God's Loving Embrace

Part Thirteen

August 2024

'For with God nothing shall be impossible.'

Luke 1:37

"Opinion polls are sometimes wrong but taken in context, over a period of time, we have the support of the majority of the people, I believe." Charles Buckingham told the faithful, in the middle of his keynote speech to the party conference. "The council elections back in June would normally have been a minefield for the sitting government, but we at least held our own...a much better performance than any administration has achieved since Disraeli...so we should take heart from that and redouble our efforts. Never forget that we had a mandate to change this country for the better. It was not our decision, it came from the man in the street and our job is to serve them well and deliver on our promises. It is inevitable that we will face resistance. Change management is a business buzzword of course, but only because it is an art in itself, and it was always impossible to deliver our promises without any friction because fundamental change always hurts someone. In some ways, we have shifted the pain from one set of people to another, but we have made our case that this is correct, right and ultimately preferable. But never forget that we still have generations of women who were subverted by that illogical notion of equality. Most people had a lot of real sympathy for the millions of unemployed people until we eradicated that particular statistic, but we must also empathise now in the same way with the women whose lives, expectations and ambitions have been so radically altered, denying them what they truly believed was their right."

"It is not their fault that they aspire to something God never intended for them. I think we have made our case on equality...the last election was fought on that topic and we won the right to rebalance our lives...but that does not make it any easier for the people caught in the eye of the needle. Restrictions on women working, travelling, dressing and socialising do seem severe to them...because they have been brainwashed to behave against nature...even if the majority believe it is for the greater good...so we must dedicate all of our considerable energies into helping them accept this change. Our children now will grow up happy with very different expectations. That is what we voted for...a better life for them...but I also want to help those most affected by it now. Dealing with the big things...those immense budget deficits, unemployment, education, health...were our first priority over the last four and a half years of our government. But our manifesto for next May must focus on what the changes we have made mean to people on the streets. On the big issues, it will be more of the same. I am not a magician...the only answer to continued improvement is continued hard work, but we must never forget that we do it all for the people. I am going to ask the people of this country to vote for their family...for decency and for moral fortitude. I am going to extend the idea of national service. I am going to eradicate unwanted pregnancies and sex outside marriage. I am going to eradicate the last vestiges of the dreadful drugs and drink culture which has ruined so many lives in the recent past. Our opponents will whinge and whine...and they will accuse us of all kinds of things...but I can promise you this...everything we intend to do in our next five years in office will be written into our manifesto for everyone to clearly see, and I will be demanding that the opposition do the same. I have been accused of lots of things since I chose to lead this party my friends, none of which bothers me. When God finally calls me, I want only one thing carved on my headstone. I hope it will read Charles Buckingham, 'He never broke his promises to the people'...that will do me. I have a young family and I can see the world I want them to inherit...it is so close I can almost touch it. I need five more years to deliver the foundations for that future and we must make sure that we are ready to win again in May 2025."

'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.'

Proverbs 3:5