Happy Christmas to everyone who has helped to make a difference by joining our discussions and debates, wrestling with the policy challenges that face us all in society instead of simply focusing on the personalities and gossip that so often seem to dominate politics.
Let us know in the comments what you think the biggest challenges might be in the year ahead for Britain and the Government.
You might be interested in this message from The Venerable Trevor Jones, Archdeacon of Hertford:
Royal Mail has traditionally alternated between sacred and secular designs for their Christmas stamps and this year it is the turn for a religious image. Royal Mail has issued two sets of designs this year. The main set of designs, available in all the main denominations is of angels, which is vaguely Christian but not explicitly so and certainly not specifically Christmassy. They have also issued a 'Madonna and Child' design for first and second class only. Post Office staff have been instructed only to sell this design if people specifically request it, but obviously people can't request it if they don't know it exists! If people don't buy these stamps, Royal Mail will claim there is no demand for religious Christmas stamps and not produce them in future. Please therefore ask for 'Madonna and Child' stamps when you do your Christmas posting and also tell your friends, contacts etc. to do the same. Thank You.Sure enough, I asked my wife, who bought our supply of stamps about a week ago, and she knew nothing about the mother and child option, so came home with lots of angels.
Further to this week's Christianophobia debate in Parliament, non-Christian Asian religious minorities are petitioning The Queen to protect Christmas and Christian worship:
Your Majesty The Queen, you vowed in Your Coronation Oath to both defend Justice and also to Defend The Faith in Your Realm, therefore we the undersigned urge you to formally call in Your Government ministers and instruct them on pain of dismissal to do the following by Christmas 2008:The petition will be presented to The Queen on December 21st and already has the support of Members of Parliament, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Christian leaders. Anyone interested in signing it should send their name to petition@apnalounge.com
1. End by Law the evil libel that Asian religious minorities are offended by Christmas or of peaceful public Christian worship;
2. End by Law the evil libel that Asian religious minorities in Your Realm are enemies of Christmas and Christian worship and education;
3. End by law that anyone can ban carol services in public or private places, nativity plays performed by children in schools or other Christmas worship;
4. Stop Your Government Ministers seeking to divide Your People in your Realm by emphasising and even inventing and fabricating bogus disagreements which cause needless resentment between religious groups;
5. Do all in their power to emphasise the huge areas of agreement and sincere goodwill between different religious groups seeking to express their faith by love for their neighbour and through acts of mercy and charity;
6. Put Merry Christmas on all Government Seasons Greetings Cards and official letters and websites issued in the month of December;
7. We also bless you Your Majesty and your family with a Very Merry Christmas and an extremely Happy New Year in 2008 in which we all pray that HOPE, FAITH and LOVE will re-emerge in our nation.
The suggestion that Christmas should be "downgraded" to help race relations, made by the Labour think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research really does defy belief. The leaked report into identity, citizenship and community cohesion suggests, "Even-handedness dictates that we provide public recognition to minority cultures and traditions. If we are going to continue to mark Christmas - and it would be very hard to expunge it from our national life even if we wanted to - then public organisations should mark other major religious festivals too."
The IPPR clearly have no concept of how our national heritage and shared experiences contribute to a personal sense of identity in community. As for the suggestion that "We can no longer define ourselves as a Christian nation, nor an especially religious one in any sense" and that we "should recast the civic oaths and national ceremonies, or institutions like Parliament and the monarchy, in a more multi-religious or secular form and make religious education less sectarian" ... Where do they think the ethical foundation of our legal and political system is rooted - Hans Christian Andersen? Which book do they believe was the inspiration for modern democracy and the human rights we both hold so dear and so take for granted - Aesop's Fables?
How are we supposed to respect any other culture, when we're not even supposed to treasure our own?!
