" Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy." - Proverbs 31:8-9

"Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above" - John 19:11

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn" - Proverbs 29:2

Electoral Pact Agreed between Christian Parties

A major step forwards has been taken in the campaign to secure a Christian vision on the London Assembly in elections this May. Leaders of the Christian Peoples Alliance party and the Christian Party have agreed an electoral pact that will see the two groups run a joint London-wide list. Their stated objective is to secure 100,000 votes for the London Assembly.

Councillor Alan Craig, who leads the CPA group on Newham Borough Council and is also the national CPA leader, commented: "This is a significant step. It demonstrates the power of Christian unity in the face of the many challenges faced by our great capital city. We will now go to the electorate with a joint agreement on policies that will help transform London - including a commitment to bringing Christian hope to communities ravaged by social breakdown, street crime and unemployment."

Rev George Hargreaves, leader of the Christian Party, said: "The secular tide is going out. Now, the public is waking-up to the damage done by politicians who have marginalised Christianity and the work of the churches. This agreement is a response. It rises to the challenge faced by Christians bringing transformation to their communities in London - how to get a mandate for what we do that will be listened to by media, public and government alike."

In previous GLA elections in May 2000 and May 2004, nearly 100,000 Londoners gave a vote to the Christian Peoples Alliance candidate for London Mayor, Ram Gidoomal CBE. He was also placed first on the CPA List for the London Assembly, but did not have enough votes to cross the 5 per cent threshold. If the same people who had voted Christian Peoples Alliance for Mayor also voted CPA for the Assembly, the party would by now have a seat or two on London's own 'parliament'.

Ademolake cleared of assaulting two police officers

Simeon Ademolake, CPA councillor for Canning Town South in Newham, who was convicted of assaulting two police officers and fined £1000, has won his appeal against the conviction, in Snaresbrook Crown Court on 3rd October 2007.

I've met Simeon Ademolake on a couple of occasions, and I have to say that he struck me as being a most likeable fellow. Big and burly, yes, but not a ruffian by any means. When I heard about his conviction for assault, I was astounded. It just didn't seem to match with his character - and it certainly doesn't fit in with his faith in God. I'm delighted to hear of his successful appeal.

CPA in parish council election victory

Paul Martin	David Gee

In the local elections on Thursday 3rd May 2007, Paul Martin and David Gee, both of the CPA, were elected as parish councillors for Aston-cum-Aughton South Ward. Their success demonstrates that the CPA is not just a London party.

I don't have much other election news from around the country, I'm afraid, but I can tell you that four CPA candidates stood in Northampton's election.

In the 2006 by-election in Northampton's Spencer ward, Tony Solomon polled 1.7% of the vote.

This time round, Colin Bricher (55 votes) and Timothy Webb (39 votes) polled 1.7% in Parklands, Faith Bricher (32 votes) polled 1.5% in New Duston (since she was the only CPA candidate in that ward, I based this percentage on half the votes polled), and Suzanne Webb (90 votes) polled an excellent 6.2% (on the same basis) in Ecton Brook.

Northampton is not exactly a CPA hot-bed, but it's making progress slowly and surely. (My apologies to Suzanne for mistakenly reporting her tally as 2.2% when the results were first announced.)

CPA gains two more councillors in Borough election

CPA Newham has consolidated on its historic 2002 success in the London Borough of Newham, by gaining two new councillors - Simeon Ademolake and Denise Stafford. They will join Alan Craig in representing the Canning Town South ward.

Alan, who was elected in 2002 as the first non-Labour councillor in Canning Town since 1912, has worked tirelessly for the people of Canning Town South for many years. As a result he has won huge local support, and this has clearly been shown in the election results.

With Simeon and Denise on the council too, the CPA will now be able to help even more people in their constant battle against the indifference of the Labour majority. More news is available on our Newham page, together with a couple of photographs. All the councillor election results are given, too.

And the Lord went before them in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night - Exodus 13:21

Mayflower Declaration available in HTML format

You can now read the Mayflower Declaration (a booklet that lays out the CPA's underlying philosophy) on your Web browser, without a PDF reader, courtesy of Peter Flower (the CPA chairman in 2006), who graciously gave permission for this site to host a copy. Any typographical errors are entirely my responsibility.

Political Essays

An open-ended collection of articles intended to challenge, inform, and prepare Christians who are becoming involved in politics - even if that involvement goes only so far as casting their votes wisely and well. Submissions welcome.