Reader Writes September 2021
The junior minister, the very junior minister, buzzed her secretary for a strong coffee; he’d learned quickly exactly how she liked it, well, needed it. She flicked through the daily newspapers before tackling her box. Nice to turn to the opinion section of the Guardian without raising eyebrows or startling her farming constituency. But she happily admitted and it was plain to see that she was a practicing Christian, from a chapel family, and naturally held liberal views on things like climate, environment and the social issues of the day. Well, thank God, she thought, I am not working for that smirking Home Secretary and have to take ethically unpalatable measures to solve the refugee crisis. Is it a “crisis” or more a perennial catastrophe?
She hardly noticed the coffee arriving. Is that really the shameful scale of the messy fallout of our world? 25 million refugees and 50 million displaced persons. Okay, it’s an official issue because it fuelled Vote Leave to Brexit victory, and people continue to feel threatened by energetic and skilled East Europeans or by self-disciplined asylum seekers. Secretly, especially considering the department she was in, she thought it pathetic to deploy naval vessels to repel flotillas of “illegals” crossing the Channel in rubber boats. No useful point in distinguishing between refugees of the many conflicts from those driven by economic destitution, mostly from sub-Sahara Africa.
She chucked the newspaper on the other side of the desk; must get on with the box. But I do need these things to be sorted, she thought. I won’t think of colonialism, but my generation has every right to point to the ruination of consumerism. Nor will I think of wars, although we have fuelled or even set alight the conflagration of the Middle East. Then when it comes to the climate crisis, oh yes, we are certainly up to our necks in complicity. And I really might threaten to vomit if I hear another minister talking about ‘getting back to normal’. No! The green economy screams for support. Perhaps I’ll cross to the Green party and sit with Caroline Lucas; no, come on, get to work!
Her box soon revealed the reality of her responsibilities, and indeed the responsibilities of every citizen. Refugees are pleading with us for help; including maybe a million Afghan refugees. Do we off-shore them on prison ships? Or pay faceless contractors to create hostile borders? Will you catch me being anti-asylum for political credit? No, again! But yes, I’ll argue passionately for fulfilling our promise on overseas aid; and I’ll energetically fight for international cooperation to provide better choices than leaving your family, your home and your country with nothing but a phone and a rucksack.
As a Christian, she thought (coffee at last bringing clarity and focus), I will stand up for justice and compassion. All those chapel evenings; they counted for a lot. Maybe I should advertise an office prayer meeting to throw these challenges before our great God. Didn’t Jesus say that after loving the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul, “the second commandment is like it; you shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Welcome Afghani sister, Welcome brother Eritrean, I am so sorry for your great and cruel losses; I’ll love you practically, my neighbour, however I can.
Robert MacCurrach