People may have noticed that despite in recent times my blogging a lot on things happening in the world, especially the USA, a lot of my most recent blogs have touched on the goings on in UK politics.

I won’t go into what I wrote (if you want to know what I think and why I felt it was important, despite so much else going on the world that is important, then I suggest check out my blogs). The upshot is, notwithstanding the huge backlash against the Starmer led Labour Party after its landslide victory, and the topsy turvy recent attention given to Reform UK e.g. soaring high in the polls and some defecting away from Reform, and supported then opposed by Elon Musk, the alarming prospect of more of the same rather depressing politics we have seen since Labour came to power last July seems quite likely.

One friend, who is on more or less the same page as me when it comes to what is really happening in the world, recently wrote to me: “… I think they’re naive to believe Keir Starmer will be forced out or that his government will collapse. Once totalitarianism is fully in place, no-one will be forced out as democracy won’t matter to them anymore. It’s already starting to look that way, and 5 years in power will give them the time they need for a complete. Marxist self-coup.  What thinks ye?” My response was: “Humanly speaking things look grim and we are heading for totalitarianism. YET people are waking up urged on by some of the folk we are mentioning in our exchanges. Whether there will be a popular uprising (likely) that is successful (less likely) no-one knows and no-one can say for sure if Trump and a worldwide populist uprising will succeed or whether it will open the door for the false light that the Antichrist will exploit. While we need to be Watchmen and point folk to the true light our brief as followers of Christ is clear … it is to be faithful and leave the rest to Him”.

I find I am often checking out, (usually) alternative media in order to gain knowledge and insights into what is going on (often missing from the BBC and the like). I found the following interview particularly insightful: “Liz Truss: The Deep State, Grooming Gangs, Economic Reform & Free Speech | The Peter McCormack Show” (see here). I was never a fan of Liz, even before her short-lived reign as Prime Minister. But then I wasn’t keen on any of the Conservative leaders (and Labour ones come to that) post Margaret Thatcher. While I wasn’t a fan of Maggie, at least she showed some of the leadership qualities that is needed but woefully lacking in the party political leaders that followed her.

In sharing the link to the video on my Facebook page, I preceded my share with the following introduction: “One of the humbling but also refreshing things I have discovered in my long, ongoing quest to figure out what is going on in the world is that in the light of more knowledge and further reflection I now find I need to admit when I was wrong and change my mind. Take when the Tories had to select a new leader after Boris stood down. While I preferred Liz to Rishi, I still felt she was hapless and hopeless and she didn’t last long – brought down by forces outside her control. Listening to her being quizzed, I realise she was right in so many areas, sharing to my surprise many of the concerns I have been highlighting, but she was up against the system that stood in her way at every point, which system to a large extent Rishi and now Keir know how to play. What is needed politically is a solution far more radical than what any that the main parties are prepared to implement and even if some members agree they judge to do so would be political suicide and we end up governed by the Uni party”.

Unsurprisingly, two of my detractor friends commented on my post along the lines that while the Conservatives were/are bad, Liz was particularly bad, leaving a disastrous legacy. My response was that: “while I think you are both jolly good chaps whose detracting friendship I value, yet we see what is happening in the world and the solutions needed so differently … actually the Conservatives did cock things up but as I argued Liz was out of her depth. I’m not sure who else could have done better among the Tories. As for Labour, LibDems and Greens they are worse and even before Keir would have done worse under their leadership. The best of those other parties may be Reform, yet I have reservations given their cowardice over Tommy Robinson and quest for power at any cost”.

This brings me onto the very important how we ought to respond question – and here I am speaking personally … In my descent to dotage and disability, I am finding I am doing a lot of watching and praying and using my blog, especially, sharing what I am seeing watching on my wall and the warning I want to give to the few (and it is good to be humbled and reminded it is only a few) who read what I have to say and maybe (hopefully) respond appropriately as a result of taking in some the wisdom that I have tried to impart.

The drum I have been banging on for yonks concerns the paramount importance of the pursuit of truth. I am mindful, however, to get to the bottom of many of those matters I raise takes an inordinate amount of time I don’t have and effort I am not prepared to give, concerning which there are others, many I discovered recently, e.g. Paul Thorpe (type his name into YouTube to check out) who have, and so much better than I could. The aspect he and others (maybe all others) miss is the God bit – so why duplicate effort? Instead, let me bring to the proverbial party what I and not they can bring?

What I have not done in this post (but I hope to in a sequel) is to consider the likely impactful worldwide dimension, e.g. the shortly to be inaugurated US President Trump, and surprises that will shortly shock us all. All this will have a bearing … but what do people like my friend seeing the possibility, even likelihood, of us living under a totalitarian system where Starmer and his cronies, supported by those not prepared to put their head over the parapet and say how bad things are and (ref. what Liz saw) a system when whoever is in power is unlikely to change things much? Given my earlier attempts to put people into one of three categories: fools, villains and good guys, I can’t help wondering how many senior politicians I can put in the good guy category and that I need to pray and encourage the good guys/gals in their political aspirations.

I do NOT have all/many of the answers BUT I know someone who does. I reject the “we will soon be raptured so do nothing” rhetoric of friends in a similar camp as me. I reject my woke Baptist and other friends who are happy to go along with the idea all we need to do is come together as a global family, seeing as the enemy those far right racist types that Prime Minister Starmer and King Charles call out, or nationalist, conspiracy theorists that are in the way. I reject my don’t believe in the rapture friends that piously cite texts like Romans 13 and urge us to go along with the powers that be, who are quite satisfied that their ignorance IS an excuse for inaction. I believe there is a case to be politically involved because good politics has a direct bearing on people’s welfare, despite a dearth of parties we can align with, and it is one way we can love our neighbour.

I will need to give “how best to respond” more thought and not hide behind the excuse “I’ll be dead shortly” and “given my condition I don’t have the physically capability to work at the coal face that I once did”. Earlier today I gave an older than me chap a lift home following a prayer meeting at my church. We both noted that too many in the old dear category seem to be resigned to their “on the way out” fate and do nothing. We did agree that even in small ways we could do our love thy neighbour bit even if we may be past it when it comes to radically turning the world upside down, helping rid it of the cabal intent on killing and/or enslaving its inhabitants. We must continue to speak the truth even when others rather we do not, mindful those who do so may suffer a penalty. Also, we must continue in prayer, remain faithful and endeavour to live godly lives. We can be rest assured there will be a better world to come, as in it Christ will be reigning. Let us therefore work toward that end!