Though Christians in the UK have a tendency to lean towards the poltical left overall, the headcovering ladies I have come across online are mostly in the US and in the main describe their politics as conservative – in some cases ‘very conservative’. In the UK, that would translate as very very very conservative! Some headcovering ladies say they aren’t interested in politics, or leave politics to their husbands.
I’ve recently contributed a little to an online conversation some ladies were having about welfare benefits in the UK. The views of the covered Christian lady in the case were robust, and her friends in the main supported her views.
I think those views could fairly be summarized like this:
Self-reliance is a desirable goal. People should work hard and live frugally. Their decisions should be made with prayer and with love, worked out in a family context. When individuals fall on hard times, their families should help them until they are back on their feet. Those short of money should take a job – any job – to make ends meet. Isolated individuals living in poverty, who are too old or sick to work, should be helped by the church as a duty of charity. The government should take responsibility for provision of basic services and establish military forces and police (and presumably weapons and prisons and law courts to go with them) and building roads. Beyond that the government should not go, and many of the public services in a country such as England would be seen as ‘nanny state’ intervention.
There is certainly at least an economic problem in providing a big raft of public services. In a country that has high taxation, and where a high proportion of the people are in government jobs, a downward economic spiral is inevitable. This is because the government jobs are paid out of the taxes of the people, thus omitting actual creation of wealth from the flow of currency. With high public sector employment only the same funds remain in circulation, losing a little all the time on commodities that get used up. For a country to prosper, the workforce must be mainly in the private sector (which is the only place new wealth can be generated), and taxes must be kept low. In such a scenario, government wealth actually increases, a) because they do not have to pay wages and benefits out of the tax revenue and b) because a low percentage tax of a high income generates more wealth than a high percentage tax of a low income – especially if low income families need to supplement with benefits.
So in terms of national prosperity and stability, I would say the advisable way forward is to cultivate self-reliance, and to seek to work in the private, not the public sector. Trade, business and manufacture generate wealth, and wealth ensures stability and prosperity, which can (though not necessarily are) be channeled into relieving distress and hardship as and when it occurs.
Where poverty is a problem, it is rarely a solitary problem. Not all poor people are child-beating drunken drug-addicted sick criminals – but certainly crime, child abuse, alcoholism, drug addiction and sickness are associated with poverty; whether as cause or effect being a moot point.
Education is also related to poverty. Some people are in poverty and sick because they don’t know how to cook nutritiously on a tight budget. Some abuse their children because their mental health is undermined by poor diet and despair. Homeless people often say they drink and take drugs because it numbs the experience of cold, hunger and sadness. All such problems compound, and create cycles – the way out of them is slow, requiring patience, support and education.
Simply to withdraw government programmes of support and education, saying instead, ‘Get a job and a life you drunken bum, I don’t feel one bit sorry for you,’ might make the speaker feel good for thirty seconds, but it wouldn’t make the problem go away.
It seems to me that if we (I’m talking UK now) are to move forward from our present haemorrhaging of money to begin to repay our astronomical public debt and build a sustainable future, we have an urgent necessity of moving our employment emphasis from the public to the private sector, and reducing income tax. Reducing the large UK infrastructure of the public sector would inevitably result in drastic cuts to public services. In the long term, as a culture of self-reliance increased, this might increase wellbeing. In the short term, fragile and vulnerable individuals could be left floundering.
Christian people surely have a significant responsibility of witness in this scenario – for these changes must come, or the entire economic infrastructure will collapse. Here is what I think we can do:
1) Model strong family. Our lives should be a demonstration to others of how to do marriage and family life. Kindness, forbearance, patience, support, responsibility, faithfulness, respect – all these should be evident in our homes and families. We should be understanding and non-abusive. No child-beating or wife-beating, no disrespectful talk. Our family life should reflect the love that shines on us from the holy trinity of God. I believe that children should be cared for by their own families in their own homes, not in state institutions – and I believe that to be an ideal for education as well as child care, though I accept that small community schools can offer really good educational settings. Divorce is very, very expensive. It dissipates family prosperity in the most selfish way imaginable, using up massive amounts of money on legal fees, child care and increased household costs. Divorce also dissipates other resources. A couple with a strong and faithful marriage can contribute greatly to the community and so can their children. Divorce re-channels that energy into itself. Not only do the individuals concerned, for a long time, cease to be able to give of themselves in support of others, but they join the ranks of those who need supporting. I see that some divorces are inevitable. Most are not, and could have been avoided if both partners had understood that love is not an emotion but a discipline.
2) Model good business practice. The Amish can show us how to do this. They aim for a sustainable goal and work hard to get there – but they do not build empires. Knowing what their goal is, when they exceed it they fragment the business among themselves, splitting like amoebae to create smaller units that can be sustained. Small, strong, sustainable family businesses in which elderly, young and disabled family members can be appropriately included is the way to go. It should go without saying, too, that Christian people (while leaving time for rest and refreshment) should work hard; they should be known as valuable colleagues who will go the extra mile.
3. Model good financial practice. Christian people should not accept a culture of debt. They should seek to lead debt-free lives and take responsibility to repay in full any debts they have incurred, at the first possible opportunity. They should practice disciplines of thrift and frugality, expecting a norm of living within their incomes and establishing habits of saving. As I am opposed to all forms of war, I am very leery of investing money in bank accounts. Reliable bank investment often involves manufacture and sale of weapons, or oppressive trade practices. Personally I prefer the idea of investment in one’s own business, where one has ethical control over business practice, or in housing, where one can be a kind and responsible landlord, treating tenants as one would wish to be treated oneself. Christian people should also be generous in their giving, supporting charitable causes doing good in the world.
4. Model care in the community. Every household should be looking after some other people in some way, not just settling for ‘I’m all right, Jack; blow you!’ Whether it is helping children overseas fund education, helping young mothers breastfeed successfully, volunteering in the scouts and guides, giving time to the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, or giving the support that allows elderly neighbours and relatives to continue to live independently, Christian people should all be doing something to strengthen and support the community.
5. Pray. All Christian people should pray for their leaders, their country, their local community and God’s world. Their words and actions should flow in the same direction as their prayers. They should never speak sneeringly and disrespectfully of their leaders in national or local government; and if they have reason to believe they can do better, they should themselves become involved in local government.
It is worth remembering, too, that everybody who is eligible to votes does in fact vote. If you don’t go to the polls, all that means is that by default you voted for the party that got in.