The way the Tory leadership sneaked in Gay marriage against the wishes of the grass roots membership has left a bitter taste. If Labour had not been so utterly incompetent last time round that might have destroyed the party. You have to choose the lesser of 2 evils for the good of the nation. I know rank and file lib Dems were outraged by Nick Cleggs change of heart on student grants but to be honest it was a completely pie in the sky and unaffordable policy. Holding ideals you cannot afford and which the reality of power disallows is far less serious than the gay marriage issue in my view which the lib dems were probably a major factor in supporting. It was an example of the complete theological shallowness and moral relativism of our political elite.
See the thing is, ALL parties are full of it. The Tories no less than any other party. The sounds they make and what they say about themselves may align more where where your heart and your morals pull you - but what they deliver doesn't begin to match up with any of that. They've given their Eurosceptic base a referendum on Europe - but even they are campaigning to stay in. It may be comfortable to think that the Tories might have been corrupted by the Lib Dems on Gay marriage - but somewhere in your heart you know that the Tories are just not what you would hope them to be.
I think thats one of the main points. that political parties are not a fitting receptacle for hopes or trust - that there isn't one party out there who would not jettison most of its core principles just to get into power. That what they say before an election and what they do after an election are two radically different things.
I think the way it has influenced my behaviour is that I have withdrawn all energy from the political process - I used to believe that energy invested there could bring about positive change. I now believe that if I want to see positive change I need to focus on the areas where I actually have influence and leverage. Like the people round about me, the communities I work in and live in. Choices and actions made on this level bear fruit. Westminster and Holyrood are broken, disfunctional and they corrupt any form of idealism into obedience to the status quo. I spoiled my paper at the last election because I could not in good conscience support any of the parties standing in my area. I will probably have to do the same at the next election.
That the soviet system stopped growing in the 70s and yet tried to match the Reagan defence budget increases was a big factor as was the moral illegitimacy of a regime that persecuted Christians and oppressed and impoverished its people. Thatcher and Reagan saw clearly what Communism was, how evil it was and the need to defeat it. The new confidence encouraged by the Falklands the return of growth to the British economy and the defeat of fifth columnists like Arthur Scargill were all a part of that. Unilateral disarmament policy by Labour condemned them to opposition for 18 years and rightly so. They were not fit to govern.
There is no 'moral legitimacy' to our governance either. Both run absolutely counter to kingdom values. I have been so utterly impressed reading through the pentateuch at the core of financial justice that is in the laws God established for the nation of israel. The sense of protection both for those who work hard, and for those who fall on hard times - the protection of future generations from their parents actions and behaviour. It is a thing of beauty. Soviet Russia was a product of the regime which it replaced - the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
The whole thing is a lot more nuanced than you allow for. It is the head and the tail of the same snake - not two different entities.
That defeat of the unions and denationalisation was the background to 20 years of growth until Labour wrecked the economy again. It was unreal in the 70s - the public sector were always on strike for wages paid for by subsidies rather than profits! Modern mental health problems have more to do with moral relativism, the rise off abortion, perversion , divorce , the collapse of families and the Christian social consensus on values. People lack the sense of belonging because society is less worthwhile connecting, seems more broken and anyway it is more fun to do your own thing. They key decisions that wrecked Britains mental health included: the abolition of capital punishment ( and the moral boundaries it clearly delineated), with the 1967 abortion law, with Sunday trading, fast track divorce and gay marriage. The crisis of faith has been encouraged and compounded by foolish laws , lobby groups and by a failure by British Christians to rise to the challenges of atheism and Islam. It is not just about moving chairs around this is life and death stuff. The abortion law has probably led to more than 3 million deaths for instance.
This is overly simplistic. The factors behind growth and recession are far more complex and far more dependent on global factors than you allow for. And the influence of each government on economics is similar to the influence a toddler has on the direction of a car each time he turns the play steering wheel in the back seat.
The single greatest impact on mental health as far as I can see is a loss of purpose. One of the most encouraging and most quoted verses in the bible is Jeremiah 29:11 - where God speaks to Israel of hope and a future. The loss of purpose and clear paths has been extremely difficult for our society. Outside of the south east it is a similar picture everywhere. Whatever you make of the unions and the industries they propped up, you need to look at the social impact behind their loss.
It may be as you say that the other factors you mention play a part too. I suspect it is the other way around tho. I suspect that many of the things you name come out of a lack of mental health and self respect. I have spent the last 15 years working in some of the most deprived areas of Glasgow, I work day in day out with people directly effected by these issues. I know this stuff like the back of my hand. These people are real to me and I love them, and regardless of the decisions they make God also loves them. And Thatchers legacy here is real and painful and above all it has proven incredibly costly. And it is your Tory friends who whinge most about carrying the cost of their recklessness - but who insist on adding to the burden.
Prior to the wholesale destruction of our manufacturing base there were clear and well trodden paths to purpose and employment. Those paths led through apprenticeship which was both learning a trade and also for most young men, learning how to be a man. You were apprenticed to an older man who alongside teaching you how to do your job - one on one - he would also teach you how to behave, how to socialise. How to treat those around you. We really threw the baby out with the bathwater. You would have liked a lot of this stuff. It was very traditional. Very old school.
The thing with Unions were that they represented the pride and esteem with which working men held themselves. you cannot crush that without there being severe consequences.
I don't argue the point that they were out of balance and needed brought into line. However Thatcher took the easy road of just destroying them. And we all pay the price for that.
Nigel Farrage, Donald Trump ,Marie le Penn are hardly pillars of the establishment. Things are shaking even if we disagree with the shakers. Indeed this is an exciting time.
The rise of the SNP in scotland , the referendum on Europe , corbyns utter naivety about how the world works , the migrations into Europe, the Greek debt crisis, a newly assertive Russia are all potentially seismic events. We most definitely have not reached the end of history yet!!
Yeah this is all true. And for all of history it has been true - regardless of whether we join in or not. History and the petty squabbles of the ruling classes continue. But there is nothing new under the sun.
When Jesus came - he came into a Godless morally corrupt empire and he came into a country ripe for rebellion. Yet throughout his ministry he made no effort to engage with any of that stuff. He went and hung out directly with the most deprived and needy, and he created a movement to continue that work throughout the rest of history. Politics and politicians are ten a penny. However we can build his kingdom without reference to any of them. We can do it outside of their power and dominion. We can render unto caesar without getting all distracted and caught up in worshipping caesar. I feel like politics becomes a form of idolatry. It sucks in our energy and attention but provides us with absolutely nothing in return.
