The global economic downturn, double- or triple-dip it matters not to me, is bringing into focus what the various nations of the world truly value. When budgets need to be cut we find out what, or who, is important. And in Britain today a theme seems to be emerging. Soon-to-be implemented changes to housing benefit, the Welfare Benefit Up-Rating Bill, the fact that 22 of the 29 members of our present cabinet are millionaires, and the unwillingness to increase the tax-burden on the richest in this nation make it clear that we are led by a coalition government which favours the rich over the poor. I must add at this point as someone who has never voted for either of the coalition parties that this comes as no surprise to me, but as minister in the church I find myself in a challenging situation.
The Tory 'big-society' vision is becoming reality, whereby essential services for the poorest people lose their funding and the voluntary sector pick up the slack. Interestingly, this vision of society doesn't seem to include the richest in our society making any sort of contribution or sacrifice in order to become reality. It is a vison of the poorest being able to get by without disturbing the comfortable lives of the wealthy. Coventry now has one of the busiest foodbanks in the country, providing necessary support to those whom the welfare system has failed, and it is clear that they can only get busier as the poorest people in our city have their household budgets cut.
So here is my dilemma. I oppose cuts which target the poor and favour the rich. I do so because I know that God feels the same, that actually God has favourites and it certainly isn't the rich. But if all I do is support the poor then I'm unwittingly supporting the system that makes them poor. Despite having voted against them, I'm buying in to the Tory lies that we as a nation do not have to take responsibility for caring for the weakest and most vulnerable in our society and so can delegate their support out to some sandal-wearing leftie do-gooders or well-meaning god-botherers who will do the job for us. And I don't want to buy in to that lie.
Which is why I am so pleased that 43 of our Bishops have signed a letter opposing current proposals which will push more and more people in to poverty. Yes, we support the poorest in our society, but we also need to make our voices heard. We need to speak out against a market-driven economy which only values what is saleable. We need to speak out against the ever widening gap between rich and poor, between well-fed and under-nourished. And we need to use our votes wisely whenever we have the opportunity! Faith and politics don't mix? They do, and rightly so.
