The Labour party is meeting this week for their annual conference in sunny Brighton. In contrast to last year when many had doubts about the future of Mr. Corbyn this year he’s certainly the hero of the hour.
Next week the Conservatives meet at Manchester when Mrs May is going to have a tough time rallying the troops following her ‘snap’ general election which was a massive misjudgment.
Plaid Cymru meet later in the month in Caernarvon while Bournemouth welcomed the Liberal democrats and their new leader last week. We can only hope that all the debates, the fringe events, the coming together of the faithful will, in the end, be for the befit of us all.
The conferences are also an important media event when we all have the opportunity to see how the parties are faring. The highlight is alwaysthe leader’s address. Carefully put together and presented with an eye on the TV audience there’s a lot to win and much more to lose in the hour or so the leaders are on
their feet. Then there’s the inevitable standing ovation as the parties hail their chiefs and everyone hopes that there’s a few more votes in the bag!
It was Winston Churchill who said that democracy was not perfect but the best system of government we have. Democracy as we know can sometimes be manipulated and yet its essence is the right of every individual, taking all political claims into consideration to freely make their own choice. Churchill was right!
It’s the same as faith is concerned. There is enshrined in God’s Word the freewill to live by faith or not. That’s the personal integrity and freedom which God gives us and in the end the decision is ours whether we believe or not. There is, however, much to help us make that choice. Jesus gave us in the ‘Sermon on the mount’ the most powerful and dynamic manifesto and strategy on which to live our lives. Such commands as going the second mile, of resisting violence and turning the other cheek, loving our enemies and giving to those in need are all grounded in the truth that we are all God’s children despite our differences.
The cut and thrust of political debate will soon begin as Parliament returns and hopefully the enthusiasm of conference will be seen in policies which will be for the good of all. We’ll have to wait and see!
