br ash
05-04-2005, 08:56 PM
Faith of politicians
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,174-1541034,00.html
THE CABINET
JACK STRAW
FOREIGN SECRETARY
A devout Christian who reached out to other faiths.:D (sorry could not help it) “I am proud to represent the interests of my 25,000 Muslim constituents, as well as 75,000 who are mainly white, Christian, Catholic, Protestant, or, as some would say, of ‘no religion’.”
HILARY ARMSTRONG
CHIEF WHIP
Former vice-president of Christian Socialist Movement who once said: “We weren’t put on Earth to enjoy ourselves.”
TESSA JOWELL
CULTURE SECRETARY
Discovered her faith in the early 1990s; now attends church every Sunday.
PAUL BOATENG
TREASURY CHIEF SEC’Y
Methodist lay preacher.
PAUL MURPHY
N. IRELAND SEC’Y
Catholic Labour
JOHN PRESCOTT
DEPUTY PM
Atheist who dislikes “all that mumbo-jumbo”. Said Blair was acting like Jesus by refusing to take a pay rise and that Cabinet was starting to resemble a prayer meeting. :D
JOHN REID
HEALTH SECRETARY
Lapsed Catholic whose roots show in his unease over abortion.
ALAN MILBURN
CABINET OFFICE
Has abandoned Marxism but remains an atheist.
CHARLES CLARKE
HOME SECRETARY
Views unknown.
PETER HAIN
LEADER OF COMMONS
Described as “basically agnostic”.
ALISTAIR DARLING
TRANSPORT SECRETARY
Friends say he is not interested in religion.
GEOFF HOON
DEFENCE SECRETARY
Social conservative but does not attend church.
LORD FALCONER OF THOROTON
LORD CHANCELLOR
Aides say he is a “non-practising” Christian.
IAN MCCARTNEY
LABOUR CHAIRMAN
Not known to have any interest in religion.
BARONESS AMOS
LEADER OF LORDS
“This is private. No comment”.
HILARY BENN
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEC’Y
“No comment”
PATRICIA HEWITT
TRADE SECRETARY
Brought up as a Christian but not practising.
ALAN JOHNSON
WORK AND PENSIONS
“No comment.”
THE SHADOW CABINET
MICHAEL HOWARD
OPPOSITION LEADER
Semi-observant Jew who attends synagogues at new year and on the Day of Atonement. His son, Nick, is training to be an Anglican priest.
DAVID CAMERON
HEAD OF POLICY
Church of England
TIM COLLINS
SHADOW EDUCATION SEC’Y
Church of England
DAVID DAVIS
SHADOW HOME SEC’Y
“No comment.”
ANDREW LANSLEY
SHADOW HEALTH SEC’Y
Church of England
OLIVER LETWIN
SHADOW CHANCELLOR
Non-observant Jew, who identifies culturally with being Jewish, but champions religious freedom.
DAVID MACLEAN
CHIEF WHIP
Brought up in Church of Scotland, but recently said to be getting interested in Catholic theology.
THERESA MAY
SHADOW FAMILY SEC’Y
A regular at Church of England services
CAROLINE SPELMAN
SHADOW LOCAL GOVERNMENT SEC’Y
Church of England
LORD STRATHCLYDE
OPPOSITION LEADER IN THE LORDS
Views unknown.
JOHN REDWOOD
SHADOW DEREGULATION SEC’Y
Church of England whose leadership bid in 1995 included a pledge to expel “adulterers” from his Cabinet. :D
LORD SAATCHI
CO-CHAIRMAN
Jewish-born but said to have “lost his faith”. Donated a six-figure sum to synagogue in honour of his parents.
NICHOLAS SOAMES
SHADOW DEFENCE SEC’Y
Said to be traditional high Anglican, although aides yesterday refused to comment.
DAVID WILLETTS
SHADOW WORK AND PENSIONS SEC’Y
“I’m a Christian but I’m not an active church-goer.”
TIM YEO
SHADOW ENVIRONMENT AND TRANSPORT SEC’Y
“Christian.”
FIVE WHO KEEP THE FAITH
TONY BLAIR
PRIME MINISTER
An ecumenical Christian who attends Roman Catholic services with his family but remains Anglican. He takes a keen interest in the other Abrahamic faiths of Islam and Judaism. His values are rooted in his faith far more than in the Labour Party. He has been quoted discussing how he would justify the Iraq war to his “Maker”. :sly:
GORDON BROWN
CHANCELLOR
The son of a Scottish Presbyterian manse, he went to church three times on Sunday while growing up. He has carried into politics some of the stiff compassion he learnt at his father’s pulpit, not least in his missionary zeal towards Africa. Although the Labour Party may sometimes appear to be his true church, Mr Brown still attends services and found solace in his faith after the death of his parents and newborn daughter.
RUTH KELLY
EDUCATION SECRETARY
A member of the Opus Dei Roman Catholic movement made infamous by Dan Brown’s bestselling — but fictional — book, The Da Vinci Code. She insists that her private religious beliefs will not influence her decisions as a minister.
MICHAEL ANCRAM
SHADOW FOREIGN SECRETARY
A devout aristocratic Roman Catholic, close friend of Cardinal Cormac Murphy- O’Connor from when he was a bishop responsible for Mr Ancram’s constituency.
LIAM FOX
CO-CHAIRMAN
A Roman Catholic who recently said that he attends “pretty much any Christian church, if appropriate”. In 2001 he advocated a “huge restriction if not abolition” of abortion in a personal prayer selection for a book published by the centre-right Conservative Christian Fellowship.
Salaam
Ash
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,174-1541034,00.html
THE CABINET
JACK STRAW
FOREIGN SECRETARY
A devout Christian who reached out to other faiths.:D (sorry could not help it) “I am proud to represent the interests of my 25,000 Muslim constituents, as well as 75,000 who are mainly white, Christian, Catholic, Protestant, or, as some would say, of ‘no religion’.”
HILARY ARMSTRONG
CHIEF WHIP
Former vice-president of Christian Socialist Movement who once said: “We weren’t put on Earth to enjoy ourselves.”
TESSA JOWELL
CULTURE SECRETARY
Discovered her faith in the early 1990s; now attends church every Sunday.
PAUL BOATENG
TREASURY CHIEF SEC’Y
Methodist lay preacher.
PAUL MURPHY
N. IRELAND SEC’Y
Catholic Labour
JOHN PRESCOTT
DEPUTY PM
Atheist who dislikes “all that mumbo-jumbo”. Said Blair was acting like Jesus by refusing to take a pay rise and that Cabinet was starting to resemble a prayer meeting. :D
JOHN REID
HEALTH SECRETARY
Lapsed Catholic whose roots show in his unease over abortion.
ALAN MILBURN
CABINET OFFICE
Has abandoned Marxism but remains an atheist.
CHARLES CLARKE
HOME SECRETARY
Views unknown.
PETER HAIN
LEADER OF COMMONS
Described as “basically agnostic”.
ALISTAIR DARLING
TRANSPORT SECRETARY
Friends say he is not interested in religion.
GEOFF HOON
DEFENCE SECRETARY
Social conservative but does not attend church.
LORD FALCONER OF THOROTON
LORD CHANCELLOR
Aides say he is a “non-practising” Christian.
IAN MCCARTNEY
LABOUR CHAIRMAN
Not known to have any interest in religion.
BARONESS AMOS
LEADER OF LORDS
“This is private. No comment”.
HILARY BENN
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEC’Y
“No comment”
PATRICIA HEWITT
TRADE SECRETARY
Brought up as a Christian but not practising.
ALAN JOHNSON
WORK AND PENSIONS
“No comment.”
THE SHADOW CABINET
MICHAEL HOWARD
OPPOSITION LEADER
Semi-observant Jew who attends synagogues at new year and on the Day of Atonement. His son, Nick, is training to be an Anglican priest.
DAVID CAMERON
HEAD OF POLICY
Church of England
TIM COLLINS
SHADOW EDUCATION SEC’Y
Church of England
DAVID DAVIS
SHADOW HOME SEC’Y
“No comment.”
ANDREW LANSLEY
SHADOW HEALTH SEC’Y
Church of England
OLIVER LETWIN
SHADOW CHANCELLOR
Non-observant Jew, who identifies culturally with being Jewish, but champions religious freedom.
DAVID MACLEAN
CHIEF WHIP
Brought up in Church of Scotland, but recently said to be getting interested in Catholic theology.
THERESA MAY
SHADOW FAMILY SEC’Y
A regular at Church of England services
CAROLINE SPELMAN
SHADOW LOCAL GOVERNMENT SEC’Y
Church of England
LORD STRATHCLYDE
OPPOSITION LEADER IN THE LORDS
Views unknown.
JOHN REDWOOD
SHADOW DEREGULATION SEC’Y
Church of England whose leadership bid in 1995 included a pledge to expel “adulterers” from his Cabinet. :D
LORD SAATCHI
CO-CHAIRMAN
Jewish-born but said to have “lost his faith”. Donated a six-figure sum to synagogue in honour of his parents.
NICHOLAS SOAMES
SHADOW DEFENCE SEC’Y
Said to be traditional high Anglican, although aides yesterday refused to comment.
DAVID WILLETTS
SHADOW WORK AND PENSIONS SEC’Y
“I’m a Christian but I’m not an active church-goer.”
TIM YEO
SHADOW ENVIRONMENT AND TRANSPORT SEC’Y
“Christian.”
FIVE WHO KEEP THE FAITH
TONY BLAIR
PRIME MINISTER
An ecumenical Christian who attends Roman Catholic services with his family but remains Anglican. He takes a keen interest in the other Abrahamic faiths of Islam and Judaism. His values are rooted in his faith far more than in the Labour Party. He has been quoted discussing how he would justify the Iraq war to his “Maker”. :sly:
GORDON BROWN
CHANCELLOR
The son of a Scottish Presbyterian manse, he went to church three times on Sunday while growing up. He has carried into politics some of the stiff compassion he learnt at his father’s pulpit, not least in his missionary zeal towards Africa. Although the Labour Party may sometimes appear to be his true church, Mr Brown still attends services and found solace in his faith after the death of his parents and newborn daughter.
RUTH KELLY
EDUCATION SECRETARY
A member of the Opus Dei Roman Catholic movement made infamous by Dan Brown’s bestselling — but fictional — book, The Da Vinci Code. She insists that her private religious beliefs will not influence her decisions as a minister.
MICHAEL ANCRAM
SHADOW FOREIGN SECRETARY
A devout aristocratic Roman Catholic, close friend of Cardinal Cormac Murphy- O’Connor from when he was a bishop responsible for Mr Ancram’s constituency.
LIAM FOX
CO-CHAIRMAN
A Roman Catholic who recently said that he attends “pretty much any Christian church, if appropriate”. In 2001 he advocated a “huge restriction if not abolition” of abortion in a personal prayer selection for a book published by the centre-right Conservative Christian Fellowship.
Salaam
Ash