Bishops’ vague critiques aren’t enough in the face of widespread political disenchantment

A few weeks on from the Scottish referendum we know now the rise of the Scottish National Party was down to the support of the voters who, even in the Catholic heartland of Glasgow deserted Labour because they were frustrated with Westminster and Whitehall centralisation. Meanwhile in Kent, UKIP delivered a bloody nose to the Conservatives in Thursday’s by-election. The shape of our politics is morphing at speed. The Scottish bishops decided to stay silent on the future of national governance and their English and Welsh counterparts have said almost nothing. But in the Catholic north-west and parts of Kent the common call is that elites have failed them. How should Churches respond? One option is to commend those who condemn the demands of democratic governance – attacking