’s statutes and ordinances – for perseverance in observing Lent