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EmilyAlexandra
Guest
During the couple of months I’ve been looking at this site, I’ve read countless threads about the upcoming US presidential election and about US politics in general. It seems clear that for Catholics in the US, religion and politics are closely intertwined. This is only to be expected: I assume that if one has a religion, that religion would provide the principles on which one would make decisions such as voting. I am sure that we all try to vote based on our moral principles, whether or not those principles are derived from religion.
I am curious to know how Catholics tend to vote outside the United States, as this is not a subject I have seen covered much on here. I have looked back to some threads from around the UK general election last year, and some about Brexit, but they don’t enlighten me much, especially as many of those commenting appear to be British but not Catholic, Catholic but not British, or neither Catholic nor British.
One thing that seems to be very different between voting choices in the US and the UK is that US party politics is a lot more closely aligned with moral or cultural values. Setting aside the case of Northern Ireland, which has different political parties, all major political parties in the UK have broadly similar policies with regard to contentious issues such as abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, same-sex marriage, transgender rights, and the death penalty. Furthermore, these issues are not determined along party lines, even if the party does have an official policy. By longstanding convention, MPs and peers have a free vote on ethical issues that are a matter of conscience. Also, all major parties support the National Health Service with an almost religious zeal, so we do not have the same debates about universal healthcare, nor about what kinds of healthcare should be funded by government and/or insurance companies.
I do read a lot on this site about what is variously termed leftism, socialism, communism, and Marxism, all of which are opposed in the strongest possible terms. Our major socialist party is of course the Labour Party (in Wales, Plaid Cymru is also an important socialist party). Tony Blair became a convert to Catholicism after leaving office, but doubtless still considers himself a socialist. Rebecca Long-Bailey, the far-left candidate for the Labour leadership, is also a Catholic. Ruth Kelly, a former Labour cabinet minister, is famously a member of Opus Dei (and has been appointed to the Vatican Council for the Economy). Frank Pakenham, 7th earl of Longford, who served in the Cabinets of Attlee and Wilson (and thus helped to implement the policy of common ownership), was a Catholic convert noted for his conservative views on pornography and homosexuality.
I am a member of the Labour Party, although, like many party members, I voted for the Liberal Democrats in protest against Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, especially his weak stance against antisemitism within the party. It seems that many Catholics would completely rule out supporting the Labour Party, but it also seems that many Catholics would rule out supporting the Conservative Party or the Liberal Democrats.
I am curious to know how Catholics tend to vote outside the United States, as this is not a subject I have seen covered much on here. I have looked back to some threads from around the UK general election last year, and some about Brexit, but they don’t enlighten me much, especially as many of those commenting appear to be British but not Catholic, Catholic but not British, or neither Catholic nor British.
One thing that seems to be very different between voting choices in the US and the UK is that US party politics is a lot more closely aligned with moral or cultural values. Setting aside the case of Northern Ireland, which has different political parties, all major political parties in the UK have broadly similar policies with regard to contentious issues such as abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, same-sex marriage, transgender rights, and the death penalty. Furthermore, these issues are not determined along party lines, even if the party does have an official policy. By longstanding convention, MPs and peers have a free vote on ethical issues that are a matter of conscience. Also, all major parties support the National Health Service with an almost religious zeal, so we do not have the same debates about universal healthcare, nor about what kinds of healthcare should be funded by government and/or insurance companies.
I do read a lot on this site about what is variously termed leftism, socialism, communism, and Marxism, all of which are opposed in the strongest possible terms. Our major socialist party is of course the Labour Party (in Wales, Plaid Cymru is also an important socialist party). Tony Blair became a convert to Catholicism after leaving office, but doubtless still considers himself a socialist. Rebecca Long-Bailey, the far-left candidate for the Labour leadership, is also a Catholic. Ruth Kelly, a former Labour cabinet minister, is famously a member of Opus Dei (and has been appointed to the Vatican Council for the Economy). Frank Pakenham, 7th earl of Longford, who served in the Cabinets of Attlee and Wilson (and thus helped to implement the policy of common ownership), was a Catholic convert noted for his conservative views on pornography and homosexuality.
I am a member of the Labour Party, although, like many party members, I voted for the Liberal Democrats in protest against Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, especially his weak stance against antisemitism within the party. It seems that many Catholics would completely rule out supporting the Labour Party, but it also seems that many Catholics would rule out supporting the Conservative Party or the Liberal Democrats.
I am learning a lot and it is very interesting!