ELECTION
The party leaders - excerpts from the Faithworks Lectures 2005
- Prime
Minister Tony Blair, Opposition leader Michael Howard and Liberal
Democrat leader Charles Kennedy all addressed an audience of
church and Christian organisation leaders recently as part of
the Faithworks Lectures. We've culled some of their comments
with most relevance to families for you to weigh up ...
Supporting
the Church's community work
On the subject of supporting the community work carried out by churches and
other faith-groups in the UK, the party leaders each insisted that this work
needed to be recognised and built upon.
Tony Blair: "I would like to see [churches] play a bigger not a
lesser role in the future. I say this because of the visible, tangible difference
you are making for the better in our society for so many people.
"The only politics that works today is one based on partnership with the
people. The days when Government could "do it for the people" are over.
They can do it with the people or not at all."
Michael Howard: "It is because I believe faith-based social action
works that I am committed to giving a fairer deal to faith-based organisations.
If elected, my government will encourage faith-based initiatives through the
removal of bureaucratic blocks.
"We plan to change the culture within government so that we approach the
voluntary and faith sectors as a first resort, rather than as a last one."
Charles Kennedy: "… to rule out involvement of faith groups
from delivering benefits to local people is an attitude that is out of date
and patronising, and it is also an enormous waste. Society should put that
commitment and that potential to good use.
"I would rather that locally run groups receive grants from locally elected
institutions rather than people like me sitting in an office in Whitehall. I
certainly wouldn't rule out such an approach, but my instinct would be to be
against such an approach."
Can the Church be trusted?
The party leaders were asked to focus their speeches on the subject of trust
and what role the Church and other faith groups have in helping to build a
more trusting society. They were also asked how church-based community work
could win the trust of local councils.
Tony Blair: "There is a big difference between the perception of
what you do…and actually what you do. A lot of the discussion about
religion will be about declining attendance at church or whatever. But there
will be relatively little coverage of the enormous work that is done in local
communities up and down the country.
"I hope [local councils] don't take the view that because you've got your
own faith that somehow you are not providing a decent service to the community."
Michael Howard: "Sometimes it is true that there are some councils
who are dead set against working with faith groups. They say we like your idea,
but we don't want to work with you…I understand that these problems
sometimes exist. The best way is to build closer relationships with the councils.
"Politicians need to trust faith communities and welcome their growth."
Charles Kennedy: "There is the tendency in some local authorities
to distrust voluntary groups that are linked to a religious group. Perhaps
the source of this suspicion and distrust, which churches have to overcome,
is that some feel that outreach work will be used at best to proselytise, and
at worst, by splinter or fundamentalist groups to sow discord.
"But if we want faith groups to play a wider role in society, we all need
to recognise that the trust issue must be tackled. And by setting out the principle
that social action by churches should have no strings attached – that charity
must be all inclusive – the Faithworks Charter seems to me to play an important
part in helping achieve that."
Faith schools
The subject of faith schools was raised at each of the three Faithworks Lectures.
This is what the party leaders had to say about this often-controversial issue.
Tony Blair: "I think that faith schools have an important part
to play…and if you go and visit them, you will see a strong sense of
ethos and values and purpose that isn't narrow or bigoted at all, but is actually
very liberating I think.
"I myself don't believe there is any inconsistent message in supporting
faith schools and still wanting a strong sense of community cohesion. I believe
that Muslim, Jewish and Christian schools can contribute to community cohesion,
provided that what is being taught in those schools is a sense of respect for
other faiths and I think, by and large, that it is."
Michael Howard: "I believe that faith schools should be allowed
to flourish.
"Conservatives … recognise that parents should have the right to
choose faith schools. We will encourage new ones to be set up, existing ones
to expand, and will provide taxpayer funding for parents currently forced to
pay for wholly private schools in order to uphold their faith."
Charles Kennedy: "It seems to me that if you have a faith school,
or an organisation where employees are employed based on their faith, they
should have an arms open faith. It should be willing to include people from
other faith traditions or, for that matter, people of no faith whatsoever and
give them an education opportunity or an employment opportunity."
Marriage and the family
All three politicians discussed the subjects of marriage and the family within
their speeches and within the question and answer sessions that followed.
Tony Blair: "We cannot call ourselves a fair or strong society
until every one of our children, whatever their background, gets the chance
to make the most of themselves … this will take significant investment
in greater financial support for families …
"I do believe that … support for families, through Government and
voluntary organisations, does make a difference."
Michael Howard: "… marriage is not yesterday's institution.
It's an abiding institution that strengthens society and secures children.
"Marriage is a separate and special relationship which we should continue
to celebrate and sustain. Doing so does not denigrate those who don't want to
marry."
Charles Kennedy: "I think that marriage is a very good institution
indeed – spiritually, also practically and socially. But it is not for
everybody.
"I don't think you should assume that those who are not involved in a traditional,
married, nuclear family are somehow having a downgraded experience or that it
somehow inhibits how they relate to other people."
Religious diversity
The three party leaders were also asked to address the issue of how the government
and other voluntary groups should approach different faith groups that may
not share all of the same beliefs, motivations and behaviour.
Tony Blair: "I think that most people are perfectly able to cope
with the fact that if you are a Christian church, you will have Christian values.
But that isn't to say that if someone is a Muslim that you shut your door to
them. It simply means that Christianity is your faith.
"This idea that you can combine your faith with a belief in the value of
other faiths and in the wholeness and unity of society – we have to go out
there and talk to people about it and get people to understand what is actually
happening in communities."
Michael Howard: "We therefore have in our heritage the very tools
to enable a robust and vibrant debate to take place between differing faiths – and
in such a way as to strengthen trust. We expect all faith communities to respect
the historic values which order the debate. Since these values are common to
all the major world religions, this should not be problematic.
"For some, an attempt is made to overcome the distinctiveness of different
faiths by looking for common denominators. However, any attempt to bundle distinctive
faiths together as one homogenised 'multi-faith sector' fails to grasp the reality
of the situation."
Charles Kennedy: "I welcome the fact, the reality, that Britain
today is a multi-racial, multi ethnic, multi-faith and therefore diverse society.
It is a richer society as a result – culturally and financially. We need
to hear more of that emphasis from leading politicians.
"When politicians of different political 'faiths' gather round a table to
work out a solution to a problem, they don't cease being party politicians but
they do try and work together. I don't see any difference between that mindset
and what we are talking about here."
Watch the lectures online at www.faithworks.info
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