‘I urge you that requests and prayers be made for all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives…’ The Bible
Right thinking people were horrified by the murder of Sir David Amess as he went about his job as an elected representative, meeting in a local church hall for a constituency surgery. There’s been much discussion since of how MPs need to be safe to do what people elected them to do; about the way our MP’s and others are spoken about and spoken to in the street, in local and national papers, on social media.
What about our own elected representatives locally – our MPs, borough councillors and town councillors, and how we treat them?
As a local minister I’ve met our own MP many times, and many of our borough and town councillors.
Clearly I only vote for some of them, and I don’t agree with their views or policies on everything.
But I can say that I never met a local elected representative at any level who I felt was ‘in it for themselves’ or ‘in it for the money’ as you sometimes hear said.
Sometimes they get things right, sometimes they do not; sometimes I think they’re right, sometimes I think they’re wrong. But I know they are generally motivated by a desire to serve, to make a difference, to help the community according to their convictions.
When we speak about our MPs or local Councillors, let’s make sure we do so mindful they are human beings trying to do their best. Let’s speak about them as if they were in the room and we were looking them in the eye.
That may well involve challenging them, debating with them, holding them to account for their words, actions and policies. But it also means doing that with respect, recognising our common humanity, flawed as we all are.
If we believe they could do a better job, let’s pray for them, as the Bible urges us to do: that they will fulfil their responsibilities with wisdom, skill and diligence, with an insight into the issues that affect us all.
And if you believe you could do a better job, then get involved in local politics yourself. If you were to do so, how would you like to be treated?
The Revd Nick Hudson is minister of Wokingham Baptist Church and chair of Churches Together in Wokingham
