Jesus said
"The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath"
Mark 2 v 27
After a long night, the country finally woke to a ‘hung’ parliament. The last time this happened was in 1974. Who will be Prime Minister? What deals will be done? Will the nation go through all this again? These are the questions that will be answered in the coming days, but as we go to print, the 2010 General Election leaves more questions than answers.
During the few weeks, before the Election, the Society worked tirelessly in the campaign. I would especially thank our small office staff for their major effort in sending out thousands of leaflets to our supporters, and now collating replies from MP’s.
The two main issues that were placed before the candidates were on the subjects of Sunday trading and the licensing laws. We first asked if they would oppose any future legislation which would extend the hours of Sunday trading, bearing in mind that our main supermarkets have already approached the Government regarding 24/7 opening. Many of our major retailers are aware that Boxing Day, this year, falls on a Sunday, which is, traditionally, the first day of the winter sales. Secondly, we raised the thorny issue of our licensing laws. The decision to introduce 24/7 opening of licensed premises has had a devastating effect upon our town and city centres, many of which are no-go areas in the evening, particularly at weekends. We asked, if elected, would they support a curtailment of opening hours, especially at the weekend. We also kept before them the matter of Sunday elections which is always raised at this time.
Perhaps, not surprisingly, few of those questioned were prepared to offer clear- cut answers, unless their own party had formed a particular line. However, we have received far more replies than in previous elections, thus giving us valuable information in preparing for any future proposed legislation.
Our friends throughout the United Kingdom have responded magnificently by writing to their own candidates and forwarding their replies to us. We thank all who took the time to write. Please continue to send any further replies you received from your elected MP.
We are also grateful for the gifts which have been sent to help cover the heavy costs of the Election campaign. As on previous occasions, we believe the effort that has been expended will prove to be worthwhile during the coming years.
The most important action has been to pray that among the many new MP’s who have taken their seat, there will be those who will take a stand for the Lord’s Day whenever attempts are made to undermine our present legislation.
We are aware that in this secular age in which we live, there are other very important Christian issues besides that of the Lord’s Day. However we strongly believe that the vast majority of MP’s who are right on this subject will be right on other spiritual and moral matters, about which we also care about.
In the Autumn, we hope to give some details of the way MP’s responded to your letters.