Bishops condemn Labour’s record

Dec 29 2008 by Kim Carmichael, The Journal

THE Bishops of Durham and Carlisle have joined other senior church figures in condemning Labour’s record in power, accusing the Government of breaking its promises and of being “morally corrupt”.

The Rt Rev Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, has berated ministers for not doing enough to help the poor since 1997.

He said: “Labour made a lot of promises, but a lot of them have vanished into thin air. We have not seen a raising of aspirations in the last 13 years, but instead there is a sense of hopelessness.

“While the rich have got richer, the poor have got poorer. When a big bank or car company goes bankrupt, it gets bailed out, but no one seems to be bailing out the ordinary people who are losing their jobs and seeing their savings diminished.”

The Rt Rev Graham Dow, the Bishop of Carlisle, added: “I agree with the Conservatives that the breakdown of the family is a crucial element in the difficulties of our present society. The Government hasn’t given sufficient support to that because it’s scared of losing votes.”

He argued that Labour’s failure to back marriage and its “insistence on supporting every choice of lifestyle” has had a negative effect on society. “I think Labour has got tired,” he added.

The bishops of Winchester, Manchester and Hulme also spoke out, warning that the country is suffering from family breakdown, an addiction to debt and a growing gap between rich and poor.

The interventions, in separate newspaper interviews, accused ministers of squandering their opportunity to transform society and pursuing “scandalous” policies.

The comments came after the Archbishop of Canterbury launched an extraordinary public attack on the Government last week.

Dr Rowan Williams said Gordon Brown’s plans to spend more in order to tackle the recession were like an “addict returning to the drug”, and suggested the economy had been going in the wrong direction for decades.

But a Government spokeswoman said “fairness” was at the core of its agenda. “This is underpinned by the belief that everyone, regardless of their background, should have the chance to get ahead in life and realise their potential. The Government has a strong record of helping people out of poverty. Since 1997, we’ve lifted 600,000 children and 900,000 pensioners out of relative poverty and we have committed to enshrining in legislation our target to eradicate child poverty in 2020.

“We have also made record increases in the amount invested in public services over the last decade. When times are tough, we believe that people should be given more support, not less.

“That is why we are giving real help now to families and businesses during this global economic downturn, to help those affected retrain and get a new job and keep their homes.”

Meanwhile, David Cameron accused Mr Brown of leading Britain to the “brink of bankruptcy”. In a Sunday newspaper article, the Tory leader said the “debt crisis” would serve as the Prime Minister’s “political epitaph”.