Displaying items by tag: Government

On 24 January Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó swore himself in as the rightful head of state, with the support of the USA and other nations in the region, as he attempts to remove President Maduro. He now faces the daunting task of establishing a transition plan without control over crucial state institutions and armed forces that have, so far, disowned him. Venezuela's churches have called for prayer as pressure mounts on Maduro to step down. Mass demonstrations against the economic mismanagement that has caused widespread poverty have been taking place. Pastor Samuel Olson, president of the Evangelical Council of Venezuela (ECV), invited the nation to pray 'together as a family, asking God that through His Holy Spirit He would care for, direct, and bless our nation in this critical hour of its history'. ECV are backing Juan Guaidó as the man 'called to conduct the nation in this period of transition'. See also

On 9 January Asher Samson, from Birmingham, was deported to Pakistan, despite last-minute attempts to convince the authorities that his case warranted a judicial review because the proper procedures had not been followed. Mr Samson came to the UK in 2004 to continue theology training in order to become a pastor. He decided to apply for asylum here after being beaten and threatened with execution by Islamic extremists during visits to Pakistan. A friend from his church writes, ‘He has no close family there, and rightly fears for his life. We can only pray; though on one level that seems so little, we know it is the most effective thing to do.’

Pray for truthful accountable reporting by the media in the coming year. Pray for reporters and researchers to be more prepared to speak out without favour or bias. Ask God to grace our political news presenters and bloggers with heavenly wisdom and vision in all that they say and record. Bless and pray protection over all our politicians and their families, who have had to live and work under incredible pressure in this season of change. May God give them peace as they step back from battles and into Christmas. May each of them find recuperation and rest, and may unity replace diversity in the Cabinet in 2019. Ask God to give our MPs the humility and insights needed to make accurate choices and may they be delivered from the temptation to work for personal platforms or party politics (Matthew 6:13).

On 12 December, a majority of Conservative MPs declared their confidence in Theresa May as party leader. The next day she went to Brussels to talk to EU leaders, who have told her that there could be clarifications but no major renegotiation. The crucial vote in Parliament on the Brexit deal has now been postponed until January 2019. What might happen if it is rejected? Some believe a no-deal Brexit would be an act of national self-harm: others think a Norway-style deal would make the UK a rule-taker, not a rule-maker. Some believe a general election would risk another hung parliament and continued paralysis: others that a second referendum would intensify social divisions and further undermine parliamentary sovereignty. Britain might have to choose one of these courses of action. See

The Government website states, ‘The Nolan principles are the basis of the ethical standards expected of public office holders’. Let’s pray for our leaders to conform to these seven principles as they walk the Brexit tightrope. 1) Selflessness: acting solely in terms of the public interest, not in order to gain financial or other benefits for themselves, family or friends.2) Integrity: must not place themselves under any obligation to outside individuals or organisations seeking to influence them in their official duties. 3) Objectivity: in public business, appointments, awarding contracts, and recommendations should be made on merit. 4) Accountability: be accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and submit to scrutiny appropriate to their office. 5) Openness: be as open as possible about all decisions and actions they take, giving reasons for their decisions, and restrict information only when the wider public interest demands. 6) Honesty: must declare any private interests relating to their duties and resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest. 7) Leadership: must promote and support these principles by leadership and example. See

China’s planned artificial intelligence-controlled ‘social credit’ system is bringing a new depth of intervention into the lives of its citizens, including Christians. A vast network of advanced surveillance technology uses monitors individuals’ location, records their facial expressions and body language, and tracks all movements, giving them ‘social scores’ as they go about their daily lives. The expanding system could severely affect Christians if they are deemed to demonstrate ‘dissent’. In September 2018 the largest house church in Beijing was shut down for refusing to have security cameras inside their building, and 344 pastors called on the authorities to allow full religious freedom, adding, ‘For the sake of the gospel, we are prepared to bear the loss of our freedom and of our lives.’ Meanwhile the Bible Society reported the Bible is China’s best-seller, even though there are only 4,600 ordained pastors. On average, every pastor is responsible for 6,700 Christians.

Over 500 people gathered at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) church in London on 19 November to hear from ex-offenders, prison chaplains, and judges. HTB's pastor Nicky Gumbel also interviewed Rory Stewart, the prisons minister, who stated in August 2018 that if he couldn't reduce violence and drugs use in prisons in 12 months he would resign. With nine months to go on that commitment, Stewart said he still believes it's possible. He added, ‘I think Christians do have a very important and special role in dealing with prisoners - that's partly because of the centrality of prisoners in the Bible. We have to remember that St Paul was a prisoner, that many of the people that we admire most in our church, many of the early martyrs and saints, were prisoners; and that continues to be true today.’ The former diplomat finished by praising the work of community chaplains, who welcome ex-offenders into their church and society. He also said of his own faith, ‘I find it the most wonderful cornerstone of my life’.

The Government has been forced to bring forward its proposed changes to gambling machine betting limits. Philip Hammond had announced in his Budget speech that the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) would be cut from £100 to just £2 by October 2019, five months later than had been expected. After considerable protest, including the resignation of sports minister Tracey Crouch (see https://www.prayer-alert.net/british-isles-ireland-pa-site/item/11140-minister-resigns-over-delayed-crackdown-on-betting-machines), this change will now be put into effect by April 2019. James Mildred, for Christian charity CARE, said it was a 'stunning victory' against FOBTs, which are seen as highly addictive and damaging to families and mental health. However, he added: ‘This is only the first step. The damaging effects of gambling are becoming more visible across society, and the Government must introduce legislation to tackle this. Unless change is forthcoming, it is going to be children who are losing out.'

Tracey Crouch, the sports minister, resigned on 1 November as a protest over the delay in cutting the maximum stakes from £100 in fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). The Government had announced this plan in May 2018 (see ), and Philip Hammond announced in his Budget Day speech it would come into force in October 2019. Ms Crouch said pushing back the date was ‘unjustifiable’, and could cost the lives of problem gamblers. She tweeted: ’Politicians come and go, but principles stay with us forever.’ Culture secretary Jeremy Wright denied Labour claims that MPs had been led to believe the cut would come into force in April 2019. But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: ‘Unfortunately, implementation of these changes are now being delayed until October 2019 due to commitments made by others to those with registered interests.’

Children from richer families used to benefit much more from public spending on education than those from poorer backgrounds. However, a report from the Institute of Fiscal Studies, based on research in state-funded schools between 2003 and 2010, notes a substantial shift in this pattern. Due to new policies such as ‘pupil premium’, which aims to help disadvantaged pupils of all abilities in publicly-funded schools to perform better, education spending is now more likely to be skewed towards poorer pupils. Also, the socio-economic gaps in higher education have narrowed. The report concludes, ‘The realistic evidence suggests that focusing more education spending on poorer pupils should lead to substantial improvements in their life chances’.