One of the elements of last Mondays blog and column in the Argus newspaper was how religion and politics can sometimes come into conflict with one another. This is continuing in the case of the Labour Party and concerns about their (current) anti-Semitism policy and how certain people are behaving which is clear from numerous press reports and a huge amount of social media. Some of these matters are real and tangible and need addressing and some are simply excuses to damage the reputation of the party and get rid of a leader that some people are deeply opposed to. The criticism from those who are currently members of the party resonates with the early 1980’s when Michael Foot as leader drew similar levels of opposition from within and outwith the Party. The SDP was founded as a result of this and perhaps we are about to see some more splintering from the Labour party. If that does happen in the near future it could cause ongoing problems for the Jewish community. Just as the ‘Gang of Four’ was one of the labels attached to the SDP and still used occasionally nearly 30 years later, if the party splits over Corbyn and his row with some Jewish groups, this may remain as one of the phrases moving forward which would be a tragic result in my view.

Along with the challenges faced by the Labour Party as a result of actions from Jewish leaders, so the issue of religion versus politics has arisen in other ways. The Pope recently announced about the death penalty under Catechism 2267 which means that the Catholic Church is now opposed to the death penalty anywhere in the world. It is in use in nations such as the USA along with China, Saudi Arabia and Iran which are three of the largest contributors to the list of 61 nations that currently retain this on their list of punishments available to their Courts. Around half of these nations use the punishment so rarely that the statement from the Pope may act as a catalyst for some of them to change their laws which would be great news. The announcement has come a few days after the row over the statement by Sajid Javid MP that Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh would be sent to the USA without demanding assurances they would not be executed. One element of this statement from the Pope that will help resolve historic concerns is how the Catholic Church in some places has been opposed to Abortion yet not to the death penalty. However it will potentially bring the Church into significant conflict with Governments in some of the nations on the list as well as slapping Sajid on the wrist!

The actions of religious organisations at a more local level than the Pope’s International statement or the campaign by National Jewish bodies over Corbyn helps to show a much more subtle challenge to political decisions and the way in which public bodies respond to social needs. One example of many thousands across the country from a range of religious groups, here in Brighton and Hove, ‘One Church’ has been running the Chomp project for many years. It is a small attempt to address an issue that has existed for many years but over the last five years has grown much more acute. The challenge for families during the summer holidays to ensure their children are well fed when their income is extremely low and the access to school meals is removed can be enormous. In others the issue of how to keep children occupied when their parents are working throughout that period is also a challenge. Of course services such as Chomp are not limited to groups with a religious background. However there are many organisations that do have religious roots. The Trussell Trust which facilitates a national network of foodbanks is one such organisation. I recall discussing their work with someone senior within the Conservative Party who was also a Christian. When I questioned why the Trust was denied access to Iain Duncan Smith in the DWP to raise concerns they had about increased demand, his response was that they were deemed to be linked to the Labour Party, which was certainly not true, but it shows how difficult it is for such groups to be listened to by politicians that claim to be open to communities and charities, until it doesn’t suit them! It is vital that our Government pays attention to how much demand projects such as Chomp face!