Electing to Participate

A General Election has been called for May 5th. Word is that the ‘feel good factor’ engendered by the engagement of Charles and Camilla makes this an opportune time for Tony Blair. Personally, I can’t see how the two things can possibly affect one another in any way, but then I never did understand the counter-intuitive psychological nuances of party political campaigning.

A more logical connection, for me, is between elections in the UK and the recent elections in Iraq. There, members of the electorate risked their lives to face down the insurgents and exercise their right to affect the future of their nation. Before that election took place, it was argued that the power of ordinary Iraqis to determine their future was negligible in the face of the external powers weighing in to steer their country in a particular direction. Yet after the election things look rather different. The external powers haven’t gone away – far from it - but in embracing the possibilities of ‘people power’, ordinary Iraqis have reminded the world (and themselves) that they are agents in their own destiny, not simply ‘objects’ of the actions of others.
 
Here, thankfully, we do not risk our lives when we take part in the democratic process. It is paradoxical, therefore, that a disturbingly large percentage of people choose not to vote in General Elections. They say, ‘I’m just one person. What possible difference can my vote make?’ Nothing highlights better the deficiencies of our society’s individualistic worldview. That each individual is part of something much bigger than themselves is the whole point of life-in-society. Being ‘just’ a drop in the ocean means also being crucial to the existence of the ocean, and oceans can be very powerful, as we all know well. 

Christians rightly take seriously the opportunities for participation in social change afforded by elections. Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) has launched a website (www.churcheselection.org.uk) as a resource to help local churches to plan ‘Question Time’ meetings for candidates standing for the General Election. Such church-organised meetings are an excellent opportunity for voters to meet and question candidates, and are often the most significant all-party meetings in a constituency. Members of the Oxford Diocesan Board for Social Responsibility have come up with example questions with a more local flavour to complement this website. Check these out and try them out at the hustings.

Alison Webster is the diocesan Social Responsibility Adviser.