faith, politics & the city (john mason)

7/29/2019 Faith, Politics & the City (John Mason)

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URBANCONSULTATIONJAN2013BELIEVINGINTHECITY2

JohnMasonMSPMSPforGlasgowShettlestonFaith,PoliticsandtheCity


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JohnMason Faith,PoliticsandtheCity 1

UrbanConsultationJan2013 BelievingintheCity2 JohnMason

Personalbackground(expand):

BroughtupinChurchofScotland,Rutherglen;faiththroughSU.

Trainedasaccountant:OperationMobilisation,InterserveNepal.

JoinedSNPabout1990,firststoodforCouncil1998

2008byelectionforGlasgowEastatWestminster;lostin2010.

2011elected

to

Scottish

Parliament.

ClearlyGoddoescareaboutcitiesandakeyverseformeis:

Jonah4:1011

IalwaysfindthatversemovingwhenIreadit

MaybeasIlikeanimalstoo!

ButitdoesshowsomethingofGodsheartforthatcity

AndbyextensionforcitieslikeGlasgow,Kathmandu,&London,

Whicharethe3citiesIhavelivedinforanyperiodoftime.

HavetosayIgotinvolvedinpoliticsbecauseIwantindependenceforScotland.

However,Ihave

got

increasingly

involved

in

nitty

gritty

issues.

Iwillcomebacktosomeoftheseissuesshortly.

Firstlythoughafewcommentsonthekindofsocietywearein.

WeareinapluralisticsocietythesedaysIampositiveaboutthat.

Iknowsomewouldprefertogobacktogoodolddays

AChristiancountry,privilegesforChristians.

ButIdonotreallyseethatideainJesusteaching

FewfollowingHim,gatenarrow,expectationofpersecution,

Hisownsuppressionbytheauthorities.

Andhistoricallychurchstrongerwhennotdominant:

Acts

then,

China

today,

many

in

between.

SoIthinkwecanbegladwearewhereweare.

IflookinginBibleforexampletofollowthesedays,

IamnotlookingatDavidorSolomonorHezekiah,

ButatJosephinEgypt,Esther&MordecaiinSusa,DanielinBabylon.

Foronething,Ithinkthataffectshowwespeaktosociety.

Notasaprivilegedvoiceoronespeakingdown,

Butwearealsoaminorityandshouldunderstandotherminorities.

From

Daniel

(read

6:

1

5)

Maybehowwedopoliticsisasimportantasparticularcauses.

Hewastrustworthyandneithercorruptnornegligent.

However,clearlycausesareimportant:

Rich/poorgapWhichseemstobegettingwider.

HealthGapQuotefiguresfromNHSreport.

Housingmostcommonissueforpeopletobringtome.NottobetoopoliticalbutRighttoBuyhascausedproblems.


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Peopleupstairswhoneedgroundfloor;

Overcrowding;

Unabletoheatormaintainproperly;

HousingBenefitchangesexpectedtohavebigimpact.

LackofjobsIam

on

Finance

Committee

Employability

Report

Issueswitheducation,colleges

Andsoftskills,familiesnotworking.

Goodthingshappening:transport,CommGamesvillage.

Butdoesnotlooklikeeconomywillimprovesoon(23yrs?).

Tuesday debateonbudgetnotcreatingjobs?

Butnosuggestionsastowhatweshoulddoinstead.

Debtismajortoo(lotoftheseinterlinked)Thesearejustasampleofspecificissues

whichIfacelocallyandParliamentisfocussedon.

Thereare

also

broader

areas

like

Preventative

Spending

IthinkthatchimeswithChristianthinking

takinglongtermapproachsownowreaplater.

Buthowcanwecutprisonsorhospitalsnow

ForFamilyNursePartnershipsorearlyyearsinvestmentnow?

Sayatthispoint,churcheshavegainedcredibilitywithworklike:

Welcomingasylumseekers StreetPastors Foodbanks.

Nottraditionallyevangelisticwork,butgainingcredibilityinwidersociety.

SotherearedifferentwayschurchandindividualChristianscanbeinvolved:

Campaigningonthehousing,debt,jobsissues.(althoughmanyotherscampaigningonthesetoo);

Actuallygoingoutthereandhelpingpeople.ButalsoIthinkChristianshavearoleinHOWwedoourwork

AswellasWHATwedoorwhatwetalkabout...

Whichinmycaseispolitics.

Danielwastrustworthyandneithercorruptnornegligent

Needfor

that

in

politics

today

Althoughalsoinbanking,citycouncil,NHS,...

WhileIwasatWestminster,wehadMPsexpensesscandal

(Iwastoolatetogetinvolved!)

Andjustlastweekreportaboutadevelopmentagency

LegallyacharitybutinpracticerunbyCouncil

Wherechiefexecutivegot0.5millionseverancepackage

Andthisismoneymeanttobeusedforhelpingneedyfolk.

Someofchallengesareatapersonallevel:

Whipsysteminparties(Westminster,Holyrood,CityChambers)


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Similartobeingemployee

Howmuchcanyougoagainstemployer/party?

Slightlyeasierifconstituencyratherthanlist.

Standinguptobullying,unhealthyinfluenceSometimeswethinkofbullyingbeingmainlyinschools,

Buthappens

in

many

walks

of

life.

Ihaveexperiencedit:

1. WithinmyownpartyMSPagainstcouncillor;2. Incommunitycommunitycouncilchairagainstmembers,Councilofficials,andcouncillor;

3. Aconstituentscaredoftheircouncillor(liftonpollingday);GiventhatJesus(andthroughoutBible)tellsusnottofear,

Presumablyweshouldnotbeafraidevenifothersare.

Andoneofourrolesinthecommunity

Isperhapstostanduptothosewhoarebullying

Oratleastexertinganunhealthyinfluence.

Whilementioningcurrentpoliticalissues,probablyneedtoreferto

AssistedsuicideandsamesexmarriagebothatScottishParliament.

ThesearenotparticularlytopicsIaskedtobeatParliament

ButtheyarethereandIneedtoreacttothemcantignore.

AgainIfeelHOWwespeakonthesetopicsisimportant

GettingabalancebetweenholdingtoBiblicaltruth

Yetsayingitinagraciousway.

Immigration:WehavehaddifferentwavesofimmigrationintoGlasgowandScotland:

Irish,antiIrishracism,sectarianism PostWWIIPakistanandSouthAsia

OnlyreallyPakistaniMuslimbeingelected(mainlymale)

RecentimmigrationIncludesChristiansfromAfricanbackground.

Ithinktherearechallengeswefacewithallofthese

ButinGlasgowthegreatestprobablyissectarianism.

WhenIjoinedtheCityCouncilin1998,listofequalityissues:

Women,BME,LGBT,age,disability

Butnomentionofsectarianism.

Acolleague

and

Iraised

this

and

also

was

raised

in

Scottish

Parliament.

Butwestillfindithardtotalkabout

Andthereisdebateastohowbiganissueitreallyis.

WhenIwasanMPforGlasgowEast

ItwassaidmyconstituencywasthemostCatholicinBritain.

Certainlymylineonembryologyandabortion(2008)seemedtocount.

Butinallmytimeinpolitics(15yearssincefirstelected),

AwarethatIhavetotreadverycarefully,e.g.

Ifwantrepairstoanondenominationalschoolsbuilding

ImustalsobalancethatwithwantingrepairsforCatholiconetoo.

(fortunatelynotdifficultmanyschoolsinpoorstate!).


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Interestingthattensionscanoftenbegreatest

betweenthosewholookandsoundverysimilar.

InNepalin1980stensionbetweenNepaliswhohadalwayslivedinNepal

AndthosewhosefamilieshadlivedinIndiaandcomeback.

ConclusionSotoconclude

IthinkweneedtoacceptcommittedChristiansareinaminoritytoday,

ButIreckonwecanbepositiveaboutthat

Therearemanynewopportunities.

Therearemanyissuesthatwecancampaignon,

Andmanywayswecanactuallyservepeople.

ButmaybeoneofthekeysisHOWwedoit,

AndHOWwespeaktosociety.

faith, politics & the city (john mason)

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