Highlands Scottish Christian Party

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News

Christian Party Wins Again in Wales

5 June 2010

History was made recently with the third successive win of a Christian Party candidate in Llandrindod Wells in less than a year. Councillor Adam Bridgman, 41, is the third councillor to join Councillors Jeff Green and Martin Wiltshire on the town council of Llandrindod Wells.

Continue reading: Christian Party Wins Again in Wales

Westminster 2010

Donald has taken the Westminster 2010 pledge. Look for it here.

Election Broadcast - Christian Party of Wales

Watch the 2010 Election Broadcast from the Christian Party of Wales.

Click here to take our General Election survey

Islam Labour MP wants a Muslim Prime Minister

Watch this video showing the opinions of a cabinet minister in the British Government.

The Lib-Dem leader wants to coerce conscience

Nick Clegg, the Liberal-Democratic Party leader, wants to force faith schools to teach that homosexuality is "normal and harmless", and he wants gay civil partnerships to be replaced by true marriage. This is an important part of his campaign for he has said: "The heart of our manifesto will be short, direct and to the point. We have stripped away everything that is not essential."

What does this mean for the Highlands of Scotland? The Highlands and Islands have five constituencies held by the Lib-Dems: Ross, Skye and Lochaber (Charles Kennedy, former leader of the Lib-Dems), Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander), Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (John Thurso), Orkney and Shetland (Alistair Carmichael) and Argyll and Bute (Alan Reid).

Since Dec 2007 Danny Alexander has been Chief of Staff to Nick Clegg, and he is responsibile for leading the preparation of the Party's manifesto. In other words, this part of the Lib-Dem’s Manifesto is being driven through by the MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey.

The Scottish Christian Party will fight the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey seat at the next General Election as well as supporting forthright Christians who stand in other constituencies.

Do Christians in the Highlands and Islands want to vote for Lib-Dem MPs with such an agenda? What can they do? Will they turn to the Labour Party, which won the Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber seat in 2001? The problem is that Labour has no better record on this topic. In the current interview the Lib-Dem leader went so far as to compliment Labour "for its track record on gay rights".

Our present Home Secretary, Alan Johnson MP, as Secretary of State for Education, was interviewed by John Humphrys on the Today programme on 31/5/2007. At the end of his interview he was asked if faith schools should be allowed to teach that same sex relationships are wrong. He replied: "No. I don't think that they should, actually." That was almost three years ago - and he is now Home Secretary. Christians need to waken up to what is happening.

Now David Cameron has joined the club, and he has said the Church of England should recognise “full equality” for homosexuals in a wide ranging interview for a gay lifestyle magazine. He believes that children should be taught that homosexual civil partnerships are just as valuable as marriage.

Times are a-changing, as Barack Obama discovered when the Democrats lost former Teddy Kennedy’s ‘safe’ seat. It is time for a change - to the Scottish Christian Party for a clear Christian Voice that will speak against such folly.

FIVE POINTERS TO CHANGE

1. ¼ million people voted for a Christian Voice as NUMBER ONE in the 2009 European Elections. These are not second choice votes, but first choice votes across the whole UK.

2. This makes the Christian Voice NUMBER NINE in voting strength in the UK, only six years since the launch of the Scottish Christian Party in 2004.

3. The Scottish Christian Party overtook TEN established Parties in our FIRST contesting the Highlands and Islands Region in the 2007 Scottish Parliamentary Election.

4. The Scottish Christian Party has been consistently THIRD in the Western Isles, ahead of the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, with 12.5% of the vote.

We will contest the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey constituency against Danny Alexander's promotion of the "not so liberal" Liberal-Democratic Party's agenda.

5. On 30th July 2009, Jeff Green became the first Christian Party politician in the UK, when he was elected a Local Councillor in the picturesque town of Llandrindod Wells, in Wales. This was followed by a second by-election success on 2nd April 2010 when Martin Wiltshire was elected to the same council. History was made with the third successive win of a Christian Party candidate in less than a year, when in June 2010 Adam Bridgman was the third councillor to join Jeff Green and Martin Wiltshire on the town council of Llandrindod Wells. We must be doing something right.

Are Christians caught and mesmerised in the headlights?

Can they not see what is happening? Solicitors for a 10-year-old Stornoway girl plan court action so she can swim in her local pool on the Lord’s Day. Her mother is a leading campaigner and critic against Western Isles Council's policy of six-day working.

The Scottish Christian Party argued that the CalMac decision to introduce a ferry sailing from Ullapool to Stornoway on the Lord's Day will have a domino effect upon the whole community. We did not expect the anti-Sabbatarians to use a 10 y/o girl as the next stage in this battle, but it may demonstrate that once one domino falls it takes less effort to knock over the next domino.

Christians need to use the approaching General Election to register their vote against what is happening in society.

As local politicians are proving ineffective, Christians in the Western Isles need a Christian politician to represent their views. It is not enough to fire-fight after the laws are made, but Christians need to be involved more actively in the law-making process.

The 2010 General Election

The Christian Party is putting up 106 candidates at the next General Election in 2010. Sign up for the Newsletter.

At the last European Election the Christian Voice polled 249,493 votes the ninth largest vote of all the political parties in Britain. These are not second choice votes, but first choice votes across the whole UK. Please email us (click here) if you find websites that do not include the Christian Party in their list of political parties.

Download the draft Election Manifesto here

The Christian Party is a Bible believing faith-based conservative party that believes in equality of status and opportunity for all; small government providing the essentials and maintaining standards in national defence, law and order, health, education and finance; low taxation driven by thrift and enterpise rather than debt and consumerism; and neighbourly responsibility, trust and action instead of heavy policing.

The Bill Clinton question about voting

Listen to this YouTube video at 2 minutes 17 seconds to hear the Bill Clinton question and apply it to how you will get Christian policies into national politics.

Mayor of Doncaster cuts through Political Correctness like a breath of fresh air

In his first week in office, the recently elected mayor of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, Peter Davies fulfilled his promises by cutting his own salary from £73,000 to £30,000; reducing the number of councillors from 63 to 21, saving the town £800,000 a year. He immediately announced plans to reduce council tax by 3 per cent and got rid of the mayoral limousine.

Praise the Lord for our first Christian Party politician

We rejoice in the good news that the Christian Party has won its first elected politician.

On 30th July 2009, after a colourful campaign Jeff Green became the first Christian Party politician in the UK, when he was elected a Local Councillor in the picturesque town of Llandrindod Wells, in Wales.

George Hargreaves, leader of the Christian Party, said this is the Christian Party’s Rehoboth (Genesis 26:22), and that the Christian Party is now the 10th largest party in Britain by number of votes.

Western Isles see the need for a Christian politician

CalMac is attempting to introduce a ferry sailing from Ullapool to Stornoway on the Lord's Day. They have sought to do so for many years, and they are now appealing to ‘human rights’ legislation to implement it. It is well known that this will have a domino effect upon the hegemony of Sabbath observance in the Western Isles.

Murdo Murray, a SCP candidate in the Holyrood election, asks: "Why the clamour for seven day sailings from Lewis when the elected representatives in the local authority have been asking for a late Saturday-night sailing which has never been granted? The company should be more responsive to issues that are raised by elected representatives rather than raising issues that are creating division."

As local politicians are proving ineffective, Christians in the Western Isles see the need for a Christian politician to represent their views. It is not enough to fire-fight after the laws are made, but Christians need to be involved more actively in the law-making process. This is evident at many different levels in society. Follow the debate here.

Contrasting festival behaviour

A reader has contrasted the aftermath of the secular Rockness festival in Dores and the Christian festival in Inverness.

Result and analysis of European Election 4/6/2009

Nationally, the Christian Party polled 249,493 votes the ninth largest vote of all the political parties in Britain.

Result and analysis of Inverness West Ward By-election 23/4/2009

Result and analysis of Scottish Parliament Election 3/5/2007

Inverness newspaper calls for curfew power extention

A recent editorial in The Inverness Courier supported the Northern Constabulary calling for curfew powers for children and teenage vandals, adding “the move comes against a backdrop of a 15 per cent rise in the number of offences committed by youngsters aged 17 and under in the Inverness area over the past three years, bucking the national trend which is downward. There are many reasons for this, from the breakdown of community cohesion as the city expands to simple population growth.”

This is an acknowledgement that the fabric of society even in Inverness is eroding and that we need the grace of the Gospel to return to the streets of the city. This grace needs to manifest itself at all levels of society, from Street Pastors at the street level, through the usual channels of education and the workforce in public life, into politics. The Scottish Christian Party aims to promote this debate in public life.

Preparing for Inverness West Ward By-election

Come along and join in the action.

The Scottish Christian Party will be fighting the By-election in the Inverness West Ward of the Highland Council scheduled for 23/4/2009.

Those who are interested in helping the campaign are invited to come to our regular monthly meeting on Monday 9/3/2009 at 7.30 p.m. in the Kingsview Christian Centre, Inverness. Details can be found here.

This coming By-election is an opportunity for Christians in Inverness to work together to have a distinctly Christian voice in the Highland Council.

The prospective candidate is Dr Sheila McLaughlan who lives in the Inverness West Ward. Sheila was recently invited to become a member of the Muirtown Community Council located in the Ward.

Helpers

Anyone who would like to help in the campaign can contact Dr Donald Boyd on 01463 796952.

Fund raiser and Donations

We need someone who is able to lead the fund-raising activities of the local branch of the party. If anyone feels able to devote their God-given talents to this end I will be pleased to hear from you either by email or by telephone 01463 796952. Those who would like to donate to the Party can find a form for single donations or Standing Order by clicking Donation Form here.

Joined-up thinking tests the Scottish government

Proposal for A9 fly-over at Inshes and the new Inverness Campus Project for the University, etc.

Burmese refugees in Malaysia abused, handcuffed, and victims of profiteers

Many Christians and others who have fled from Burma are being treated in like criminals in detention camps. They need prayer and political action from a Government speaking with Christian compassion.

"Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body." Heb 13:3.

School receptionist faces sack after five-year-old daughter is told off for talking about God

Obama on the need for the grace of the Gospel in human relations

(Click on the audio recording in the article to hear Obama's statement)

Obama is questioned on religion by pastor Rick Warren at a religious forum in California

Scottish budget rejected

The Scottish Government's budget for the coming year has been rejected by parliament, despite ministers making last-minute concessions. The vote was tied 64-64 and the Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson cast his vote for the status quo - against the Budget.

The SNP had hoped to win over the two Green MSPs who had demanded a £100m-a-year free home insulation scheme, but they could not reach agreement with ministers. Patrick Harvey of the Greens was annoyed at John Swinney’s last minute brinkmanship. This highlights Harvey's immaturity. If the budget is to fail simply because of his peevishness about negotiating tactics, it demonstrates a poor sense of parliamentary responsibility.

The Scottish Christian Party had hoped to win a seat in the Scottish Parliament, which would have put us in as strong a negotiating position as Margo MacDonald, the Independent MSP, and the two Green MSPs. Margo MacDonald has been campaigning recently for voluntary euthanasia.

Christians in the Highlands and Islands should note that even one Christian Party MSP would have given us an influential Christian Voice in Holyrood.

Alex Salmond has said that if the budget cannot be passed, then there will need to be an election. If so, let us vote in a Christian MSP from the Highlands and Islands.

Matthew Parris - As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God

Matthew Parris, a columnist for The Times, explains the advantages of Christianity.

SNP courting Islamic funding

The Scottish Government gave £215,000 to the Scottish Islamic Foundation, a group run by Osama Saeed, an SNP member who is to contest the Glasgow Central seat in the next Westminster election. Saeed has reportedly called for the reintroduction of the caliphate — a global Islamic religious and political system — and is also a passionate advocate of separate Islamic schools in Scotland.

The Lord's Day continues to be undermined

God gave us this holiday, and employers are trying to take it away from us.

The opportunity for ordinary Christians to contribute to public debate has never been easier. News comment websites often give the opportunity to leave feedback. God asks the question: "Who will rise up for Me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?" Ps 94:16.

Religious beliefs in the American Presidential election campaign

In his victory speech on 5/11/2008 in the American Presidential election, Democratic Senator Barack Obama said: "I know my grandmother's watching". She had tragically died the day before his victory. Defeated Republic contender, Senator John McCain said: "I offer him my sincere sympathy that his beloved grandmother did not live to see this day, though our faith assures us she is at rest in the presence of her Creator and so very proud of the good man she helped raise." Later in his speech Senator John McCain said: "We are fellow Americans and please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that", thereby asking us to believe that he puts the fellowship of the American people ahead of the fellowship of Christians in the Christian church.

McCain finished his speech by saying "this campaign was and will remain the great honour of my life", then he wished God speed to Senator Obama, and finished with the customary American political conclusion: "God bless you and God bless America." Obama's victory speech emphasised the unity of America, so that he modified the customary conclusion with "God bless you and may God bless the United States of America."

During the campaign it was evident that supercilious naturalism is the new 'ism' to oppose Christians. Many commentators manifested their supercilious prejudice by condemning Sarah Palin simply because she believed in the Biblical account of human origins, a belief shared by the out-going President George W Bush. For these aggressive naturalists who do not believe in God this was sufficient reason to judge her unfit for high office in America. At a time when racism is being recognised through the political process to be the heresy that it is, may Christians now learn to expose supercilious naturalism for its prejudice, which not only judges but also condemns a Christian's political ability on account of Biblical belief.

Glenrothes by-election: candidate profiles

The Glenrothes by-election on 6/11/2008 was triggered by the death of sitting MP, John MacDougall. It is encouraging to see that the religious affiliation of a number of the candidates appears on their public profiles. This will help Christians to choose for whom to vote and it is hopefully one of the effects of the existence of the Scottish Christian Party.

Relevant points from the BBC website:

Morag Balfour, Scottish Socialists: a practising Quaker, has actively opposed nuclear weapons in Scotland and campaigns for free school meals.

Maurice Golden, Conservative: his profile mentions nothing about his religious affiliation.

Peter Grant, SNP: his profile mentions nothing about his religious affiliation.

Lindsay Roy Labour: currently head teacher at Kirkcaldy High - Gordon Brown's old school - who lives in Glenrothes, has been a church elder for more than 35 years, currently for the town's St Columba's Church.

Kris Seunarine, UKIP: is an active Mormon.

Harry Wills, Liberal Democrats: Mr Wills is also an elder and a member of the Kirk Session of Creich, Flisk and Kilmany Church in Fife. He is campaigning against racism.

Louise McLeary, Solidarity: her profile mentions nothing about her religious affiliation.

Jim Parker, Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party: his profile mentions nothing about his religious affiliation.

Click here for the Scottish Christian Party in Mid Scotland and Fife.

The SNP victory in Glasgow East 24/7/2008

Listen to this YouTube video to hear how the Christian vote is beginning to take on the role of kingmaker. With a 26% swing to SNP, committed Christian John Mason won by 365 votes over Labour, with the help of the Scottish Christian Party votes.

Hanged for being a Christian in Iran

Death penalty law for men converting from Islam to Christianity

Listen to Barack Obama's religious history

Stephen Mansfield, author of The Faith of Barack Obama, tells us Barak Obama was raised by two atheist parents, then in Indonesia he had a muslim step-father. Back in America he lived as an atheist and for political reasons he began to attend a Christian church where the pastor taught black liberation theology. When Obama ran for President of the United States he had to distance himself from him. He currently confesses a broad-based liberal Christianity, which may determine the new American Christianity.

Annual Conference

Details for the Annual Conference of the Scottish Christian Party in the Highlands and Islands are available here.

Please publicise this by forwarding it to people on your email list. We will be pleased to see you there, God willing.

Evolution exposed

A critique of Professor Richard Dawkins’ talk in Inverness on 2/4/2008.

Listen to another Christian critique of Richard Dawkins by Professor John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford.

Highland Council kirking restored as annual event

Street Pastors appreciated

Keeping in touch

Welcome. There are 6332 people in the Highlands and Islands Region who voted for the Scottish Christian Party. Thank you. We don't know who you all are, and it will help us enormously to have your details if you feel free to give them.

As a new Party, a lot of infrastructure still needs to be put in place. We do not yet have a regular magazine and we rely on email and websites to keep you all in touch with what is going on. Please bookmark this page to keep yourself up to date with what is happening in Highlands and Islands.

If you think we do not have your details, we will be pleased to add you to our email list and contact details if you send your email address click here.

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson turned up as London Mayor to the London event of the Global Day of Prayer on 11/5/2008 and asked believers to pray for all politicians. Listen to his short interview with Premier Christian Radio, in which he encourages faith-based groups to be the engine of recuperation for London. "I do pray," he said. Let Christians everywhere respond to this exhortation.

Bible for Highland Councillors instead of Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion

Lack of emergency accommodation for the homeless in Inverness

Road planning in Inverness needs wider strategy

Please remember the Scottish Christian Party in prayer.

Help Needed

What we Believe

YouTube Channel

Stop homosexual 'marriage'

Write to your representative

SCP Leader fights Inverness by-election

Inverness South Ward by-election Download by-election leaflet Campaign, results and analysis

Scottish Annual Conference

Download Agenda

Summer 2011 Newsletter

Download Newsletter No. 1

How to join the party

Download Membership Form

Main website

Scottish Christian Party website

Donations

We are in need of funds for building up the party in Highlands and Islands. We will be grateful if you would donate to the Highlands and Islands branch of the Scottish Christian Party using the PayPal button below or

Click here to print a Donation or Standing Order form instead

You do not need to have a PayPal account to make a donation. You can use your credit or debit card to donate - just click the PayPal Donate button and enter your details.

International donors please note:-

UK law allows international donations up to the equivalent of £500 maximum. You can check the current exchange rates at www.xe.com/ucc/.

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Christian Institute News

Manifesto 2011

Click here for the 2011 Manifesto
Another Opportunity

Election 2011 Analysis

Analysis of our election results,
the SNP result and a possible unrecognised factor in the SNP victory.

Why are Lib Dem Christians in the Highlands and Islands wasting their vote?

What do we mean by a wasted vote? Click here

How Labour lost to the SNP in 2007

Labour watched in frustration as the SNP pipped them to the post by one MSP to form the Scottish administration in 2007. Read the story here.

Our Brother Andrew campaign

The Highlands and Islands Brother Andrew campaign can be copied in the other Regions of Scotland.

Highlands and Islands Leaflet

Click here for the Election leaflet for Highlands and Islands Region.

Re-elect or Resurrect?

Alex Salmond wanted to re-elect the SNP. We want to resurrect a Christian society in Scotland, and de-select the Lib Dems and the Greens.

Vision for the North

The north of Scotland does not need to be the poor relation. We have a Vision for the North which makes the north a future driving force for Scottish productivity and trade.

Put Inverness Trunk Link Road and the canal and river crossing up the agenda

The Scottish Christian Party will work for developing the transport infrastructure of the north of Scotland. Click here.

and other Links as well

The Highlands and Islands are treated as second class citizens. Our broadband width is laughable. Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, can suffer additonal postal charges as though we were an offshore island. This is an insult. What have the SNP or Lib Dems done about this? We will fight for the consumer, forgotten in this climate of spending cuts but rising prices. We propose a radical solution to consumer debt to force prudent lending policies and to help the consumer.

Save our Police Force

Retain control of Northern Constabulary in the Highlands and Islands: stop Central Belt centralisation. Vote for the Scottish Christian Party to oppose the centralisation of Police services. The new police constable agrees.

Retain the Coastguard stations

on a full time basis in Stornoway and Shetland.

Stop cuts of school classroom assistants

and identify efficiency savings instead.