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SCP to field candidate in General Election
The Scottish Christian Party is hoping to field a candidate in the forthcoming general election and a contest is to held in the early new year to select a candidate.
 A £30,000 campaign war chest has been promised to the Scottish Christian Party (SCP) candidate fighting the Western Isles constituency in the forthcoming general election. The party’s political candidate will be chosen in February after a US-style Open Primary contest open to all islanders.
This is thought to be just the second time the American system of allow all voters in an area to select a prospective candidate for an election in the UK. The first was in August when the Sarah Wollaston was picked to fight the Totnes seat for the 2010 general election for the Conservatives.
The candidate selection will be conducted by a secure internet vote and via a computerised telephone poll. The primary will be organised and controlled by the Electoral Reform Service though its £30,000 cost will be borne by the party.
Voting in the Primary will be between Thursday 21 January and Thursday 11 February 2010.
 Christian Party leader Rev. George Hargreaves who stood in the Western Isles as a SCP candidate for the Western Isles at the last general election pledged the campaign cash saying: “We are in it to win it. “Whoever wins the prize will be well resourced.”
“The £30,000 campaign fund is the maximum allowed under the law and we are spending a similar amount on the Primary."
The successful candidate will have a rented campaign office at his disposal in a prime spot in Cromwell Street in Stornoway town centre. The party plans to fight the SNP after blaming the Nationalists for launching a controversial Sabbath ferry into Lewis this summer while Sabbath trading is another issue troubling the party. Rev. Hargreaves has stated:
“In 2010 and 2011 the Scottish Christian Party shall run election campaigns based on building on the strengths of the Western Isles, not destroying them. We intend to see the people of the Western Isles united behind it uniqueness, not divided by its diversity.”
Mr. Hargreaves also believes that the Calman report could benefit the Scottish islands. He said that the 10 pence (income) tax should be used to advantage for the Western Isles and peripheral islands to attract new business and attract population to the islands
The presence of the Scottish Christian Party in the Western Isles election fight could well upset the two-horse race between the SNP and Labour. It will also impact on any opportunity or desire that there might be for a local Christian to stand as an independent.
 In the 2007 elections for the Scottish Parliament Mr. Murdo Murray, a former Technical Director with Western Isles Council stood as a List Candidate for the SCP.
Mr. Murray participated in a recent on-line discussion regarding the Sunday sailing issue and the wider subject of Christian representation in the political process.
 In the course of the discussion Christians Together interviewed Mr. Murray on a range of issues affecting the Western Isles. It is understood that Mr. Murray was not present at a recent public meeting in Stornoway hosted by Rev. Hargreaves.
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Christians Together, 24/12/2009
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Peter Carr |
09/01/2010 15:46 |
So, according to you John, the SCP are dead in the water! They cannot possibly hope to win on either an evangelical or a moral ticket. And further more if Christians cannot live by God's standards, then does it not make a mockery of the bible? Surley God has made it possible for us to live by the standards He has set?
2 Pet 1: 3 "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."
1 Pet 2: 11 - 12 "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."
If God's word is true, then winning on a moral ticket should be possible!!
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Alec (Guest) |
09/01/2010 17:13 |
Quote: Imagine if the lady in N. Ireland was heading up a 'morals-based' party. That party would be now be effectively dead
Exactly
It is worth remembering John Major's ill-fated "back to basics" campaign in the 90s which was essentially a moral campaign.
The Wikipedia article here about it is toe-curlingly embarassing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_Basics_(campaign)
So any party that tries to take a moral stand,is going to be heavily scrutinised by its opponents - they will be looking for the slightest slip up.
And the irony is, probably the majority of people in the UK (lets leave out religious labels for a moment) are probably shouting out for a cleaning up of society. Just witness the massive Facebook-focussed outrage over that proposed Muslim march through Wooton Basset for instance
But I suspect that the expenses carry-on over the past few years has probably put people off politics to a considerable extent - certainly with the major parties, who are all seen as having their snouts in the trough.
So maybe that leaves an opening for minority parties to punch above their weights?
However I suspect that it is UKIP and the BNP that will mop up the disillusioned, not the CP
Time will tell.
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Peter Carr |
09/01/2010 18:31 |
Alec said, "So any party that tries to take a moral stand,is going to be heavily scrutinised by its opponents - they will be looking for the slightest slip up."
Yes, but all of the other parties are miles ahead when it comes to moral slip ups etc. A party taking a biblical moral standpoint would be promoting God's standards, which Christians should be more familiar with than others!!
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John Parker (Guest) |
09/01/2010 19:26 |
Peter said:
"So, according to you John, the SCP are dead in the water! They cannot possibly hope to win on either an evangelical or a moral ticket."
Yup! I think thats what I was saying.
Peter, you also said:
"And further more if Christians cannot live by God's standards, then does it not make a mockery of the bible? Surley God has made it possible for us to live by the standards He has set?"
Well we didn't. Read about Adam and Eve. We are utterly incapable of living by God's standards. That's why Jesus had to die.
But the 'Christian' party thing is not about theology it's about logic.
If a party is based on 'morals' (and a party can't be moral, only people can be moral) the question must be "Whose morals?"
You just can't be merely 'moral' without defining morality.
And if it's based on the Christian belief system it is not going to attract voters.
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Peter Carr |
09/01/2010 20:27 |
John said, "Well we didn't. Read about Adam and Eve. We are utterly incapable of living by God's standards. That's why Jesus had to die."
So, are you saying that sanctification for the Christian/Christian party is a myth?
1 John 5:3 (New International Version)
"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome..."
John also said, "And if it's based on the Christian belief system it is not going to attract voters."
So, does that mean that God's moral laws count for nothing?
Eccl 3:11 (New International Version)
"He has also set eternity in the hearts of men..."
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John Parker (Guest) |
09/01/2010 22:59 |
So, are you saying that sanctification for the Christian/Christian party is a myth?
Sanctification is not a theological concept that you can apply to a political party; and even when applied to an individual is a lifelong process. God does not sanctify polical parties (or any other organisations up to and including Christian denominations).
"So, does that mean that God's moral laws count for nothing?"
Not at all. But the vast majority of the electorate are not prepared (at this point in time it would seem) to live under Christ's headship.
I repeat (as a closing comment) the matter of logic and not theology.
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Peter Carr |
10/01/2010 09:02 |
"Sanctification is not a theological concept that you can apply to a political party; and even when applied to an individual is a lifelong process. God does not sanctify polical parties (or any other organisations up to and including Christian denominations)."
I suggest that it does where SCP are concerned, for they are (or should be) made up of 'living stones'. Sanctification applies to all Christians, for we are church 24/7 no matter what or where we are! (My closing comment also).
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Peter Carr |
12/01/2010 17:49 |
Do we know if SCP are confining their efforts only to this one seat for the general election, or are they fielding other candidates in other seats in Scotland?
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Rosemary Cameron |
12/01/2010 21:45 |
They are contesting 120 seats across the UK according to their main website (i.e. the CP website). No indication of how many in Scotland and the SCP website is still 'under construction'. Given that the main CP website has been revamped recently and is up to date one wonders when the same level of attention will be gioven to the Scottish site.
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Peter Carr |
13/01/2010 08:15 |
Thanks Rosemary. A further question;
Who puts up the deposit? Is it each candidate, the CP, the SCP or CP (Scotland)?
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