An Evening Out
I should have been taking part in the Provincials, wider leadership video conference call, which whilst good and enjoyable, could not be compared to the pleasant surprise that Shirley had arranged. She’d managed to get tickets for us to spend an evening in the company of Chris Mullin at Alnwick Playhouse. A long serving Labour politician who recently stood down as the MP for the Sunderland South constituency. Noted as a loyal but independent thinker to the left of the party, he is a highly respected politician and arguably one of the best political biographers. Among his many parliamentary achievements was the reform of the Criminal Justice Bill, his exposing of the Masonic Lodge’s influence within the British Police Force and most famously for his successful campaign that led to the release of those imprisoned Irish citizens who were wrongfully arrested and imprisoned in connection with the IRA terrorist bombings in Birmingham and London. He voted against the war in Iraq but worked tirelessly in the Foreign Office and enjoyed a few years as a Government Minister for Africa.
The evening was unashamedly connected with the publication of his latest political biography Decline and Fall. The first half of the evening was a candid and at times very amusing account of his time in parliament and his opinions on a variety of matters and people. The second half of the evening was spent in open and free discussion with the audience on a whole range of topics from his love of Northumberland to his grave concerns about the consequences of present Government policies for the poor of our country and the plight of the poor and forgotten peoples in Africa and other developing nations. His opinions and observations of the political leaders here at home was fascinating, interesting and disturbing. Whilst no great fan of Gordon Brown as a leader, he pointed out that outside of Britain, Gordon Brown is acknowledged as someone who had the courage and wisdom to take decisive action leading the G8 Summit in London to implement measures that stopped a complete meltdown of the world’s money markets. The phrase, a prophet is not without honour except in his own country comes to mind. Listening to the present Conservative Chancellor, you would get the impression that Gordon Brown caused global recession. Of George Osbourne, Chris Mullin merely repeated what is widely known within the City of London, that they have very little confidence in the man who is managing the public finances. Chris Mullin went further, and for a generally mild and amicable man, described Osbourne as “dangerous” and Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats as a “complete charlatan”. In contrast, whilst not sympathetic with his government’s policies, Mullin was impressed by David Cameron, the new Prime Minister, spotting his potential several years before when the young Etonian sat as a Junior Minister on the Home Office Committee that Mullin chaired. Bright, articulate and as most old Etonians possess, an insatiable self belief and confidence. Interesting and powerful stuff.
Now I realise for many people reading this blog they will have no interest in politics. That for me is a shame. Whatever political party or persuasion we hold, we do need to be mindful that decisions made by our political leaders do impact and influence the places in which we live and communities locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. I remember living and serving in an area of the North East where government decisions led to massive unemployment and with it increasing crime, physical and mental illness, helplessness and the breakdown of civil society. I get so angry with pontificating ministers of the present cabinet, 14 of whom are millionaires, who simply do not understand what it does to a person when you start talking about people needing to get off their backsides and go out to work. It assumes that there is work to go to! In vast areas of the poorer parts of Britain there simply isn’t the employment that will keep people out of welfare. Let’s pray for all who govern that they may be given wisdom, courage but also compassion and a heart for justice and that their policies reflect the values of God and his kingdom and reject the expediency of a Western individualist, consumerist monetary system that always runs the danger of justifying greed and exploiting or neglecting the poor.
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