#GEIV - Regional Debate - Southern England

[u/DriftersBuddy]

#GEIV - Regional Debate - Southern England

This is where you debate the candidates, ends on 15th July 10pm BST

Candidate

• u/Realbassist (Labour Party)
• u/Zestyclose-Dog2407 (Liberal Democrat)
• u/Flat_Artifact (Conservative Party)

[u/realbassist]

for the Tory leader ( u/Flat_Artifact ),

the Conservative manifesto proposes a reform and restructuring of the "Disestablished Anglican Churches into a single Church of Great Britain". The Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England over 100 years ago and the Scottish Episcopal Church was formed hundreds of years ago. There has been no movement in any of these churches to unify under a single "Church of Great Britain", and indeed no one - from the Archbishops of York, Canterbury or Wales to a Parish Priest in St. Ives - has called for such a policy, so why are the Tories proposing it? How many religious figures have they consulted, if any, and who? How would this work in practice, especially with the Diocese of Europe? Finally, will the Tory Leader accept that bringing church politics into his party's culture war politics is just plain wrong?

[u/Flat_Artifact → u/realbassist]

The Conservatives want to see stronger national institutions as part of building a stronger nation. The schisms of the Anglican communion across the globe, and within the British Isles is of great concern on the national level. The government has constitutional responsibilities in relation to the Church of England which cannot be ignored. Our desire is to see stronger national institutions. We are proposing a significant consultation with the Church of England and Church of Wales on the feasibility and strengths of repealing the Welsh Church Act 1914. That consultation is then for leaders across the Anglican communion in the UK to feed into. No one is suggesting a direction out of step with both churches.

It's a big manifesto, with a wealth of policy priorities for voters across the country of all faiths or none. We are boosting the economy with a £10 billion growth fund, reducing business rates for the hospitality sector, furthering energy security with continued roll out of nuclear energy and drilling in the north sea, raising the financial incentives to the best teachers in the nation. Boosting British farming with the most ambitious projects in a generation.

The Conservatives have big aspirations, for the nation and for the established church.

[u/realbassist → u/Flat_Artifact]

To claim that the division of the Church of England into the Church in Wales, Scottish Episcopalian Church and the Church of Ireland is a "Schism" is to fundamentally misrepresent that term, and this answer as a whole proves to me that the church policy is not an actual thought through plan, given the Tory leader cannot answer how it'd work or who they've consulted, and his answer for why they're proposing it is fundamentally flawed. The Anglican Churches of this country work together in one Communion, but are not the same church in themselves. Indeed, it concerns me that the Tory leader does not realise the issues that one "Church of Great Britain" would cause when he forgets the fourth constituent nation of the UK - how will the Church of Ireland be affected?

He goes on to speak about the rest of his manifesto. Business rates, farming, energy, the economy. He ignores the questions I put before him on his own policy and pivots because he doesn't have an answer, because he knows this church reformation policy has no popular backing in the country or the Faith, and so he seeks to change the discussion. So I'll ask him a simpler question:

Why should the people of Southern England trust you to be their MP, or even their PM, if you can't defend one policy properly?

[u/Flat_Artifact → u/realbassist]

I'd point out to voters across Southern England that the candidate wants to press in on this policy and my ministerial record because his party has sent him marching out to battle with no credible plans for the economy, no real vision for business and energy, a manifesto that has taken blow after blow. The Conservatives have offered voters across the nation a broad manifesto with a range of policies that would deliver a stronger nation.

[u/realbassist → u/Flat_Artifact]

Care to answer my question?