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Spectator
a day ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Why conservatives should embrace their Christian heritage
The heydays of Christian influence over European politics may seem long gone. In the UK, after the most recent general election, four-tenths of all MPs took secular affirmations – up from less than a quarter in 2019 – while in Europe, parties with explicitly Christian foundations often seem embarrassed about their religious heritage as they tumble down the polls. Yet Christians have not stopped turning up for those parties. To play to its strengths and resolve its identity crisis, the centre-right should embrace its Christian inheritance. By returning to this Christian inheritance, the centre-right can offer a vision that is compelling to all and re-establish its dominance Even as the centre-right shies away from invoking its Christian credentials, it continues to rally Christian voters around its banner. In the UK, according to the most recent wave of the British Election Study, Christian voters were 33 per cent more likely to vote Conservative, compared to only 15 per cent of non-Christians. In Germany, too, churchgoing Christians are more than twice as likely to vote for the CDU/CSU Union than the non-religious. Even in the notoriously secular France, Catholics disproportionately turn up for the centre-right, with 19 per cent of Catholics – and 29 per cent of regular churchgoers – voting for the centre-right UDC at the 2022 legislative election, where the UDC received only 14 per cent of the overall vote. This reflects a long-standing trend. A recent report by Bright Blue and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation argued that religiosity has been a core component of European centre-right's history as they dominated European politics over the course of the twentieth century. Since 1949, the CDU held the chancellorship for 49 years – 26 more than its main rival, the SPD – during which time its policy platform was largely dictated by Catholic social thought, emphasising the value of family and the importance of social cohesion. In Ireland, up until recent years, both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael upheld a staunchly Catholic outlook on social policy as they maintained a stranglehold over Irish politics; their Catholicism waned only as their combined vote share began to tumble, but this abandonment of their roots has proven a poor recipe for electoral success. Even in the UK, where Christianity was not as explicit a part of Conservative Party philosophy, the Church of England is not described as 'the Conservative Party at prayer' without reason. This is not merely because Christians vote right-wing. A 2023 paper titled From the Death of God to the Rise of Hitler found that a key predictor for whether you joined the Nazi Party or not was whether you had a Christian first name. If your name was common on churches – think St George or St Martin in England – you were far less likely to do so. The values of the centre-right deeply reflect their Christian heritage, while far-right politics instead often offers a secularised version of religion; one where politics, rather than God, is the source of meaning, and the party takes on the role of the church. For the centre-right to succeed in the future, it should play to its strengths and embrace its Christian inheritance. First, by doing so, it would be playing into a renewed uptick in church attendance and religiosity. Between 2018 and 2024, church attendance in the UK has increased by 50 per cent, including by 300 per cent among the 18-to-24s. In France, as of 2025, the annual number of baptisms is the highest since records began 20 years ago. But second, and more importantly, the values that have allowed the centre-right to be successful are the values it inherits from Christianity: love of country, caring for your family and rewarding contribution. The late Pope Saint John Paul II, in Memory and Identity – the very last book he published before his death – wrote that 'patriotism … is covered by the fourth commandment, which obliges us to honour our father and mother…the patria truly resembles a mother…Patriotism, in other words, leads to a properly ordered social love.' The centre-right alone can provide a vision of country that represents a love of your closest neighbour rather than shutting off from the world, as some right-wing populists would prefer. On rewarding contribution, too, it is largely thanks to its Christian heritage that the centre-right believes that people should take responsibility for their actions – that we have free will and are accountable for our actions and should be rewarded or punished accordingly. Here, it has clashed with those on the left who see hard work or good character as the mere consequences of socio-economic factors and nothing that anybody deserves praise or blame for. Those beliefs – in country, family and contribution – are persuasive to all Europeans, not just Christians. By returning to this Christian inheritance, the centre-right can offer a vision that is compelling to all and re-establish its former dominance.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City of Siloam Springs to discuss code update with residents
SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The City of Siloam Springs will host a stakeholder roundtable on Monday, June 9, at 2:30 p.m. at City Hall Board Room to discuss the city's Unified Development Code update. The public is invited to attend. A news release from the city states that feedback from residents has shaped what is in the UDC. Work on the UDC resumed after a short pause to review pending legislation from the Arkansas State Legislature. On May 20, city planning staff held a workshop with the Siloam Springs Board of Directors to provide an update on the code's progress The meeting will be livestreamed on the city's YouTube channel and on Cox Channel 245. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
ILoveQatar.net
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ILoveQatar.net
Eid Al Adha celebrations at Gewan Island
Join the fun at Gewal Island this Eid Al Adha! Catch roaming mascots, kids workshops, henna & face painting, live kids show, and more exciting activities! Details Date: 6 - 10 June 2025 Time: 3 pm - 10 pm Location: Crystal Walk, Gewan Island Source and image credit: UDC Note: The details mentioned in this event listing are sourced from the organizers' official announcements and are subject to change. Please check with the organizer directly before making plans.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Developer files lawsuit against Fayetteville, city attorney to ask council to reconsider vote
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A lawsuit has been filed against the City of Fayetteville after the City Council denied an appeal for a Dickson Street student-oriented housing proposal. A lawsuit filed on May 30 states that real estate developers Trinitas Ventures, LLC are seeking damages after a planned 611-bed housing development on 151 W Dickson St was denied multiple times. The suit claims that the project was submitted in full compliance with Fayetteville's Unified Development Code and met all required conditions for approval. It further states that although the development was recommended for approval by city staff, it was still ultimately denied at an April 14 meeting, through a 4-3 vote. Trinitas appealed the Planning Commission's denial of the project to the City Council on April 22. Adam Fire Cat to open drive-thru coffee shop in Fayetteville The Appeal from the Planning Commission's denial of the project then came before the City Council on May 20. The suit alleges that at that meeting, council members acknowledged that the project was in compliance with Fayetteville's UDC. However, five council members, Monique Jones, Sarah Moore, Bob Stafford, and Mike Wiederkehr voted against approving the project. Council members Scott Berna, Sarah Bunch, and D'Andre Jones voted in favor of granting the appeal. While council member Teresa Turk voted in abstention. Therefore, the appeal was rejected by the council in a 4-3-1 vote. However, the suit filed against the city claims that 'Turk illegally abstained from the vote.' In count one of the suit, Trinitas is asking for an 'Appeal of Final Administrative Decision.' Count two asks that the judge rule that Trinitas is facing 'Deprivation of Property Rights.' Through the suit, Trinitas is seeking damages 'including, but not limited to, lost rental revenue, increased loan carrying costs, and travel expenses required for the appeal.' It further states, 'The plaintiff should also be entitled to award of their cost of litigation and reasonable attorney's fees for this litigation and for the appeal to City Council due to the Planning Commission's violation of Fayetteville's UDC.' Now, Fayetteville's City Attorney, Kit Williams, says he plans to ask the city council to reconsider their vote regarding the development. In an interview with KNWA/FOX24, Williams says this would allow Turk to remand her vote, and choose to vote 'yes' or 'no.' Hobbs State Park launches firewood permit program to aid tornado cleanup KNWA/FOX24 reached out to the attorney representing Trinitas, Suzanne Clark, who stated that she 'wants the lawsuit to speak for itself.' Trinitas Ventures, LLC, and Trinitas Development, LLC, are the primary plaintiffs in the suit. Court records show that the City of Fayetteville, the Fayetteville City Council and the Fayetteville Planning Commission were served with the lawsuit on Monday morning. The full lawsuit can be found below. Trinitas-LawsuitDownload Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Time of India
Clerk at govt school among 3 held in jail-to-hotel case
Jaipur: City police Thursday arrested three persons, including an upper division clerk (UDC) posted at a govt school, in connection with the case in which four Jaipur Central Jail inmates were last week found at hotels instead of SMS Hospital after being granted medical referrals. SHO (Lal Kothi) Banna Lal said identified the arrested persons as Hanuman Sahai Meena (25), the UDC, Shambhu Dayal (52), and Rahul Meena. All three are accused of helping route money for jail inmate Anandi Lal, who allegedly arranged forged medical referral slips. Police said Anandi Lal was working as an assistant at the jail dispensary and used his access to get fake referral slips issued. Investigations showed that four inmates paid Rs 20,000 each to Anandi through online transfers. "The inamtes made payments to Anandi's father Shambhu Dayal and his two friends Hanuman and Rahul," an officer said.' Police said records show a series of digital transactions linked to the three accused, suggesting that the arrangement may have been running for several months. On May 24 morning, four inmates—Ankit Bansal, Karan Gupta, Rafiq, and Bhanwar—complained of minor ailments such as headaches, stomach aches, and leg pain. These complaints, officials noted, were non-serious and could easily have been treated at the jail's dispensary.
