Okay, so I have a confession to make. I recently joined the Labour Party (I was so excited about my little red card, it might as well of been hand delivered by the PM himself), and the CSM. However, there’s a problem. I don’t really ‘do’ politics. Wait a minute! Didn’t you just say you’d joined the LABOUR PARTY? Aren’t they the governing POLITICAL party in the UK? Yeah, but here me out for a moment. There are more ways than one of getting your point-of-view across and to make your voice. Why does politics often have to be so drab? The complaint of most young people today is that politicians are out of touch with the needs of young people (I’m 28), and that DC is making a fool of himself trying to cool. Is this true, and if so, what are we doing about it?
I believe that the biggest sin the church has committed is to make God appear irrelevant, uninteresting and downright boring. It’s the same with many politicians. Alright, so it’s not at all glamorous, and at times tedious, but it’s important that we push the boundaries of change and innovation when it comes to connecting with the next generation of leaders and influencers. The youth of today take more of their lifestyle tips from Cheryl Cole and Brangelina (and they do some great stuff) than the Church or Parliament, and this needs to be addressed.
I’m the media guy with the big gob (I recently graduated from a Film, TV and Radio course). I love Ice-cream, Curry, Football and Steve McQueen movies. If you ever met me, you’d realise quickly that I’m passionate about almost EVERYTHING, especially my point of view. I come from a political family; my Dad a Local Labour Councillor and one-time Shop Floor Steward. Red is the colour. He tells me that, as a boy, he could hear the political discussions of his own Dad downstairs at night; something that is imprinted in our DNA. We love debate. Despite his own admission that the political process requires a great deal of time and effort, I caught the bug too.
While not a big meeting fan (I hate statistics), I am passionate about Kingdom values, and believe that creativity is an important tool in helping to re-generate areas left hurting by economic depression. The city I live in, Stoke-on-Trent, was once the centre of the thriving pottery industry, and as a film-maker and scriptwriter, as well as a committed advocate of the 21st Century Church, I would love to see this creativity restored through other channels such as music and new media, with local businesses investing money into these artistic endeavors. I believe that every city has a unique voice, and Stoke is no different. How that comes about though, is down to how the Church engages with its community, and how Christians in both public and private sector positions use their influence for positive change.
Recently, after having joined the CSM, I had the privilege of interviewing Andy Flannagan for a local Christian radio station. In the interview, he talked about his dream of seeing young politicians lobbying parliament through music. This pioneering heart is something I desire in everything we do, and is the reason I’m glad I signed up.
