Displaying items by tag: Politics

Many are saying Holyrood faces a ‘crisis of credibility’ over its inquiry into the handling of harassment complaints against Alex Salmond, now that his written evidence submitted to the inquiry has been redacted at the request of the Crown Office. In another development, MSPs on the inquiry committee have asked the Crown Office to hand over all correspondence between Peter Murrell, chief executive officer of the SNP and Ms Sturgeon's husband; Liz Lloyd, Nicola Sturgeon's chief of staff; Sue Ruddick, chief operating officer for the SNP; and Ian McCann, SNP compliance officer. Mr Salmond claims the documents being requested will show he was the victim of a high-level plot. Ms Sturgeon, who has emphatically denied there was any such plotting against her former boss, is scheduled to appear before MSPs next week. She described suggestions that the Crown Office's intervention was politically influenced as ‘downright wrong’.

Following last week’s intercessions for our Christians in Parliament as they meet up virtually to read the Bible and offer pastoral support, pray for God to anoint them as they walk alongside other people in difficult circumstances and for new opportunities to give one-to-one support. Our Christian MPs also hope to run a course exploring the Christian faith soon; please pray that those who would benefit from such a course would be able to find the right time to meet. Also, plans are being made for this year's National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast. Please pray for God to give the organisers wisdom as they work out what will be feasible given the ongoing Covid restrictions. Pray that whatever format the event takes, it will be an encouragement for all who attend and a vehicle for strengthening relationships between church leaders and their local MPs.

Boris Johnson has said it is ‘absolutely right’ to take a ‘data not dates’ approach to leaving lockdown, stressing that England will ease measures ‘cautiously’. He will set out a road map for easing restrictions on 22 February. Pray for Boris and his advisers to agree on the way forward that God has prepared for us to follow. We can thank God that infection rates are coming down quicker than expected and the vaccination programme is going well. Pray for the ongoing safety of the large numbers of vulnerable people not yet immunised.

The Czech government re-declared a state of emergency to tackle the coronavirus pandemic in defiance of the lower house of Parliament, which refused the minority government’s request to extend the powerful tool. The state of emergency gives extra powers to impose nationwide restrictions and limit people’s travel and rights. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the republic’s rate of 915 new confirmed cases per 100,000 people in the previous two weeks is the second worst per capita in the EU after Portugal. Despite the dire situation, some lawyers and politicians, including the Senate speaker, say the government’s move violates the country’s constitution. The government denies that, saying its legal advisers support such a solution. Meanwhile Germany has implemented tight border controls on its frontiers with the Czech Republic and Austria’s Tyrol province to stem the spread of variants.

The current president's strategy for handling the former president's impeachment trial has been to keep the whole ordeal at arm's length. The Biden administration's long-term political fortunes rest on success in dealing with the pandemic, the economy and the American public's other concerns. In the end, the trial lasted only three days. The chamber can’t take up Biden's Covid relief bill until the House passes the version that they have spent the week working on. Pray that the much-needed relief is released swiftly. With the trial concluded, the Senate can now resume confirming Biden's administration appointments, after it returns from a week recess. Pray for wisdom to flow through all appointments yet to be made, and that the price of a speedy trial without witnesses will not mean a political price being paid later.

Throughout the pandemic, the Christians in Parliament team have been sharing regular psalm reflections with Members and staff to encourage them in this challenging season. Psalms remind us there are so many reasons to praise God, he is still in control and offers us true stability. Please pray for the weekly video conferencing services every Tuesday lunchtime. They are attended by a good range of Members and staff. May they all be blessed as they work through John’s Gospel, looking at what happened when different people encountered Jesus. Please pray for the speakers as they prepare and that everyone attending will grow in their knowledge and love of Jesus through these different encounters. Pray also for the two weekly Bible studies, now beginning to look at Philippians. Please pray that all those attending will continue to fix their eyes on Jesus.

Donald Trump's second impeachment started on 9 February. Mr Trump was so irate with his defence team he was ‘screaming’ at the television while watching the proceedings unfold. Recent polls show 52% want Trump impeached for his actions leading to the Capitol riot. The Biden administration has high approval ratings, but they need to deliver immediately on climate change and immigration. Many believe this impeachment determines whether Republicans are tied to Trump for the next few years. The nine Democrat managers finished their opening arguments on 11 February, and thought their evidence was compelling enough to convince more Republicans to vote to impeach Trump. Meanwhile there are concerns that the trial will diistract Congress from taking swift action on urgent priorities around pandemic and economic fallout. Pray for scientists and communities to accelerate Covid vaccinations without interference. Pray for governing bodies in commerce and industry to agree on badly needed stimulus relief. See

Conservative London Mayor candidate Shaun Bailey used City Hall branded paper to warn Londoners of an alleged 21.2% council tax increase. The leaflet, with a Tory Party logo, invited readers to sign a petition against council tax rises. He was reported to the Crown Prosecution Service for fraudulent leaflets, and London’s Labour deputy leader called for the Tories to apologise. She said Mr Bailey seemed ‘determined to insult voters' intelligence by bringing discredited Donald Trump-style fake news to London. He has consistently misled over finances, the congestion charge, and council tax, and his latest leaflets are literally a work of fiction. Fake news, fake polls and fake leaflets will reflect badly on him and the Conservative Party and erode trust in politics.’ The Liberal Democrat candidate posted a picture of the leaflet on social media, labelling it a ‘cheap trick’.

Up to 1,000 people – including priests and church leaders – were killed in recent attacks in Ethiopia. A Belgium-based nonprofit organisation released reports of 1,000 people hiding in an Orthodox church in Aksum, thought to contain the Ark of the Covenant. They were brought out and shot in the square. 750 were definitely murdered, and possibly more of the injured died later. Inside Ethiopia there is political conflict. The government’s term of office ended in September, and the May elections were cancelled due to coronavirus. This has created political unrest where Christians and Muslims are dying in a long line of fatal assaults against innocent people in the Tigray region. 154 were killed in December in Maryam Dengelat, and ten from one family were killed on Christmas Day. Also, Eritrean troops have been killing dozens.

A growing groundswell of youth unrest, tapping into a well of economic frustration, is sweeping Tunisia, the country which triggered the 2011 ‘Arab Spring’. A third of the nation’s young people are unemployed. Many are angry about their poverty. Since 14 January they have taken to the streets in violent marches. There have been 1,000 arrests, and the army has been deployed in four hot spots. Protest groups are growing in size and are out in force every night staging simultaneous, often-violent demonstrations: pelting municipal buildings with stones, throwing Molotov cocktails, looting, vandalising, and clashing with police in poor, densely populated districts. By 24 January hundreds more were protesting against police repression, chanting, ‘No more fear, the streets belong to the people’ and ‘The people want the fall of the regime’ - popularised during the Arab Spring. They also called for the release of hundreds of protesters detained recently. See