Yesterday saw the release of the Labour Manifesto, today is the turn of the Conservative Party. Yesterday was the first interview in our series, with Ian Geary for Labour, and today is the turn of Colin Bloom responding from a Conservative perspective (see this introduction for some background, and Johnny's great post on why Christians disagree on Politics). I won't take up any more reading time, so please enjoy Ian's responses to our questions ahead of the General Election. For more on Colin, see the bottom of the post.
-{ How would you describe your party’s political vision in one sentence? }-
To create equality of opportunity for all, and to give better opportunities to the most marginalised.
-{ What myth/accusation/misunderstanding about your party most frustrates you? }-
That the gap between the rich and the poor gets wider under Conservatives. Since 2010, the gap between the top and bottom 10% has narrowed (ONS), and this is the first time that has ever happened.
-{ What one thing your party has done in the last 25 years makes you, as a Christian, most proud? }-
That we have a commitment to full employment, and that we now have record levels of employment, and the fastest falling unemployment rate in Europe. Since the 2010 election, we’ve averaged 1,000 new jobs created every single day.
-{ Is there anything particular in your faith/Christianity that motivates you in your political work? }-
As a follower of Jesus, I believe that the least, the lost and the lonely are our primary concern. We need to have a soft heart and a hard head to tackle society’s most difficult problems. That is why I am a Conservative.
-{ How did you first get into politics? }-
I realised that it was politicians who make the decisions that make a difference, and so I joined my local association, and worked my way up through the local party structure. I started off by going to local meetings and helping out some local politicians in their communities.
-{ Why should people vote and be involved in society? }-
Because if we care about our society we need to care about what happens, and its politicians who make those decisions – so we need show up.
-{ What is the most important area/issue this election? }-
The economy, closely followed by the NHS and education.
-{ What two policies/priorities which your party has this election do you want Christians in particular to know about? }-
Full employment. There are now record levels of employment, so millions more families now have the dignity of receiving a pay check, paying tax and national insurance.
Vulnerable children. Phenomenal work has been done since 2010 around looked-after children, adoption, and fostering. It is not often spoken about, but the work this Government has done to improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable children in society – those who have been languishing in fostering and waiting lists – and the accelerate those processes is outstanding. The number of children adopted went up 63% over the last three years, and children wait for foster parents is down by 2 months, on average.
-{ What other five policies/priorities which your party has this election do you want everyone to know?
1. A commitment to tackling slavery, begun through the Modern Day Slavery Act.
2. A commitment to International Religious Freedom, with the Foreign Office giving this a far higher priority under this
3. Being the first G7 country to fulfil the Millennium Development Goal of giving 0.7% GNI in aid to the developing world.
4. Policies to strengthen families, to create a culture where families get more support and recognition.
5. Social reforms through better, more effective welfare.
-{ In a sentence, why should someone vote Conservative
on May 7th? }-
Because we have a proven track record of restoring both the social and economic health of the country. A lot has been done, and there is still a lot more to do.
-{ Where can someone find out more about their local Conservative candidate? }-
Colin Bloom - Executive Director, Conservative Christian Fellowship
Colin is the Executive Director of the Conservative Christian Fellowship. After a successful career in industry, Colin spent eight years as Chief Executive of a large Christian charity that cares for the elderly and people with disabilities.
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I hope this interview on the Conservative's policies and vision has helped you think through your vote if you link politics to faith. Watch this blog or our social media feeds for updates over the coming weeks. In the meantime, I'd love to connect with you via Facebook, or you can find myself and Johnny on Twitter.
Firstly, I’m really enjoying this series, so thank you!
ReplyDeleteThe best insight is provided by the top policies/priorities and Bloom’s choice is telling. The Modern Day Slavery Bill sounds like a great idea, but in reality is barely worth the paper it’s written on, because it focuses on the perpetrators and not the victims. The Govt’s attitude towards actually tackling the problem of modern day slavery was highlighted with the vote on the tied overseas domestic worker visa.
Again, his focus on vulnerable children and strengthening families is commendable. But it is undermined by the removal of legal aid for family law, the treatment of children in custody (cf. Inspectorate Report of Feltham, with young children being held in conditions akin to solitary confinement; or the Govt plans for secure colleges) and the changes to welfare, leaving 1 in 6 children in relative poverty, or 1 in 5 in absolute poverty. Barnardos envisage that by 2020, another 1m children will have been pushed into poverty as a result of coalition policies.
If Bloom’s primary concern is for the least, the lost and the lonely, then I hope and pray that he will encourage those in his party to let that concern permeate throughout all policy, and not to let every one headline-grabbing step forward be taken two steps back by more devastating policies elsewhere.
Hi, Jennifer, thanks for the comment! Really grateful that you are enjoying it.
DeleteI think you raise some good points - I hope Colin might come back on them at some point. Do you have a source for the Barnados 'envisage-ing'?
I love your attitude - we absolutely should hope and pray that Bloom and others in the Tory party will work for that permeation.
As I say, thanks so much for commenting.
I would be interested to have a more detailed discussion on this, but I think it's unfair to cast those two areas as binary, with nil sum gain.
ReplyDeleteCertainly, I don't think it's at all fair to say that the Midern Day Slavery Act has ignored victims, eg the work on guardians for children trafficked. Everyone involved knows that it is just the starting point, because it is such a complicated area which we know too little about - that's why the Modern Slavery Commissioner is so important. But to say it's 'not worth the paper it's written on' is disingenuous.
Plenty of disagreements among Tories on legal aid and secure colleges, of course – but to blame poverty directly on specific welfare cuts is, let's say, one theory.
Thanks for the comment, JM. I think you are spot on - particularly - on the issue of Modern Day Slavery. The complexity of the issue has made it so easy to be inactive - so I am grateful that someone is doing something.
DeleteThanks again for commenting!
I was rather perplexed by the ONS statistic you gave on the decrease in inequality under this government, given that it seemed to contradict my own experience and what I have read of this government during the last five years. Incidentally, I found this article (http://www.theweek.co.uk/economy/54072/uk-rich-poor-gap-narrowest-25-years) that makes some rather helpful points. Namely:
ReplyDelete'According to The Independent, the raising of the rate of personal income tax allowance, a key Liberal Democrat policy, has helped lessen the divide.'
and:
'Increases under the last Labour government to child tax credits and National Insurance rates, which affected higher-paid employees, were also said to be factors.'
Therefore, can we actually attribute this decrease to any Conservative party policy?
But, I think more importantly it emphasises the fact that:
'it is likely the inequality gap will widen again once the impact of the latest Coalition benefit cuts is felt.
Robert Joyce, senior economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said: "For low-income households, much of the pain is happening now or is still to come."
The ONS analysis also revealed the large amount the exchequer takes in taxes from those at the bottom of the income scale. The poorest fifth of UK households paid almost a third of their incomes in indirect taxes such as VAT, alcohol and fuel duty in 2011-12.'
A government that has introduced a bedroom tax, benefit sanctions, cuts to Sure Start and that has scrapped EMA, policies which have all contributed to rising levels of poverty amongst the more vulnerable, as indicated by the huge increase in foodbank users, cannot be said to be a government that 'gives more opportunities to the most marginalised'.