HC4u's UK Reporeter

[Pen4God]

My thought is that as the HC4u Forum is predominantly American [no problem with that, and I did say 'predominantly' not 'exclusively'] a topic string reporting news snippets from the UK might be appreciated - news from across the Pond. They will be 'snippets' not long reports. So here goes!

Labour plans to quash
bishops' say in Lords
Church of England bishops will have a voice but no vote in a reformed House of Lords, under leaked Government plans.

First lesbian couple sign
child's birth certificate
Two lesbians have become the nation's first homosexual couple to jointly sign a child's birth certificate as parents.


Every blessing
Pen   

[Ruth Ann]

Pen, I don't fully understand all the terminology and the government in the UK.

Are you saying the bishops from the Church of England had representation in the House of Lords?

You haven't had a conservative leader for a long time, I think, as your prime minister.

When the words, labor, conservative etc are used as parties, do they mean the same as they do in the US? Are labor leaders terribly liberal? And does liberal mean the same there as it does here?

[Pen4God]

Pen, I don't fully understand all the terminology and the government in the UK.

Are you saying the bishops from the Church of England had representation in the House of Lords?

You haven't had a conservative leader for a long time, I think, as your prime minister.

When the words, labor, conservative etc are used as parties, do they mean the same as they do in the US? Are labor leaders terribly liberal? And does liberal mean the same there as it does here?

I will try to explain, Ruth Ann

Just as you have two chambers in the US [the Senate and the House of Representatives, I believe] so we have two chambers [or Houses] here in the UK – the House of Commons [with elected members] and the House of Lords [which until recently consisted of hereditary peers – Lords and Ladies – there by virtue of the position; they were non-elected]. This is now changing, reform is being brought it, so that the House of Lords becomes two thirds an elected body, with the remaining third made up of hereditary peers, and this includes bishops. Bishops are classified as Lords in the UK, so have their place in that chamber. However, it is proposed that their powers be vastly reduced in that , while they will be allowed to debate and have their say on certain issues, they will not be able to affect the outcome by voting for or against the motion. The sad thinking behind this proposed legislation is that the Christian religion should not influence British politics! How sad! A retrograde step.

It is true that we have not had a Conservative Prime Minister for about twelve years; I am struggling not to make any personal political comments here, but I do have my own thoughts about various political figures, but I don’t think it would be ethical to air them in this Forum.

Unlike the US, where I believe you have only two political parties [Republicans and Democrats, I believe – correct me if I’m wrong], in the UK we have dozens of parties, some that are so small they are a joke, and will never ever be elected to Parliament. The three main parties, fighting neck and neck to become the next Government, are the Labour Party, the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democratic Party. Unlike you in the USA who on election day have two votes [I believe] one to elect the President and a second to elect one of the two parties, in the UK the leader of the party with the most votes automatically becomes the Prime Minister. As things appear at the moment [according to the opinion poles] it appears we are heading for a Hung Parliament, were no one party has a majority. That’s when the fun starts; there will be a lot of arguing as to which party leader is to become prime minister; and because they can’t agree on the correct policy for running the country, we will be in a right mess. It is a very unsatisfactory situation; so at the moment it is a case of watch this space and await the outcome of the election on 7th May.

It is difficult to give a satisfactory answer to your last questions –

When the words, labor, conservative etc are used as parties, do they mean the same as they do in the US? Are labor leaders terribly liberal? And does liberal mean the same there as it does here?

– because each party changes its stand almost daily, one minute leaning to the left, then leaning to the right, then taking to the middle ground. What all that means, I suspect, the general public [the voters] haven’t a clue – I’m not sure even the politicians know what they are talking about!

This has been a rather long reply. Sorry about that. I hope it has helped a little.

Every blessing
Pen 

[Pen4God]

Nick Clegg claims Lib Dem
values are Christian values
Nick Clegg, a self confessed atheist, has claimed that Christian values are "central" to his policies in an article for a leading church newspaper.

More babies born early fuel
calls to lower abortion limit
The number of babies born weighing just 2lbs has more than doubled in the last two years, causing pro-lifers to reinforce the demand to lower the abortion limit from 24 weeks

Every blessing
Pen      

[Ruth Ann]

Thanks for that explanation, Pen. I think I understand now.

And this thread is interesting. Helps to see what goes on in your country.

[Pen4God]

That's the whole idea, Ruth Ann. 

Every blessing
Pen   

[a2jgrammy]

Happy you started this Pen, as we are learning so much!  Thanks

[olivet]

Pen

You said the party with the most votes declares or brings in the Prime Minister.

Over this side of the Pond, the Presidential election is won by the Electoral College.  Each state has so many electoral votes depending upon the population.  Although a candidate could have the majority of votes, the Electoral Collage determines the President.  That is because each state entered the Union as a Sovereign Nation State, so the balance of power here hinges on State's Rights vs Federal Rights.  That is why during the Civil War many states seceded from the Union to form the Confederacy. Each state came in the Union under God and has it's own constitution. The Union is comprised of a constitution under WE THE PEOPLE under a Creator God.

We don't have a Prime Minister, but in truth under God, the Prime Minister is God and understood to be Jesus.

[Pen4God]

Happy you started this Pen, as we are learning so much!  Thanks

It is my pleasure, Grammy, for three reasons: [1] It is good to learn about each other's countries - the USA and the UK in particular; [2] It works both ways, of course, as Olivet's post reveals - I have learned how your President is elected; [3] It has proved to me - with your post - that there is more than just Ruth Ann out there! My conversations, since coming back to HC4u again, seemed almost exclusively with her, so I am glad others are now joining in.

Every blessing
Pen   

[Pen4God]

Good morning, Olivet

[All very formal, isn't it? Start again!]

Hi Olivet

Thanks for explaining about the election of your President. You have revealed just how different the political set up is in our respective countries. As I said to Grammy, since returning to HC4u my "conversations" have been predominently with Ruth Ann - it is good to know others are out there as well.

Every blessing
Pen   

[a2jgrammy]

Sorry the board isn't as lively as it should be Denis

I'm at my daughters right now, so...I'm not here as much

but I am interested, and also so very glad you are back

maybe we'll be more lively now with you here

[Ruth Ann]

Yes, I'm sorry we're not as active as we once were too, Pen.

Olivet is faithful and Grammy. Gina visits.

[Pen4God]

My observation is correct then? There is not the activity here at HC4u as there used to be. Being away a long time, then coming back, I suppose I noticed it more. I'll do my best to liven things up by continuing to contribute often. Apart from that I'm not sure what I can do.

I will keep reporting from the UK - that may help a little.

Every blessing
Pen   

[Pen4God]

Why should Christians be involved in politics?
Some Christians argue that it is not our business to be involved in politics. First, because we have other matters on which to concentrate: getting people to heaven is more important than trying to straighten out a fallen world. Second, because politics is so corrupt that we must keep a distance, lest we become contaminated. A third argument is that God is sovereign, so he can be trusted to take care of politics.

Pen asks - do you agree?

The awakening of the religious in politics?
Alistair Campbell * famously informed us that British politicians ‘do not do God’. At this election time a related question ought to be asked: ‘Do the religious do politics?’ The answer, it seems, is that they do and increasingly so – something that ought to give the political parties pause for thought.

* Former Press Secretary to the previous Prime Minister, Tony Blair


Every blessing
Pen   

[Ruth Ann]

Vicki at 5 loaves 2 fishes and I had a discussion on this. She felt very strongly that Christians should stay out of politics. She even thought they should not vote. 

Americans as a whole feel it's a duty to vote and be involved in the political process in our country. It's what has kept us free til now. But times are changing.

From a faith point of view there isn't much directly guiding us about this in the Bible. From our nation's founders, our liberty is from God. And we are the keepers of that freedom. We fight for it. We are the watchers of the political process. We vote for our reps. So, I think we have a duty to be involved. It's important to me.

If we can't be the light to the world on moral issues through our government process, who is?

[a2jgrammy]

I agree with RA on this too
 
and we need people in our gov. that believe in God and his  blessings on our country

we need to be up front and be the moral people God leads us to be.

We need to be heard as Christians as much as the secular world and the secular world here in , gives vioce to everyone but us Christians...so we get vocal

[Pen4God]

Just to let you know where I stand. 

I have no party political bias - they are all as bad [or good] as one another.

I do not always vote - never in local elections, and only occasionally at a general election.

If I know a candidate standing for Parliament is a Christian, I will vote for him/her no matter which political party they represent.

Of the four candidates standing in my constituency, two are definitely Christian, the other two say they are Christians. This presents me with a problem when it comes to voting, especially as one of the Christians is known to me personally and has attend worship services at our church on more than one occasion at my invitation. At his first visit he actually gave his testimony.

On general election day I may spend the whole day writing to my friends at HC4u! 

Every blessing
Pen   

[olivet]

We can indirectly influence the vote via the soap box, the sermons, our ideas with friends, this all requires an interest in what is going on around us, lest we lose our freedom

[Pen4God]

Point take, olivet. 

Every blessing
Pen   

[Pen4God]

Christian counsellor
appeal turned down
A Christian counsellor who was sacked because he did not want to give homosexual couples sex advice has been refused permission to have his case heard by the Court of Appeal.

Update - he did get his appeal heard in the Court, but he lost it, and judge dismissed it because religious views are not relevant in today's society! - Pen

Vatican outrage
at Britain's Pope memo
Foreign Office bureaucrats who drew up and distributed an official memo mocking the Pope's moral beliefs on abortion and homosexual 'marriage' have all kept their jobs.

Every blessing
Pen