What Matters To Us?
Well, we are off – General Election 2024 is announced – campaigning has started … I think most of is feel that the campaigning has been happening in a kind of “phony war” style for some time.
The most attention-grabbing news in this election has not been the policy announcement, debates, or publicity stunts, but instead has been the number of MP’s who are standing down. It seems to me the most unique aspect of this election so far, is the number of those who no longer want to play a part.
Many of those going say they want to “do other things.” This leads to the
question: “what matters to us?” What do I want to dedicate my energy, time and personal comfort to? Has anyone presented a compelling vision for the UK in 2024, one that galvanises? Or will the electorate decide they don’t want to have anything to do with this election either?
Many people of faith have a sense of civic duty. We feel that our focus should not just be on the spiritual, but on all of life. Of course, not all of us agree that faith has a role in the public square, but I beg to differ. Faith communities played a significant part in the Covid response for example, and proved to be a valuable partner to local government throughout. (Just see the Keeping the Faith report).
But What Really Matters to Us?
Our screens, televisions, phones, and tablets will direct us to the hot issues that are on the “forefront of the mind of the electorate …” but how accurate will they be? These might be tempting “click bait” stories, but they are unlikely to tell the full story.
This is why it is so important to consider how our faith and belief interact with politics. It’s also important to ask the question – what really matters to us?
Are the political parties even addressing the issues that people of faith care about?
Because of our connection to a wider community through our faith, some issues are more important to us than to our neighbours, who may not be people of faith. Sometimes these are issues beyond our national boundaries, in different geographies, but equally, it can refer to moral issues such end-of-life care, or issues of justice – where we may see things beyond the assumed boundaries of class and interest.
To capture What Matters to Us 2024, we are launching a 30-second survey each week of the Election Campaign (6 in total). We want to see what matters, and how faith affects this and how this might inform the incoming administration – whoever ends up in No.10 in July 2024.
What Can I Do?
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