What sort of Britain do we want in 2015?

As General Elections are called for 6 May 2010 in Britain, Michael Smith writes a letter in The Times about the kind of Britain we want to see:

From The Times

April 7, 2010

What sort of Britain do we want in 2015?

Sir, Your leading article (“Britain in 2015”,  April 6) asks what sort of Britain do we want? While calling for a nation of responsibility and justice, freedom and ambition, it gives little diagnosis of the moral and spiritual malaise infecting the nation. Not just the loss of ethical values among some MPs that undermined the authority of Parliament, and the culture of material excess in the City at a time when millions around the world live in poverty, but also the loss of innocence among the young, manifest in binge drinking, casual sex relationships and a liberal drugs culture, and the need to strengthen marriage and family values.

At the heart of these is the question of where the roots of freedom and satisfaction in life really lie. For many of us they lie in the moral and spiritual disciplines of our faith traditions, which also encourage a sense of community and care for others.

It is not the role of government to be the nation’s spiritual mentor. But moral and spiritual disciplines strengthen creativity, imagination and productivity in our economic lives. The loss of such disciplines dulls our output.

All the political parties have a responsibility for policies that support the role of faith communities. No call for the kind of Britain we want by 2015 can overlook the moral, ethical and spiritual climate.

Michael Smith

London SW20