Anglicans want change to ‘moribund political culture’

THE CHURCH of England has this week intervened directly for the first time in a general election campaign urging people to consider carefully why they vote, writes Paul Wilkinson.

In a pastoral letter to Anglican parishes, the House of Bishops avoids taking sides in the campaign – indeed, it roundly condemns the present state of British politics – but it does urge people to vote in May, saying: “Unless we exercise the democratic rights that our ancestors struggled for, we will share responsibility for the failures of the political classes.”

People are asked to forget self-interest and vote for the common good, and the letter continues: “In Britain we have become so used to believing that self-interest drives every decision, that it takes a leap of imagination to argue that there should be stronger institutions for those we disagree with as well as for those ‘on our side’.

“Breaking free of self-interest and welcoming our opponents as well as our supporters into a messy, noisy, yet rich and creative community of communities is, perhaps, the only way we will enrich our almost-moribund political culture.”

People should ask themselves: how can we “build the kind of society which many people say they want, but which is not yet being expressed in the vision of any of the parties?” and politicians should forsake “sterile arguments about who might manage the existing system best”.

The letter defends the Church’s right to get involved in politics, saying it is disingenuous to think a person’s place in the created order can be separated from their beliefs, and adds: “Most politicians and pundits are happy enough for the Churches to speak on political issues so long as the Church agrees with their particular line.”

Interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the Bishop of Buckingham, Alan Wilson, said the letter was about “the problem with disenchantment and cynicism that we have with professional politicians”.

Next week the Catholic bishops of England and Wales are due to issue their own guidance document ahead of the election.