Anyone come across this political party?

[LeftishBrit]

http://www.christianparty.org.uk/

One of my colleagues (the same one who said that she'd like PR because it would give more scope for Christian parties) told me that she voted for this party against Speaker John Bercow in Buckingham. I find the party quite scary, though I do note that they got rather less than half the vote of the Monster Raving Loony Party there, and didn't do much better anywhere else!

[tjwmason]

1. I hadn't heard of them before

A quick look through suggests that they're very much in the same light as the American religious right. I notice that one of their policies (advertised on the front page) is that healthcare costs for new immigrants should be paid by employers...I'm not entirely sure where that arises from Christian doctrine. Also, they link to another site (Church Survey) which openly advocates the dispensationalist position that the foundation of the state of Israel is part of the divine plan for the end-times...I think we all know how much damage that view has caused in the U.S.

Our great advantage is that most people won't even think of voting for them.

[LeftishBrit]

2. Fortunately most won't.

My colleague claims that it is a 'human rights issue' and that Christians are discriminated against by not being allowed to wear symbols of their faith, while Muslims can - etc. etc.

After listening to her, I tend to get a bit paranoid about fringenut influence in this country, and have to remind myself that she's very much the exception. The thing is that she can be quite sane when not on the subject of religion or politics!

[T_i_B]

3. I've come across them

Whereas the Christian Peoples Alliance are a more moderate Christian Democrat type party the Christian Party are more US style religious right. The 2 stood on a joint platform at the last European elections, although the Christian Party appeared to be the more dominant in that alliance.

To be honest Christian Parties are never going to go anywhere electorally as by their very nature they do not appeal to the whole population and also, many of us Christians find sectarian politics distasteful anyway.

[miscsoc]

4. I think it's a bit of a personality cult among this bloke

http://www.christianparty.org.uk/georgehargreaves.html George Hargreaves. Seems largely based on American style evangelical protestants.

[Dutch]

5. Apparently he wrote the song "So Macho" for Sinitta

I'm not sure what kind of God would want to inflict that on the world...

[Anarcho-Socialist]

7. Is his longing for a "big and strong" macho man compatible with his religion?

[Dutch]

6. Hmmm...

I get that selling off NHS hospitals and slashing public spending is aimed at giving more business to the churches, but what's so Christian about scrapping inheritance tax and introducing a flat income tax?