Keep Faith Out Of Politics, Says Blair
Keep faith out of politics, says Blair
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/elect...443906,00.html
Stephen Bates, religious affairs correspondent
Wednesday March 23, 2005
Tony Blair chose a faith audience in south London yesterday to proclaim his belief that he was opposed to US-style faith politics in British public life.
The prime minister, battered by Tory tabloid pressures on abortion, insisted: "I do not want to end up with an American-style of politics with us all going out there beating our chest about our faith.
"Politics and religion - it is not that they do not have a lot in common, but if it ends up being used in the political process, I think that is a bit unhealthy."
The remarks were made as Mr Blair addressed a packed meeting of several hundred, mainly evangelical Christians, in a church in Lambeth with more watching by a webcam link across the country.
He did little to discourage expectations that the election is only a few weeks away. Indeed, although he refused to name the date, he did speak of the coming campaign.
In language similar to a speech he gave to an almost identical audience exactly four years ago, just before the 2001 general election campaign, Mr Blair said he valued Christian and other religious groups' contributions to voluntary services and called on them to get still more involved.
"I would like to see you play a bigger not a lesser role in the future," he told them.
"I say this because of the visible, tangible difference you are making for the better in our society for so many people. That is the proof of your faith in action in the service of others."
The most overtly religious prime minister for more than a century was wildly cheered by the enthusiastic audience, pleased to feel wanted in what they see as an indifferent or hostile society.
Mr Blair singled out the groups' roles in education - praising their help in establishing five new academy schools - in the voluntary sector and in aspects of the health service. "Here in the UK we should be proud of the work of the churches; proud of the commitment of the British people, witnessed to such a remarkable degree after the tsunami catastrophe," he said.
Asked about some local authorities' hostility to city academies and other faith initiatives, he said: "I think they should just lose the hang-up on that.
"Because in any event, you have got church schools. And I think that faith schools have a strong role to play."
The prime minister was also asked about juvenile crime and said: "In the inner-city areas some of our young girls, our young women, start families very very young.
"We are piling up problems for the future when that happens.
"I think it is important that they get role models at school and in the community, where they see it is not a great life, trying to bring up a single parent family aged 17 or 18 - actually it is pretty miserable."
Setting out his terms for the coming campaign, Mr Blair said Labour would "recast" the 1945 welfare state for the modern age "so that what were often monolithic services with only limited capacity to respond to individual circum stances in an individualised fashion ... [become] more able to serve the needs of each individual citizen".
The lunchtime speech was organised by Faithworks, an umbrella body for a number of Christian organisations promoting the work of churches in the community.
It has also held meetings with Michael Howard and Charles Kennedy.
Its founder, the Baptist minister the Rev Steve Chalke, told Mr Blair afterwards: "We will pray for you over the coming weeks."
He added with only a barely perceptible pause, "and for Michael Howard and Charles Kennedy. We like to think faith is the Viagra of the people."
