Quakers explore ‘kinder ground’ with MPs
‘The webinar was held in an excellent spirit, revealing a great deal of common ground.'
MPs from Westminster’s three largest parties shared their thoughts on truth and integrity with Quakers last month.
The webinar was organised by the Quaker Truth & Integrity Group (QTIG), to promote respectful conversation between members of different political parties.
The first of two webinars with Woodbrooke, the ‘Kinder Ground in Politics’ session on 16 November, brought together Philip Dunne, the retiring Conservative MP for Ludlow; Catherine West, the Quaker Labour MP for Hornsey & Wood Green; and Richard Thompson, the SNP MP for Gordon. The three were joined by Gerald Hewitson, clerk of QTIG, to discuss how the work of the House of Commons could be done with kindness, cooperation and compromise.
Jan Arriens, co-clerk to QTIG, said: ‘The webinar was held in an excellent spirit, revealing a great deal of common ground. For all three, the primary reason for going into politics, and the main source of satisfaction, was that of helping other people. There was also agreement that the confrontational, adversarial side of politics that we so often see in the media (and promoted by it) was not representative of the House of Commons. The speakers displayed obvious respect for each other and emphasised the high degree of cooperation and collaboration in parliamentary work: for example in the various committees, and the value of the (little reported) Westminster Hall debates, at which MPs were able to speak more freely. There is little understanding of the way parliament works. Greater emphasis on education, especially in civics, would be a help, while Richard Thompson stressed the benefits that proportional representation would bring in terms of diversity and individual involvement in the political process.’
The webinar marked ‘a new and encouraging stage in the development of QTIG’, added Jan Arriens, and was followed by a second webinar on 23 November. This looked at ‘how we, as individuals, can help promote kinder ground in politics: how can we build relationships with our local MPs, and foster and strengthen dialogue?’
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