19 October 2010
We will judge spending cuts on how they affect the most vulnerable, says Methodist president
Addressing a rally organised by the Trade Union Congress today,
Revd Alison Tomlin, President of the Methodist Conference, raised
concerns that spending cuts will hit the poor hardest.
Speaking on the eve of the comprehensive spending review at
Methodist Central Hall Westminster, Alison said; "The past ten to
fifteen years of boom benefited some sections of society but not
the poorest. Relatively their income went down. Justice or, to use
that popular word, 'fairness' demand that they do not suffer now
during the bust.
"Earlier this month Eric Pickles asked us to judge the government
on how they treated the most vulnerable. That we will do.
"The task the government has set itself of cutting the deficit to
zero in a short space of time while not harming the most vulnerable
is a difficult one, some may say an impossible one. We shall wait
and see but the initial signs are not promising.
"Brief conversations with colleagues highlight the fears that they
have for the work going on in the communities they serve. The
people whose compassion and hard work have created and sustained
each of these projects will not be sleeping well tonight. And they
will rightly be wondering about the meaning of the phrase "Big
Society".
Alison concluded: "John Wesley, and the Methodist Church he
founded, believe it is inconceivable to follow Christ and not have
the welfare of the poor and the vulnerable close to your heart, and
we are proud to stand beside others who share those concerns
today."
The full text of Alison's address follows:
"You may not have noticed but this but you are sitting in a
Methodist Church, where a vibrant multi-cultural congregation meet
each Sunday. When you came in on the first floor on your left there
was a life size statue of John Wesley the founder of the Methodist
Church. You may have missed it - he was a very short man.
"In his journals he wrote about a press that stigmatised the poor,
he wrote of politicians who did not wish to look at the concerns of
the poor, and who continually blamed the poor for their own fate.
He wrote of people using that stigma and blame to continually treat
the poorest and most vulnerable badly. Thanks goodness that was 250
years ago and could never happen now!
"The past ten to fifteen years of boom benefited some sections of
society but not the poorest. Relatively their income went down.
Justice or, to use that popular word, 'fairness' demand that they
do not suffer now during the bust.
"Earlier this month Eric Pickles asked us to judge the government
on how they treated the most vulnerable. That we will do.
"The task the government has set itself of cutting the deficit to
zero in a short space of time while not harming the most vulnerable
is a difficult one, some may say an impossible one. We shall wait
and see but the initial signs are not promising.
"Brief conversations with colleagues highlight the fears that they
have for the work going on in the communities they serve. Local
authorities and others are tightening their belts prior to the CSR.
Just in the last week I have been told about
• an emergency housing project in Birmingham at threat
• a project in Newcastle working with women seeking sanctuary
• a young offender rehabilitation project in Liverpool wondering if
it must close
"The church is grateful to be able to work with these and hundreds
of other projects like them up and down the country. The people
whose compassion and hard work have created and sustained each of
these projects will not be sleeping well tonight. And they will
rightly be wondering about the meaning of the phrase "Big
Society".
"This building was built a hundred years ago using money donated by
ordinary Methodists. To ensure this was a building of ordinary
people initially no-one was allowed to donate more than one guinea.
Rich and the poor alike. In the historic roll, which you can see on
the left as you leave the building, the names of all the people who
gave one guinea, including my grandparents, are recorded.
"This hall was built because Methodists believed that ordinary
people, people who could afford no more than one guinea, should
have a voice in the heart of Westminster. Hearing today's
contributions, the stories of ordinary people, the concern for
ordinary people, I am confident my grandparents would have felt
that theirs was a guinea well spent.
"Methodists support a wide range of views about deficit reduction.
It is possible to be a Christian and a member of almost any
political party. John Wesley and the Methodist Church he founded,
believe it is inconceivable to follow Christ and not have the
welfare of the poor and the vulnerable close to your heart, and we
are proud to stand beside others who share those concerns
today."