What must life be like for UKIP's press officers? Just as the party’s support is rising, their candidates keep expressing views that are even farther to the right than UKIP’s official policies. Last month, UKIP’s culture spokesperson described adoption by same-sex couples as “child abuse”. Now one of their local government candidates in Kent has suggested that disabled children should face compulsory abortion.
There is a whole raft of initiatives and referendums on state ballots. We offer a summary here, with comments where appropriate on issues of social justice relating to these proposals.
All five candidates for the Labour leadership have placed a strong emphasis on “values” while pitching for Christian support at a hustings run by the Christian Socialist Movement.
A church advertising campaign for Christmas, which depicts the baby Jesus in his mother Mary's womb, has been defended by its creators against charges of naivete and political meddling.
For the first time in a British general election, significant numbers of voters will today have the opportunity to support candidates from parties described specifically as “Christian”. Symon Hill hopes that very few of them will choose to do so.
The role of religion in the general election is far from straightforward. Politicians and the media need to recognise the diversity of religious engagement with politics on a much wider range of issues than they sometimes seem to notice.
The Westminster Declaration, a statement drawn up by conservative Christian groups ahead of the election, has been criticised by the former chair of Christians in Politics.