The Greater Love

Probably my favourite hymn is "When peace, like a river, attendeth my way".  The words were written, in 1873, by Horatio G.Spafford, and the tragic story behind it is well known.  However, the music was written by Philip P.Bliss, considered by many to have been the equal of Fanny J.Crosby in hymn-writing ability.  He wrote the words, and the music, for such favourites as "Man of Sorrows! Wondrous Name for the Son of Man, who came ruined sinners to reclaim! Hallelujah! What a Saviour." - written shortly before he died.    It was at the urging of the evangelist, Dwight L.Moody, that the musician gave up a prosperous business career in order to engage in full-time Gospel singing and composing.

One of the songs that was popular in Christian circles in his day was Frederick Whitfield's "There is a Name I love to hear", to which an anonymously-written chorus had been added: "Oh, how I love Jesus; Oh, how I love Jesus; Oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me."  Bliss was aware that it was a wonderful, and enthusiastic, hymn, full of testimony and personal admonition.  However, recognising his own frailty, and the chill of indifference that can steal over the hearts of even the strongest disciples of Jesus, he began to wonder if that hymn ought not to have a companion piece that would emphasise the reassuring thought of God's greater, and unchanging, love for us!

It was while he was reading in John's first letter that he came to these words: "In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the expiation for our sins." (4:10).  "Ah", he said, "I have been singing too much about my own weak, wavering, devotion to Jesus, and not enough about His boundless compassion, and grace, that saves and keeps me."  He then sat down and wrote the lovely words: "I am so glad that my Father in heav'n tells of His love in the Book He has giv'n.  Wonderful things in the Bible I see - this is the dearest, that JESUS LOVES ME."  He wrote two more verses, and a jubilant chorus and then, almost as quickly, set the words to music.  That hymn is still sung in many parts of the world today!

Certainly, if we are disciples of Jesus, we should witness to the joy that we find in Him but, like Philip Bliss, let us rejoice even more in that "greater love" that never fails, and never grows cold.

Seasoned with salt?!

For those who would like a fuller, deeper, "meatier" analysis of the referendum result,  I offer this from David Robertson:

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone – Colossians 4:6

 In the providence of God I find myself on the other side of the world as my country has made the biggest decision in 50 years and the political and chattering classes have gone mad! I am profoundly grateful to be out of the irrationality, and it is profoundly interesting to observe from afar, and to some extent, through the eyes of others – “O that God would gie us, the gift to see ourselves as others see us”.  (Original: "O wad some pow'r the giftie gie us, tae see oorsels as ithers see us"!)

I have also decided to take a three-week fast from interaction on social media – which for me is just as well, because it seems as though a collective hysteria has gripped many people, including Christians. And this has really set me thinking. Are we as Christians supposed just to reflect the agendas and perspectives of the culture or are we supposed to be different? If the latter, in what way?

As we (eventually) flew over here I wrote an article about how I felt about the UK voting to remain in the EU – something which I expected. To be more accurate I had two articles in mind. The first was the kind of ‘how could you?’ angry article. What a bunch of idiots/cowards/selfish swine we are to have voted to have stayed in a corrupt mega corporate institution. But to be honest that was an emotive not rational and not helpful article. So it was replaced with what I hope was a more Christian response, expressing disappointment, but acknowledging the sovereignty of God, and the need for us to accept what had happened and work together both in politics and especially in bringing the gospel to the people of Europe. I was prepared for disappointment (I am, after all, Scottish!) but was thankful that in the grand scheme of things, this was only a ‘drop in the bucket’.

And then it all went right. In the most astonishing political surprise in my lifetime the British people voted to leave the EU. The cynic in me says, ‘aye right, we’ll see if they allow that’, but the optimist radical rejoices that change is possible.   So what should the reaction be of those Christians who supported Brexit? It should not be a kind of triumphalist ‘we won’, that is so often associated with your football team winning the cup. Nor should we react as if the millennium had come, and the kingdom of God arrived. That would be to give a political change the king of spiritual seismic connotations that it cannot deserve.

My own response to this vote is one of immense thankfulness that so many people voted against the Establishment and were prepared to take a risk. But it is a risk and it may not work out.   I recognize the fears and sorrows of those who perceive they have the most to lose (in this case people who have benefited most from the system) and also the danger of giving false expectations to those who think this change will bring them great benefit (essentially the losers under the present system). Justice and equality are never easy and cheap. I am glad to see that whilst I have read some triumphalistic comments, they have been few and far between, and most Christians I have read commenting on this have been somber and sober. As they should be.

Some of the comments from Christians who were on the Remain side have also been sober, reflective and asking for prayer and unity. Again as I would have expected. But what I did not expect are the number of comments and posts which have reflected a very different spirit; bitter, cynical and full of contempt and fear.   It seems as though the passive-aggressive posts have quickly morphed into aggressive-aggressive posts.

The passive aggressive were those who stated that their reasons for voting Remain were because they wanted international co-operation, peace and they loved their European neighbour, the not so subtle implication being that those who intended to vote Brexit did not share those altruistic motives.   When the result was announced it was astonishing how quickly that desire for ‘peace, love and unity’ expressed itself in anger, hatred and disunity.   Some of the vitriol has shown up the worst of Facebook/Twitter, or to be more honest, the worst of humanity. But I have been genuinely shocked at how many Christians have joined in with the mob.

I have seen posts/retweets about how dumb Britons have become (as bad as Americans supporting Trump), about how it is the end of the world (markets collapsing etc. – which by the way they have not), how those who supported Brexit were a bunch of working class racists or just too dumb to see that they were supporting racists. There seems to me to be an overwhelming identification of the church with the governing middle class ethos/values of Western society.   How could working people have been so stupid and gone against the ‘experts’ (ie. those who agreed with us)?  'Sover!  There is an anger, rage and contempt that makes David Cameron’s petulance seem moderate and mature! Why?

Because there is a lack of spiritual perspective. No, this is not the end of the world, or the victory of Satan, or the forces of evil taking over. Hitler has not come to power, Boris is not the Anti-Christ and the Stockbrokers are not the Masters of the Universe (whatever their own self-perception).   Christ is still on the throne. And please let us stop treating the Sovereignty of God as some kind of runners up prize! ‘Oh, we didn’t get what we wanted because of those idiotic racists, but never mind, God is still sovereign”. God would still have been sovereign if you had ‘won’. And his sovereignty (and goodness) should be our foundation, not our back up plan.   If it were we would avoid a great deal of the anger, fear and self-righteous loathing that we have of others who don’t have the sense to see as we do.

Tied in with this, there is an over identification with one particular political point of view. We far too often equate our politics with the Kingdom and its just plain wrong to do so, even when our politics are right!

There is also a genuine concern for others.   We are concerned about racism, about our European colleagues and friends and the direction we perceive the country to be going. That is commendable. But we also need the wisdom and humility to realize that even the best of our motives are mixed with selfishness and sin. Sometimes it is very direct. We belong to, are paid by, and benefit from, institutions that are financed by or dependent upon the EU in some way. So we are afraid about our personal circumstances. Good. That should help us understand how millions of the ‘have nots’ feel. It’s one thing for us to express ‘solidarity and sympathy’ with the poor, its another for us to have to face the same insecurities and fears, especially when we are so self-confident, self-reliant and self-assured.

There is also ignorance combined with arrogance. The truth is that we don’t know. Despite the Bible’s very clear warning that we are mist and do not know what will happen tomorrow, we think, act and write as if we do. We make our pronouncements and then we have this wonderful facility that allows us to Google articles that confirm our worst fears, which we then share as some kind of independent authority. Christians of all people should know that we cannot stay with certainty what is going to happen in our own lifes, never mind the variations of the casino that is known as the stock market! Since when did Christians base their guidance, politics and hearts on what computer algorithms do on Wall St, the City or the Borse?

Please, please, please, stop the passive aggressive and the virtue signaling. Let me mention just one example. The person who writes “I would like to reassure my European friends and colleagues in the UK, that we love you, welcome you and want you to know that we are standing with you”.   It’s like the Scottish government grandiosely pronouncing that they will protect their EU citizens. From what?   Are we talking about forceful repatriation, UKIP storm troopers at the door in the middle of the night, anti-French mobs patrolling the streets? It is ridiculous scaremongering – deliberately feeding fear and creating prejudice. I don’t think the French, German, Dutch, Italian, Irish, Greek and Spanish people in my congregation are in any more danger now than they were before. They are in no more danger than the Malaysians, Chinese, Africans, Americans and Australians.   In two years time, if Brexit actually happens, it is not about closed borders and throwing out foreigners. I suspect that we will end up with something very similar to what we have today (with the one big difference that our elected politicians will be the ones that determine the policy – not unelected commissioners in Brussels), and even if we don’t, those who are already here, will be able to stay.

We need to calm things down, not create more rage.  There is  a great danger that we could be part of stoking up an atmosphere which will do a great deal of harm.  There are already those who are seeking to get the result of the referendum annulled because the result did not suit them.  Blame the old, blame the poor, don’t let them destroy our economy.  If you really want to see chaos and the end of democracy in the UK, then watch that happen if some kind of Euro-Coup were to be staged by MPs, the City and the Middle classes.

We need to learn to be silent. To stop emoting our rage, frustration and fears in public. We need to stop stoking up fears, prejudice and ignorance. Yes – there is a place for sharing things – but we need to be aware of the teaching of James 3 – 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. Lets make sure we are not adding to the collective poison of the human race by injecting even more into the Internet.

We are neither nationalists nor internationalists. We are Christians working for the Kingdom of God, working for the good of all humanity and seeking that Christ may be glorified on earth. Lets not get things out of perspective. And lets ensure that our interaction with each other and with non-Christians on social media, fulfills the scriptural injunction given by Paul in Colossians 4:

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

The poll that mattered!

So, with the final count giving a good majority to the Brexiteers, we may expect that, over the next 24 months, we will see the links with the EU broken - one by one. Reading some of the comments on social media, it would appear that some do not realise is that all that has happened is that a referendum of the British people (the referendum was NOT an individual country/province affair!) has resulted in the clear message that the majority want the UK to LEAVE the EU.  We have not yet done so!

What is interesting, however, is the way in which some of those who were the bearers of doom-laden messages in the campaign running up to the referendum - and I think of the current incumbent of The White House; certain of the so-called "captains of industry; and even certain bankers - are already changing their tunes in the light of yesterday morning's announced result.  I also notice that WW III has not commenced, that the sky has not fallen in, and that, "before the ink was dry", non-EU countries were already making overtures with regard to trade deals! Perhaps Brexit won't be as bad as the "Remainers" tried to make us believe it would be!

I confess to having been a wee bit apprehensive.  I was aware that the result could be very closely run, but was concerned that the "In" vote would just outstrip the "Leave" vote.  However, as my final pre-referendum post indicated, I knew that Almighty God was not about to be caught out!  He Who, from His eternal perspective, sees all of time simultaneously, could 'see' that result even 'before' the EU was formed!

This, of course, is the bottom line for the person of Biblical faith.  We serve the Sovereign God Who is the Creator of all that exists, and Who knows the very heart of man better than we do ourselves. He is the One Who, as the hymn-writer put it "... is working His purpose out, as year succeeds to year." (A.C.Ainger).  The old cliché was: "I don't know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future"! There's a lot of truth in that!  It could be a very interesting two years (if the Rapture is delayed that long!), but for the disciple of Jesus, there is nothing to fear.

BREXIT, or remain: Some final thoughts.

This is the final pre-referendum post to be published on this blog.  As I shall be travelling all day Friday, my comments on the result will have to wait until Saturday!

One of the areas that the "Remain" camp seemed to avoid is that of national sovereignty.  That topic also ties in with democracy.  If those who make our laws are not accountable to those who elect them, then we have, not a democracy, but an autocratic dictatorship.  It is an indisputable fact that the EU Commission is the group that actually makes the EU laws.  It is equally indisputable that they are unelected, and unaccountable.  If there was no other reason for voting to LEAVE, that one would be sufficient for me.  

If sovereignty has been avoided by the "Remain" camp, they could not avoid the subject of immigration.  One of the points that has had to be repeated, almost ad nauseum, by the BREXIT camp is that to be opposed to uncontrolled immigration is not to be opposed to controlled immigration.  The system that has been regularly proposed is a points-based system similar (but not, necessarily, identical) to the Australian system.  This would allow the UK to accept those who have the skills that are currently lacking here (due, I would contend, to the 'dumbing-down' of the education system in every part of the UK over many decades - but that is a whole new topic!), while denying access to those who merely wish to take advantage of the UK benefits' system, or to take on unskilled work - at a wage that is less than a UK worker would expect but that is, to them, in terms of their own national income scales, undreamed of wealth.

Then there are the basic issues of honesty and integrity.  In 1975, I was one of those who voted against the UK becoming a part of what we were assured was nothing more than a Trading Bloc - the European Economic Community.  I did so, I confess, not because I had some wonderful insight, or prophetic vision, but because I did not trust the then Prime Minister, Edward Heath.  He did later confess that he was fully aware that, in spite of the assurances given, he was aware that the end-goal was a political integration that would subsume the UK.  I do not trust the current incumbent of 10 Downing Street any more than I did that former one!  Even the so-called "renegotiation" has yet to be ratified by the EU Parliament.  Does any right-thinking person really believe that this will happen?  I certainly don't.  On the other hand, I do believe that there are a number of plans (some of which have been 'leaked') for after the referendum, that will not be to the advantage of the UK, and that will be set into motion in the event of a win for the "Remain" campaigners.

However, let my final word be that I believe, fully and unapologetically, in the sovereignty of Almighty God.  The Psalmist wrote: "... dominion belongs to YHWH, and He rules over the nations." (Ps 22:28).  Accordingly, I believe that His will shall be accomplished.  For His own purposes, it may be that He wishes the EU to continue.  Certainly, that could be yet another sign that we are in "the last days" (there are many others all around us).   What I believe is that, for the disciple of Jesus, this must be a matter of continuing prayer and that, however we intend to cast our vote, we must be willing to pray, as the Saviour Himself prayed on an infinitely more important occasion: "Not my will, but Yours, be done". (see Lk.22:42).

On Friday, there will be jubilation, and there will be disappointment.  I pray that we who claim to be His will accept the result as His will at this time, and react accordingly.

Part 2.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the unelected president of the European Commission, sees intransigence as a great strength. His priority is the survival of the EU and the single currency: the welfare of Europeans and even the notion of democratic consent seem distant concerns. When he dismisses the ever-louder voices of protest as the shriek of ‘populism’, he echoes the Bertolt Brecht poem: ‘Would it not be easier… to dissolve the people/ and elect another?’ When Britain asked for reform, he took a gamble: that we were bluffing and would not dare vote to leave.

All this has placed the Prime Minister in an impossible position. Unable to make a positive case for staying in the EU, he instead tells us that Britain is trapped within it and that the penalties for leaving are too severe. His scare stories, peppered with made-up statistics, have served only to underline the emptiness of the case for remaining. It also represents a style of politics that many find repugnant. The warnings from the IMF and OECD and other acronyms have served only to reinforce the caricature of a globalised elite telling the governed what to think.

Talk of anyone being made ‘worse off’ by Brexit is deeply misleading. Of the many economists who have made projections for 2030, none have suggested that we’d be poorer. The question is whether we’d be, say, 36 per cent better off or 41 per cent better off by then. Not that anyone knows, given the monstrously large margin of error in 15-year predictions. So these studies offer no real reasons to be fearful. This is perhaps why George Osborne had to resort to concocting figures, such as his now notorious claim that households would be £4,300 worse off. If the economic case against Brexit were so strong, why would the Chancellor have to resort to fabrications?

As the world’s fifth-largest economy, Britain has a reasonable chance (to put it mildly) of being able to cut trade deals with countries keen to access our consumers. The worst-case scenario is to use World Trade Organisation rules, tariffs of about 4 per cent. That’s a relatively small mark-up, and the effect would be more than offset by a welcome drop in the pound. And if house prices fall, as the Chancellor predicts, then so much the better. A great many would-be homeowners have been praying for just that.

There would certainly be turbulence, which would be the price of our leaving the EU. This would affect City financiers more than the skilled working class (two thirds of whom support Brexit). This week, we’re being invited to panic at the prospect of a falling pound. But why? A weaker currency would give our exporters the stimulus they need.

The question at this referendum is not whether Britain should co-operate with our European allies; the question is how. Sir Richard Dearlove, former head of MI6, has explained how our intelligence alliances are bilateral. Our closest is with the ‘five eyes’ of the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The Lancaster House agreements with France over military co-operation is another example. Alliances work when they are between nations with a shared agenda, with the ability and (crucially) the will to act.

The EU is an alliance of the unwilling, which is why it is useless on security — as we saw with Bosnia and Libya. Even the migrant crisis has to be handled by Nato, which has been the true guarantor of western security. It’s sometimes claimed that Vladimir Putin would want Britain to vote for Brexit. This is unlikely: what could suit the Kremlin more than European security being entrusted to the most dysfunctional organisation in the West?

As David Cameron rightly says, the British way is to fight rather than quit. Given that the EU has proved that it is structurally incapable of reform, we now have a choice. Do we cave in, because we’re too scared to leave? Or do we vote to retrieve our sovereignty, walk away from the whole racket and engage with the world on our own terms? A vote to leave would represent an extraordinary vote of confidence in the project of the United Kingdom and the principle of national self-determination. It would also show reform-minded Europeans that theirs is not a lost cause. And that we stand willing to help forge a Europe based on freedom, co–operation and respect for sovereignty.

The value of sovereignty cannot be measured by any economist’s formula. Adam Smith, the father of economics, first observed that the prosperity of a country is decided by whether it keeps its ‘laws and institutions’ healthy. This basic insight explains why nations thrive or fail, and has been the great secret of British success: intellectual, artistic, scientific and industrial. The principles of the Magna Carta and achievements of the Glorious Revolution led to our emergence as a world power. To pass up the chance to stop our laws being overridden by Luxembourg and our democracy eroded by Brussels would be a derogation of duty to this generation and the next.

No one — economist, politician or mystic — knows what tumult we can expect in the next 15 years. But we do know that whatever happens, Britain will be better able to respond and adapt as a sovereign country living under its own laws. The history of the last two centuries can be summed up in two words: democracy matters. Let’s vote to defend it on 23 June."

This is probably the longest post that will ever be published on this blog.  It is an article from The Spectator magazine, via a friend's Facebook page.  However, like the video-clip of two posts ago, it gives a very clear picture of the current situation - and why a LEAVE vote is the best way to go.  I had intended to publish it in two sections, and cannot understand why it appeared on the blog! Thankfully, there is the "edit" facility so, for those who don't like to read long comments, I am dividing it into two instalments now!

"The Spectator has a long record of being isolated, but right. We supported the north against the slave-owning south in the American civil war at a time when news-papers (and politicians) could not see past corporate interests. We argued for the decriminalisation of homosexuality a decade before it happened, and were denounced as the ‘bugger’s bugle’ for our troubles. We alone supported Margaret Thatcher when she first stood for the Tory leadership. And when Britain last held a referendum on Europe, every newspaper in the land advocated a ‘yes’ vote. Only two national titles backed what is now called Brexit: the Morning Star and The Spectator.

Our concern then was simple: we did not believe that the Common Market was just about trade. We felt it would be followed by an attempted common government, which would have disastrous effects on a continent distinguished by its glorious diversity. The whole project seemed to be a protectionist scam, an attempt to try to build a wall around the continent rather than embrace world trade. Such European parochialism, we argued, did not suit a globally minded country such as Britain. On the week of the 1975 referendum, The Spectator’s cover line was: ‘Out – and into the world.’ We repeat that line today.

Since 1975 the EU has mutated in exactly the way we then feared and now resembles nothing so much as the Habsburg Empire in its dying days. A bloated bureaucracy that has outgrown all usefulness. A parliament that represents many nations, but with no democratic legitimacy. Countries on its periphery pitched into poverty, or agitating for secession. The EU’s hunger for power has been matched only by its incompetence. The European Union is making the people of our continent poorer, and less free.

This goes far beyond frustration at diktats on banana curvature. The EU has started to deform our government. Michael Gove revealed how, as a cabinet member, he regularly finds himself having to process edicts, rules and regulations that have been framed at European level. Laws that no one in Britain had asked for, and which no one elected to the House of Commons has the power to change. What we refer to as British government is increasingly no such thing. It involves the passing of laws written by people whom no one in Britain elected, no one can name and no one can remove.

Steve Hilton, David Cameron’s chief strategist for many years, gave an example of this institutional decay. A few months into his job in No. 10, he was dismayed to find his colleagues making slow progress because they were all bogged down by paperwork that he didn’t recognise. He asked for an audit, and was shocked by the results: only a third of what the government was doing was related to its agenda. Just over half was processing orders from Brussels. To him, this was more than just a headache: it was an insidious and accelerating bureaucratic takeover.

With the EU’s fundamental lack of democracy comes complacency on the part of its leaders and the corruption of those around them — which has led us to the present situation. Voters are naturally concerned about the extraordinary rise of immigration, and their governments’ inability to control it. Free movement of people might have been a laudable goal before the turn of the century, when the current global wave of migration started. But today, with the world on the move, the system strikes a great many Europeans as madness. The EU’s failure to handle immigration has encouraged the people trafficking industry, a global evil that has led to almost 3,000 deaths in the Mediterranean so far this year.

In theory, the EU is supposed to protect its member states by insisting that refugees claim asylum in the first country they enter. In practice, this law — the so-called Dublin Convention — was torn up by Angela Merkel when she recklessly said that all Syrians could settle in Germany if they somehow managed to get there. Blame lies not with the tens of thousands who subsequently arrived but with a system hopelessly unequal to such a complex and intensifying challenge.

The Spectator was, again, alone in the British press in opposing Britain’s entry to the Exchange Rate Mechanism from the beginning. Why, we asked, should the Bundesbank control another country’s interest rates? When the single currency came along, the risks became greater: what if a country’s economy crashed, but it was denied the stimulus of a devaluing currency?

The answer can now be seen across Europe. Sado–austerity in Italy. Youth unemployment of about 50 per cent in Greece and Spain. The evisceration of these economies, in the name of a project supposed to bring people together, has been a tragedy.

Last week, a Pew poll showed how far dismay about the EU extends across the continent. In Greece, 71 per cent now view the EU unfavourably; in France, it’s 61 per cent. In Britain, it was 48 per cent — about the same as Spain, Germany and the Netherlands. This was why David Cameron had a strong case for renegotiation: the demand for change was widespread, and growing. A recent poll has suggested that Swedes will vote to leave the EU if Britain does. The absence of a deal worth the name was final proof that the EU is structurally incapable of reform."

The fragility of life.

During my adult life I have, at one time or another, voted for every major political party - and even for one or two of the 'fringe' parties!   With one exception.  I have never voted in support of any Labour Party candidate in any election in which I have taken part.  Normally, I am not unhappy to see the Labour Party experiencing any form of discomfort.

However, today's tragic murder of a sitting Member of Parliament is a shock to the system.  Oh, I know that there are parts of the world in which such politically-motivated assassinations are not uncommon.  But in the UK; in Yorkshire; in the street outside a constituency office?  That is frightening.

The late Jo Cox was not my own MP, and I only know what I have read in the media, but the young, married, mother-of-two was simply going about her lawful business when, it would appear, a crazed gunman shot her - not just once, but three times - and stabbed her.  Much will undoubtedly be made of the earlier reports that he was shouting some kind of "pro-Brexit" slogan (the MP was involved in the "Remain" campaign) but, at this moment, no-one seems to know the motivation behind the attack.

What we know, for certain, is that a man has been widowed, and two children left motherless, all because of a mindless act of violence.  It is also a reminder of the fragility of human life.  Writing to the church at large, James (the half-brother of the Lord Jesus) exhorts: "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get gain'; whereas you do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." (James 4:13-14).  Centuries earlier, the psalmist-king of Israel David, had written: "As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more." (Ps 103:15-16). 

It was Benjamin Franklin who said that "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."  However, while many will talk (and talk, and talk!) about taxes, death has become the taboo subject in polite social circles.  Yet, while it is possible to evade, and/or avoid, paying taxes, neither money, nor influence, nor position, nor anything else can enable us to escape the cold hand of death.  And, of course, we do not know the moment in which death will strike us.

Surely, then, the sensible thing is to be prepared for that inevitable event.  How may we make such preparation?  Well, there is the legal aspect of having a will drawn up so that there can be no doubt as to what we want to happen to whatever we leave behind (and that is, of course, everything!). However, I am thinking beyond that.  

The vast majority of humankind believes - even if they do not often voice that belief - that this mortal life is not the totality of our existence.  There is a life beyond the grave for which this life is but a preparation.  Only One has offered any hope for that life - the only One to have conquered death: Jesus of Nazareth, Who was crucified, died, and was buried, but Who rose victoriously from the dead.  Concerning Him, the apostle Paul writes: "... Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a Man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power." (I Cor 15:20-24).

What you and I need to do is to come to Him, confessing our own sinfulness - and our inability to do anything about it - and receive the forgiveness of Almighty God that the Lord Jesus has gained for us. This is how we may meet death with a steady eye, knowing that our eternal future is safe in Him.

Whenever I conduct a funeral service I try, sensitively, to make the point that, whatever the spiritual condition of the deceased, there is nothing that I can do for them.  However, I can point those who are present to the way of salvation.  Where do you stand in relationship to Almighty God as you read this post?  If you were to die in ten minutes' time, are you fully prepared?  

Writing, again, to the Corinthian believers, Paul reminds them that: "... now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (II Cor 6:2).   Have you come to Jesus, in repentance and faith? If not, then you are not ready for death. There are a couple of useful links at the right-hand-side of this page and, of course, you may contact me by e-mail at author@minister.com 

When Jo Cox set off to go to her office today, I am certain that the last thought in her mind was that she would never see her husband and children again.  I don't know how prepared she was.  But what about you?  Are you prepared?

BREXIT - or remain? Still undecided?!

Having spoken, yesterday, with a good friend who is still "undecided" with regard to the referendum that is to be held just one week from today, I offer this video.  Well worth watching.

Brexit, or Remain - some misconceptions.

On a website in which I am involved in France, one of the other contributors commented that, as far as the forthcoming Referendum is concerned "we will just have to wait and see"!!  The problem with that attitude is, in my opinion, that by that time it will be too late to do anything about it!  In this post, therefore, I want to share some information that will, I hope, clear up some misunderstandings.

The first of these is that we are being asked about our continuing membership of the European Union; we are not being asked about our connection with Europe!  The first of those is a political entity that is, in the eyes of many of us, dictatorial, undemocratic, disingenuous, and discredited.  The second is a geographical landmass from which, for as long as records have been kept, we have been separated by the stretch of water known as The English Channel (in the English language), or La Manche (in the French language).  Regardless of the result of the Referendum, that physical, geographical, situation will not change!  We will still be an 'offshore' part of the Continent of Europe!

Nor has the Referendum anything to do with the United Nations, G8, or G20.  This means that, even if we do leave the EU, we will still have a major voice on the world stage.  Indeed, the only problem there is the weakness of our so-called "leadership" - with a PM who has less backbone than a dead jellyfish!

The Referendum has nothing to do with travel in Europe.  Contrary to the statements made by some of those in the "Remain" camp - who not only should know better, but who also do know better - travel around Europe will not be stopped.  It is certainly possible that we would have to have our passports stamped, as in the pre-EU days but, speaking personally, I would welcome that.  Indeed, for as long as I was able, after the "barriers" were opened, I requested the person at the Border Post to stamp my passport, as it was part of my personal "souvenir collection"!  One commenter has even suggested that post-Brexit UK travellers would be able to avoid long queues at, e.g., airports, by being able to go through the "non-EU" gates!  Britain will not be “drifting off into the mid-Atlantic” if it leaves the EU, as Nick Clegg likes to say.

Our national security will not be diminished! We will not be voting on our membership of NATO (The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) which is the real reason that there has been relative peace in Europe - not merely since the inception of the EU, but since the end of the Second World War! If the UK should become the target of hostile action from a non-NATO member, then other NATO member-countries are obliged to come to our assistance.  This would not change in the event of a Brexit result on June 23rd.

We will not be voting to leave either the European Economic Area (EEA), or the World Trade Organisation (WTO).  The EEA Agreement specifies that membership is open to member states of either the European Union or European Free Trade Association (EFTA). EFTA states which are party to the EEA Agreement participate in the EU's internal market without being members of the EU. They adopt most EU legislation concerning the single market, however with notable exclusions including laws regarding agriculture and fisheries. The EEA's "decision-shaping" processes enable them to influence and contribute to new EEA policy and legislation from an early stage.  All of the UK's trade and benefit agreements will remain unchanged should we leave, until such a time that the UK decides to renegotiate them for any reason.

Well, that's probably sufficient for now.  However, I shall endeavour to post some further information before the end of the week. 

BREXIT - or remain? Immigration.

I was unable to watch all of last evening's Newsnight programme on BBC television, but I managed to watch some, and have read a number of comments since.  It was, as is not uncommon at the present time, a disgrace.  The "I'm not sure what I identify as", allegedly comedian, Eddie Izzard appeared in the most bizarre outfit - looking, as others have pointed out, like Vera Duckworth from Coronation Street! However, it appeared that he was there for the prime purpose of interrupting, and shouting over, Nigel Farage, beside whom the "unbiased" (believe that if you will!) BBC had seated him/her/it.  Mr Dumbleby was, as usual, about as useful as the proverbial chocolate tea-pot as far as keeping order was concerned!

The major bone of contention between them was on the subject of immigration, and the way in which the UK being a member of the EU has effected it.  Nigel Farage claimed - and he is rarely, if ever, wrong in such claims (unlike Izzard, and most of the "Remain" politicians, he does his homework!) - that some 70% of the UK population want tighter controls on immigration.  So what are the relevant facts on that topic?

1. The EU is being flooded with immigrants - especially since Angela Merkel kindly opened the door to all and sundry!  Now please don't make the mistake, that Izzard and others make, of assuming that the Brexit supporters are totally opposed to any immigration at all.  What is demanded is controlled immigration, which is a totally different kettle of fish.

2. It is estimated that some 5,000 ( a conservative figure!) of those who have entered the EU since the Merkel invitation, are members of ISIS.  One does not require an IQ of 160+ to work out why they are taking advantage of this lovely "open doors" policy!

3. Members of other EU states are flooding the UK, claiming millions of pounds in benefits - and even having Child Benefit Allowance sent to their native countries with, as far as I am aware, not even an attempt to check as to whether, or not, those children even exist.

4. Immigrants from EU countries (yes, I know that non-EU immigrants are part of this problem as well, but that is a separate issue - although one that would also be able to be dealt with more easily if we were, once again, an independent sovereign nation) are already putting enormous pressure on public services: NHS; schools; social housing; transport; etc

5. If (or ought that to be "When"?) Turkey is offered visa-free travel within the EU as part of its move towards full membership, another 78 million potential immigrants who would have to be accepted under EU rules.  Even if a mere 1% were to travel, that is still approximately 780,000!  By the way, no-one expects that the percentage will be anything lie as low as 1%!

Those are just five immigration-related reasons to vote LEAVE on June 23rd.  There are, undoubtedly, others.  However, in my opinion, those five are more than sufficient!

Remain - or Brexit? Industry.

In my previous post on the forthcoming referendum, I sought to deal with the economics of the situation - dealing especially with some of the claims made by those in the current Conservative government who favour the Remain camp.  These were claims made in the leaflet that the government put out - at a cost of £9 million. Of course, that was £9mill. of taxpayers' money, and it is always easy to spend other people's money!

In this post, I want to share some thoughts on the situation with regard to industry in the UK or, it might be said, the lack of it!

Since joining the then EEC in 1973, the whole of the British coal industry has gone.

Nearly all of the shipbuilding has gone.

ICI has gone, sold off to Americans (who ran it into the ground and laid off thousands)

British Steel has gone - sold off to Far Eastern companies. Again, thousands were laid off, year after year until, there wasn't the workforce to make it the continued production of steel a viable process.

All our power companies, and possibly the water companies as well, are foreign-owned - even "British" Gas!   How many knew that EDF stands for "Eléctricité de France"?

Coachworks, that built our trains in Derby and York, have had to close or lay thousands off, because our governments insisted on giving the work to foreign coach builders.  This, we were informed, was because, under EU regulations, they had to put the work out to EU tender.  Of course, other countries quietly ignored such regulations, and subsidised their own companies so that they would be sure to undercut any tender from a UK company!

I am currently visiting in N.Ireland, staying with friends in the North Antrim town of Ballymena.  I think that it is three major employers in this one town, who are closing down and making hundreds more redundant.  I confess that I am unable to confirm that this is because of EU interference - but the pattern would suggest that the EU has played at least some part in these closures.

We are now living in a country were no job is secure.  Workers rights don't exist (don't believe the government's spiel about how we are better off in the EU in order to protect our workers' rights).  If you want to claim unfair dismissal nowadays, you need to have worked for the company for two years (unless you are claiming discrimination).

There are more people working through agencies now than ever before - including the NHS! - and, whereas in the past, agency workers were on good money, they aren't anymore.  It is the agencies who make the "big bucks", and who are effectively killing the economy. For example, people are unable to get a mortgage, a bank loan, a car, or credit to buy goods, if they work through an agency.

And let's not forget "Zero hours contracts"! Where did these appear from? Where were the EU workers' rights that day ?  Why are they still being allowed to be used, and why are the government allowed to sanction people who refuse to take these jobs, by stopping their Jobseeker's Allowance?   Of course, they play right into the hands of some employers - the very ones who are in favour of the UK remaining in the EU! 

More to come. Whatever you do, please use your vote if you are eligible to have one. It is a privilege,and a responsibility that is not afforded to all!

BREXIT, or Remain? - that is the question!

With less than three weeks to go to what is arguably the biggest, most important, and most far-reaching, political decision for this generation, I want to share some thoughts on why I will be voting for the UK to LEAVE the discredited, disingenuous, dictatorial EU.  I claim no originality in anything that I post over the next couple of weeks, but wish to disseminate as much information as I can to as many people as possible.

Let's look, for example, at the economic arguments that have been produced by the Prime Minister and the Remainers. 

In the area of trade, they say 44% of the UK's exports go to the EU but the EU only exports 8% to the UK.  This, if one fails to examine the matter more closely, looks like a good reason to stay in the Euroclub.  However, one CANNOT honestly compare the 44% with the 8% because they are, in fact, completely different measures.

Indeed, the figure of 8% is actually 16%. If you want to look at what the EU (as a whole, all 27 other countries) exports to the UK, then you need to exclude the UK from the figures - obviously, because we can't export to ourselves!! The Remainers, through the tax-payer funded government pamphlet, has included the UK in the total EU export figures, thus arriving at a meaningless figure. If we exclude UK exports, then the other 27 countries have, as a whole 16%, of their exports coming to the UK - twice as much as the pro-EU government would have us believe!

Of course, 44% is still a much larger figure than even 16%.  This is where the Remainers' figures are even more disingenuous! The figures are shown as percentages. However, one figure is a percentage of only the UK's trade, whereas the other is a percentage of the whole of the EU's trade. This renders the comparison completely meaningless - one country being compared with 27 countries!

A concrete example may help to clarify the situation.  The 44% of UK exports that went to the EU in 2012 were worth £266b.  However, the 16% of the EU's trade coming to the UK was £296b.  In other words, the rest of the EU exported more to the UK than the UK exported to the whole of the EU!

Over the past ten years, on average, only three EU countries have exported less to the UK than we have to them (Ireland, Luxembourg & Malta). So the other twenty-four countries will most definitely want to continue trading with the UK, simply because we buy more from them!!   Of course, it is also worth noting that the three that don't fall into that category are hardly the world's largest economies!

Another way of looking at this is that the UK has 3 million jobs involved with our exports to the EU, but the rest of the EU has 5 million jobs involved with exporting to the UK. See how stacked in the UK's favour it is?

It is quite astonishing that a major political party would manipulate figures in the way the Conservative government members who are supporters of the EU have done. The clear aim has been to mislead anyone who does not understand figures and percentages.  The people who have most to gain from being a part of an increasingly authoritarian EU, are the Political, Financial and Media moguls. They have everything to gain (cheap labour). They would love to turn the clock back and drive the working people of this country back to Victorian times. To vote to stay in one would, in my opinion, have to be either insane, or deluded!

Vote LEAVE - it's the sensible, and patriotic, thing to do.