Category: Maureen Martin

Christian Peoples Alliance – GLA Candidates

Maureen Martin and Helen Spiby-Vann, are the first and second persons nominated for the Christian Peoples Alliance (CPA) on the London Assembly (London-wide) list.  We have spoken with both before and today we catch-up with Maureen Martin on what the CPA’s plans are for London.

Maureen thank-you for your time.

For those who might not know the CPA can you tell us a little about the party and your main policies?

The Christian Peoples Alliance seeks to bring integrity, truth and love to the governmental arena.  We seek to demonstrate how God does politics! Our core values are promoting traditional marriage and family stability, upholding the sanctity of life from conception to natural death, caring for the poor and needy, fighting crime and supporting persecuted Christians worldwide.

“We will protect freedom of speech and stop the police investigating non-criminal ‘hate speech’ and ‘hate incidents’, so they can concentrate on real crime not thought crime. Plus no mandatory or coerced vaccination, including ‘covid passports’”

At a London level what would the CPA like to see change?

The London Assembly holds the Mayor accountable for his decisions in areas such as London transport, police and fire services, building affordable homes, protecting the environment and promoting London’s economy.

The Christian Peoples Alliance (CPA) has manifesto policies which detail improvements for each area of Mayoral responsibility. This election, we would like to highlight tackling knife crime which shatters families and ruins lives. A number of city charities are already doing great work in tackling knife crime and we would enhance their reach with grants. We advocate for kinship mentors, supervised youth centres and mounted police presence. Kinship mentors because knife crime gangs often engender family-like loyalties; supervised youth centres because young men need properly supervised, safe spaces outside home to spend time with peers; mounted police presence as it’s believed that mounted police (compared with foot police) are more community friendly but deter crime.

Knife crime affects young people from broken homes disproportionately. In the long term, we need to reduce these inequalities by supporting marriages and creating stable homes so that all children can have the benefit of growing up with their mum and dad.

This brings me to our second key London wide policy. All women (and girls) deserve to be cherished for life by their peer group, siblings and partners. Sadly not all are. This year we have seen increases in domestic violence, abortion coercion, sexual harassment, rape culture in schools, objectification and human trafficking. The police emphasise consent in their training videos, but this is not enough. It gives the message that it’s ok to have sex with a female, just so long as she is 16+ and says yes.

CPA believes women and girls should be cherished for life not just objects of convenience. We believe men can be helped with self-control of libido. In addition, we will review agencies funded by the Mayor to ensure they do not promote pornography, violence or undermine the family. We need more women’s crisis centres and education that inspires boys to be faithful husbands and fathers that cherish their families

We will protect freedom of speech and stop the police investigating non-criminal ‘hate speech’ and ‘hate incidents’, so they can concentrate on real crime not thought crime. Plus no mandatory or coerced vaccination, including ‘covid passports’.

I would also like to mention our care for the poor policy. We will work in partnership with the city churches/charities to support foodbanks and address food insecurity.

We will guarantee night shelters for anyone not on drink or drugs, with a meal free of charge paid for by the Mayor of London. We don’t want anyone sleeping rough. Those with alcohol and drug problems will be given specialist help.

In terms of transport, we would make Transport for London more accountable to passengers for its spending. Fares have been going up year-on-year for decades despite TfL’s huge revenues from fares, advertising, tourism and property.

In terms of the environment, we believe the current incineration of non-mechanically-recyclable plastic is not environmentally friendly enough. We believe the Mayor should be investing in methods which make plastic recycling circular.

My current role as housing manager in London gives me first hand, daily experiences of the housing issues facing Londoners and how we can improve our systems to make things fairer and better for all.

The party isn’t running a mayoral candidate, are you recommending anyone to vote for, and if not how will you pick who to vote for?

We have been mayoral candidate watching and are on the lookout for a candidate that is able to uphold our values. Unashamedly pro family, pro-marriage and pro- life. We have been quite upfront with anyone with we have met with that they are clear about our core values in their role as Mayor for instance welcoming the annual March for Life.  We are aware however that the reality is that the race will be between Shaun Bailey and Sidiq Khan. We have recommended that our members and supporters vote for Shaun Bailey as second choice.

“supervised youth centres because young men need properly supervised, safe spaces outside home to spend time with peers; mounted police presence as it’s believed that mounted police (compared with foot police) are more community friendly but deter crime”

In Croydon we have an epidemic of knife crime, a dying town centre and a bankrupt council.  What are your thoughts on the issues facing the borough?

Detailed above are our policies on tackling knife crime. This is our no. 1 concern this election. In terms of reinvigorating town centres and supporting local businesses, we would use the proceeds from our *Turnover Tax to immediately half business rates with a view to phasing them out completely over time, in order to create a level playing field between online and shop retail.

*Our national manifesto policy: The CPA will introduce a Turnover Tax at a rate of 5% of company turnover, payable quarterly in arrears along with VAT. The threshold will be the same as the VAT threshold, currently £85,000. This is intended to ensure that appropriate tax is collected from those multi-national companies who make their money by selling in the UK but transfer their profits overseas by way of ‘licence’ and other ‘costs’ or ‘invoice’ addresses. This will be a fairer company tax system across the board and eventually make buying online taxed at the same level as buying in shops.

How much will this raise?

The total turnover of the UK economy in 2017 was £2.62 trillion 5 — 5% of which gives £106.5bn. The Turnover Tax would be offset against Corporation tax which raised £56.1bn in 2017/18 despite the rate being cut. Small companies would be exempt and we would look to introduce other fair exemptions which would take away about £20bn. Some Corporation Tax would be more than the Turnover Tax but we estimate that would generate at least £32bn which would be spent funding the following key manifesto pledges:

  • • £15bn on reducing Commercial Rates to help our city centres
  • • £12bn on restoring the Government benefit cuts, so we can make Universal Credit work
  • • £3bn on supporting marriage and the family through our grant system 

“what is more important to me is to represent all Londoners to create a city that is prosperous, and safe.  Holding the mayor to account on the London Assembly would afford the CPA a wonderful opportunity to ensure that Christians are represented in GLA”

If elected how would you use your role in the Greater London Authority and what would you like to achieve?

As a female, black Londoner, born and bred, I would like to offer a pro-family, pro-marriage and pro-life voice. I would raise the profile of the issues surrounding women’s inequalities and the vital importance of a biblical worldview being applied in a very practical real way to everyday life in the governmental political arena.  In this cancel culture I will be championing free speech, particularly allowing our police force to police real crime and not tweets!  I am not really about using my ethnicity to get votes what is more important to me is to represent all Londoners to create a city that is prosperous, and safe.  Holding the mayor to account on the London Assembly would afford the CPA a wonderful opportunity to ensure that Christians are represented in GLA and have a voice where it matters! 

How do people find out more and get in contact or involved?

Contact Maureen by:

Find out more about Christian Peoples Alliance Party: www.cpaparty.net and watch their campaign video:

End of transition: Brexiteers on Brexit – Part 3

Now we have left the Transition Period we asked Brexiteers if they feel Brexit is now complete, for their hopes and their predictions for the future. Part 3 below more (parts 4 and beyond) to follow….. You can also read Part 1 and Part 2.

“The 4½ year wait is miniscule in historic terms and will soon be forgotten. And what particularly pleases me is how Boris Johnson and his team have been able to claw back the amount of sovereignty they have from such a disastrous starting point bequeathed to them by Theresa May”

Crispin Williams local long term Brexit campaigner.

Did Brexit get done?  My short answer is yes.  If you had asked me on 23rd June 2016 if I would have been happy with the exit arrangements we now have, I would have ripped your arm off for them.

If you had asked me on 24th June 2016, I would have been disappointed with the 4½ year delay and the outcomes achieved.  If you had asked me in May 2017 or in the months before, I would have been delighted with the current outcome.

So, overall, I am very happy. The 4½ year wait is miniscule in historic terms and will soon be forgotten. And what particularly pleases me is how Boris Johnson and his team have been able to claw back the amount of sovereignty they have from such a disastrous starting point bequeathed to them by Theresa May.

It’s a long way from the perfect Brexit but, given the politics involved and the large minority of dissenters to the whole idea, it is realistically as good an outcome as we were ever likely to get.

How do you hope the U.K. will use the new found freedoms?  Ah, ‘hope’ versus ‘think’! I hope that we will widen our trading sphere, reduce bureaucracy and red tape, lower taxes to make the UK more attractive to invest in and invest the money saved in infrastructure projects that represent value for money. And control immigration so that all incomers are of genuine benefit to the country.

However, I worry that governments of all colours are inefficient, bureaucratically controlled and extremely wasteful of public money. If we can keep a government with the policies of the current one, we will come out much better off than before we left the EU, although probably not as well as we theoretically could. If, however, we get a Labour administration or even, in time, a Theresa-May type government, then I think things would back-slide to the point where we might as well have not left.

What constitutional reform would you like to see happen next?  My initial answer is a negative one which is no Scottish independence. Although there seems to be an inevitable march towards demand for this, I cannot see how Scotland could operate as an independent nation; and if you think Brexit was complicated, just imagine how hard Scottish independence arrangements would be. Boris (or whoever) would need the very best negotiators to put Ms Sturgeon in her place as, for all her faults, she is a very shrewd politician.

In common with many people, I would like to see reform of the House of Lords. However, I am vehemently opposed to an elected chamber on the grounds that this would tend to mirror the lower house, it would lead to instability and, more pertinently, it would make it more party political. The Lords’ great strength is that its members can largely act on conscience without the worry of being deselected or voted out.

My suggestion is for members of the House of Lords to be selected by an appointment committee. This committee would be composed of ‘the great and the good’ by the position they hold in public life, not by personality. Thus, the holders of specific posts would automatically have a say in selection, whoever they may be.

Below I give some examples of the kind of positions that might comprise the appointment committee. As I say, these are just examples and there can be much further debate as to the final choice.

  • The Prime Minister and, say, three leading cabinet positions
  • The Leader of the Opposition and one other Opposition position
  • The Leader of any other party with X number of seats in the Commons
  • The Speaker of the House of Commons
  • The Speaker of the House of Lords
  • The First Minister of Scotland
  • The First Minister of Wales
  • The Mayor of London
  • The Archbishop of Canterbury
  • The Prince of Wales
  • The Governor of the Bank of England
  • The General Secretary of the TUC
  • The Director-General of the CBI
  • The Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality
  • The Chair of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes

This would lead to a House of high quality people being elected by a committee with balanced views. Clearly, some of the above might also be Lords themselves.

The House of Lords would comprise 250 members, re-appointed on a staggered 10 year basis, with no restriction on the number of times a member could be re-appointed.

However, I would rather see the House of Lords remain as it is than become an elected chamber.

What do you think is next for the EU?  I think the EU will stagger on for a long while yet. It will attempt to hoover up as many peripheral nations into membership as it can. The Euro will continue to be propped up until this becomes totally unsustainable. The collapse of the Euro, combined with an increase in nationalist parties being elected to governments, will probably eventually result in the EU’s demise in its current form.

However, I believe that it is in the UK’s interests that the EU does survive for, now we are out of it, it does offer useful advantages in terms of collective co-operation with other countries and, particularly, security from conflicts.

“we are quite sure that the BREXIT was soon enough for GB to not get into an ever larger EU with more laws and much less freedom”

Friedrich Dominicus leader of Partei der Vernunft (Party of Reason) – the German Libertarians.

Did Brexit get done?  We surely hope so.

How do you think the U.K. should use the new found freedoms?  Don’t fall into “protection” mode. Keep your markets open and get your taxes down.

What do you think is next for the EU?  We don’t know really, we are running into a terrible debt (death) spiral. Covid is used to minimize freedom and to maximize what the governments are “allowed” to do. So we are quite sure that the BREXIT was soon enough for GB to not get into an ever larger EU with more laws and much less freedom.

“Make improvements to trade agreement with the Commonwealth and other African countries especially. Change some foreign policy especially towards Israel and Iran and other Middle Eastern counties. Talks with Dublin to broker better relationship with them”

Maureen Martin, Christian Peoples Alliance, GLA Candidate.

Did Brexit get done? Yes essentially, trade deal is not perfect but considering the unwillingness of Brussels to broker a mutually beneficial deal it is a better outcome than expected.

How do you hope the U.K. will use the new found freedoms?  Make improvements to trade agreement with the Commonwealth and other African countries especially. Change some foreign policy especially towards Israel and Iran and other Middle Eastern counties. Talks with Dublin to broker better relationship with them.  Give financial incentives for any British industry that needs to improve productivity and can create wealth for us by building new plant.

What constitutional reform would you like to see happen next?  Reformation to House of Lords and proportional representation.

What do you think is next for the EU?  The UK success will incentivize more nations to leave. Also will need to refinance with major shortfall in their budget.

“For too long we have seen the rise and rise of the precautionary principle (better safe than sorry and just in case) with politically correct wokism stifling reasoned dissent and free speech”

Peter Sonnex Croydon Central Brexit Party Candidate GE2019.

Did Brexit get done?  Yes, legally. This ends the fight to achieve Brexit, leaving the peace to be won. I am mightily optimistic for our future as a global, generous, independent coastal nation.

Much of the government rhetoric is expressed in absolute terms, where it is clear our departure is conditional on significant alignment with institutions of the EU and the risk of an easy path to re-joining.

Practically, politically and subsequently, full sovereignty and control of money, laws, borders and fish were traded as an expedient to achieve the Trade and Cooperation Agreement – which goes much further than trade. Tariff and quota free trade is always the preferred trading understanding, though this should remain open for action in the national interest. With a £100Bn trade deficit with the EU, and wider trade opportunities opening up all the time – especially with Commonwealth Nations abandoned when we joined the EEC – we should not fear a tit-for-tat trade war; such are normal in adjustments to trade and diplomatic relations among sovereign equals acting in their own interests.

Of particular concern to me are:

  1. We did not leave the EU as one United Kingdom. The longer term workings of the Northern Ireland Protocol remain to be seen. I am reassured by the measured approach of the Northern Ireland Assembly and that the Protocol will be subject to review in four years’ time. There are opportunities and risks. Vital self-determination is preserved as are the workings and institutions of the Belfast Agreement – a bilateral agreement between the UK and the Republic of Ireland and no one else, it should be remembered;
  2. Defence, intelligence and security is less than autonomous for the UK. We know this well through our memberships with NATO, the United Nations and the 5-Eyes intelligence network. But, we remain bound to spending on EU Defence Programmes at least through our subscription to EU Horizon Europe. Even if we should refrain from becoming a troop contributing nation, where such may not be deemed to be in the national interest, we are still bound to funding defence, research, communications and other EU defence infrastructure – perhaps to further EU foreign policy with which we do not necessarily agree; Defence contracting remains bound by EU procurement laws. Tenders for UK defence contracts must be shared with the EU, even where this may be prejudicial to UK defence industry and jobs, perhaps even national security;
  3. The UK fishing industry has been let down. Intent to rebuild the UK fishing industry was never signalled during TCA negotiations. £100M to energise the industry is a lame sop;
  4. We remain bound, through the TCA hence international law, to the European Court of Human Rights. Though not an EU institution, the EHCR and the UK supporting legislation in the Human Rights Act have been counter to UK rights, responsibilities and immigration justice; and,
  5. As we leave the EU, in the TCA a raft of new bureaucratic institutions are created. Whilst there is no doubt negotiations will be ongoing, we must be vigilant to their motives and operation, and ensure transparency and parliamentary scrutiny.

Ultimately, we must continue to hold our elected representatives to account and to their word, exactly as I said I would when standing for the Brexit Party in 2019. I meant it.

The barometer on our Brexit future is expressed well by Brexit-Watch here:

https://www.brexit-watch.org/barometer-table

They assess the government’s performance on rhetoric and action, currently at 38% and 43% respectively.

If we do not trust our elected representatives, or do not like the direction they are taking us locally or nationally, we must change them. With so many available alternatives, I shall be advocating for people you can trust – so a vote other than for any established or establishment party currently represented it is then!

How do you hope the U.K. will use the new found freedoms?  Cancelling VAT on sanitary products and banning electro-pulse fishing on Brexit Day One were low hanging fruit, showing a lack of government ambition and boldness. Pulse fishing was already banned by the EU other than for “scientific purposes’. Banning supertrawlers would have signalled far greater intent, protecting our single biggest natural and sustainable resource. Fishing protection was, and remains, the acid test for Brexit if, practically, Brexit is to be other than in name only.

Particularly in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, I would like to see aggressive moves on economic stimuli; reducing taxation and funding enabling national infrastructure, such as broadband,  nuclear energy (especially fusion energy), transportation, ports and housing.

Our parliamentarians, hitherto so used to EU initiatives, will be required to come up with their own. We can look to alternative media, such as Unlocked to lobby ideas:

https://www.facebook.com/unlockedunitedkingdom/

https://youtube.com/c/Unlocked_UK_

What constitutional reform would you like to see happen next?  Reclaim of reason, tolerance, manners, fairness, and common sense in our institutions; local government, education, civil service parliament and established church. For too long we have seen the rise and rise of the precautionary principle (better safe than sorry and just in case) with politically correct wokism stifling reasoned dissent and free speech. So-called social justice warriors have been polarising and divisive, leading to a situation where to be anti-racist is actually to be racist in one of the most tolerant and inclusive countries in the world.

The interview below with Laurence Fox, whom I have been supporting, makes the challenges clear:

https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/so-what-does-laurence-fox-stand-for/

https://reclaimparty.co.uk/

The House of Lords, with over 850 unaccountable members must be reformed or abolished. Enough said there! Then there is the NHS…

What do you think is next for the EU?  I am watching the progress of leave campaigns in other EU countries and supporting the French bid for a referendum (https://twitter.com/CH_Gallois & https://twitter.com/ReferendumUE). As the EU comes under increasing pressure by member states to be democratic, fair, effective and efficient – operating to their advantage, on balance, in the national interest – I see the EU having to reform enormously or fail as a project. This should not be feared, and those who claim the EU to be the only stabilising factor in post war peace are peddling a fear-mongering fallacy.

The institutions of the EU remain bloated and anti-democratic.

Not any more!

Back to Part 2 > On to Part 4

Podcast Episode 34 – Christianity & UK Politics

We are joined by Peter Sonnex of the Brexit Party, Maureen Martin of the Christian Peoples Alliance and Hoong-Wai Cheah of UKIP to discuss Christianity & UK Politics. We ask them:

  • Why Christianity is important to them?
  • How they think religion and politics should mix?
  • How Christianity should inform policy?
  • Should we have an established church, and how they think the CofE is performing?
  • What should we be doing about Christian persecution abroad?
  • What are their predictions for the future of Christianity in the UK?
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Peter Sonnex

  • Peter was the Brexit Party Parliamentary candidate for Croydon Central in the December 2019 General Election
  • A career soldier, Peter turned his hand to bus driving before becoming a Parliamentary candidate.
  • More recently he has been a volunteer during the Covid crisis.
  • Peter has been a guest on the Podcast and written for our website.
  • Also spoke at our ‘My Tuppenceworth’ in 2019 about Decency, Democracy, Freedom and Freedoms.

Maureen Martin

  • Maureen was (until they were postponed) a Greater London Assembly candidate for the Christian People’s Alliance (CPA). 
  • Maureen has run for parliament in Lewisham East in every election since 2015, which has included a by-election. 
  • We have previously spoken with Maureen for our website about what led her to run for the CPA, her experiences running and their priorities for London.
  • Maureen has also written for us and her piece Locked Down and Locked out! Can be found on our website.

Hoong Wai Cheah

Locked Down and Locked out!

250

Opinion Piece by Maureen Martin of the Christian Parties Alliance.

Here we are week 10 of the UK Covid 19, lock-down!  We find ourselves as a nation being restructured even as I type.  Looking back we can see that social distancing was and is necessary to contain the spread of the virus.  It is also clear the Government was too slow in introducing the necessary measures.  We have had more deaths per million population than most other countries. Provided we’re sensible though we can now begin to get back to normal.  

“Singapore never had a lock down but did a drastic trace and test policy from the start isolating anyone with the virus and anyone they had contact with.  This definitely worked best for sustaining the economy and reducing cases and deaths and really also for maintaining civil liberties”

Looking around us:-

Sweden instituted a more blended strategy: instead of drastically closing all businesses except essential services, most businesses stayed open with social distancing measures in place. The most vulnerable over 70’s and those with underlying conditions protected.  As a result, the majority of the population developed herd immunity, they still have a vibrant economy and seem to have survived not much worse than other countries. 

Brazil has taken the view it is all a hoax and carried on as normal but they are now the only country with cases and deaths rising.  They are very clearly on the wrong path and will have to change tack soon, the sooner the better.

Singapore never had a lock down but did a drastic trace and test policy from the start isolating anyone with the virus and anyone they had contact with.  This definitely worked best for sustaining the economy and reducing cases and deaths and really also for maintaining civil liberties unless you happened to be one who either got the virus or had contact with such.

Lessons are being learnt.

  1. Government is able to quickly impose quite drastic laws when there is a danger of a pandemic.  It seems this one almost certainly came from Wuhan in China.  What we don’t know is whether it was some tragic accident or whether it was actually created deliberately for some reason such as to create the need for totalitarianism and one world Government.  At the very least we need to be alert to the possibility.
  2. Certain groups such as BPAS have been opportunistic, using the pandemic as an excuse to introduce DIY abortions which they are lobbying to make a permanent fixture in UK law.  Abortion centres were always going to be in a challenging position. Are they an essential service?  We would say most certainly not.  Faced with just being closed down they fought back and demanded abortion pills be allowed to be taken at home.  Government said “no” at first but then caved in unprepared for the onslaught. Sad. But this battle raged all over the world during the virus lockdowns
  3. The push for a one world Government and probably with it a one world religion is now bound to continue in earnest with interestingly people like Tony Blair and Gordon Brown at the forefront of trying to set it up. It is very dangerous for civil liberties.

“Individual States in the USA have made regional decisions on the matter. Of course, it is of no surprise that the more liberal states have taken a very harsh line on church activity and even arrested Pastors for supposedly violating state orders”

What about the place of churches?

At the start of this pandemic most churches seemed to willingly give in to being closed down but was it necessary? The application of the Governments’ interpretation of essential activities lacks a holistic approach. I can go along with supermarkets and banks being essential services. This is taking care of our physical and financial needs, but what about our spiritual needs, especially at a potentially very distressing time such as this? If ever there was a necessity for individuals to stay connected to their faith, I think this would most definitely qualify as one of those occasions.  Australia took a different approach and deemed houses of worship as essential activities, so churches were able to stay open applying social distancing. Individual States in the USA have made regional decisions on the matter. Of course, it is of no surprise that the more liberal states have taken a very harsh line on church activity and even arrested Pastors for supposedly violating state orders. Whilst States such as Texas have permitted church activity but with some restrictions. 

Now it’s time to move on. We believe the process of moving on should have started much earlier. The CPA issued a press release on the 23rd April outlining a sensible strategy for the UK to reopen for business:

As the Coronavirus pandemic calms down in many areas and evidence comes to light the virus is most likely transmitted through the nose CPA calls for immediate action as follows: –

1. Compulsory wearing of masks in all areas where people come into contact with other members of the public like shops and shopping centres and places of work.

2. All shops allowed to re-open but applying social distancing rules.

3. All churches and other religious buildings allowed to re-open applying social distancing rules and reducing the maximum attendance to one third of the normal building capacity.

4. All offices allowed to re-open with everyone working from home where possible and office attendance to apply social distancing and no more than one third of normal capacity allowed inside office buildings.

5. Normal road travel allowed with care to be taken at petrol stations.

6. Social distancing to be applied on all public transport with capacity no more than one third of normal capacity on all buses and trains and flights.

This was only ever meant to be a first step with the next step being a test and tracing regime to be put in place so we can get back to normal. Even now though in retrospect this would have been a good move then for the economy on 23rd April and is unlikely to have altered the downward trend of cases provided people stay alert.

“you can have an abortion but not a baptism, buy a car, but not a votive candle, go to the supermarket, but not a sanctuary, get a divorce, but not get married and break the law, but not receive absolution.  It is time to re-open churches”

The government’s recent review of the situation is very puzzling to say the least; The diocese of Shrewsbury in a recent tweet put it in a nutshell – you can have an abortion but not a baptism, buy a car, but not a votive candle, go to the supermarket, but not a sanctuary, get a divorce, but not get married and break the law, but not receive absolution.  It is time to re-open churches. 

We can however through all this welcome the fact that families have spent more time together. We can welcome the fact that many businesses and Government institutions have been forced to adopt a home working model which will more than likely continue. Social media and video conferencing has come into its own, Zoom has become a household name overnight!  The commercial properties market will have to become more creative as less commercial space will be required.  High streets, already under pressure will look very different with much more residential space. The NHS has shown great resilience, the fallen heroes of which will not be forgotten. It will no doubt learn lessons from the stress it has been under.   My greatest hope though is that our nation will return to its spiritual roots, we are a Christian nation and not forget that prayer has made all the difference in this global crisis much of it done on zoom. Long may the prayer continue! The church also is becoming a changed environment for the better.

For further information read our interview with Maureen, contact the CPA at info@cpaparty.net or follow them on Twitter or Facebook.

Interview with Christian Parties Alliance, GLA Candidate Maureen Martin

Maureen Martin is (until they were postponed) a Greater London Assembly candidate for the Christian Parties Alliance (CPA).  Maureen has run for parliament in Lewisham East in every election since 2015, which has included a by-election.  The CPA is as you would suspect a Christian Party and also has a comprehensive manifesto that offers a full programme for Government.  We have previously spoken with Candace Mitchell who stood for the CPA in Croydon North in GE2019.  We spoke with Maureen about what led her to run or the CPA, her experiences running and their priorities for London.

Maureen thank-you for your time.

Could you tell us a little about your background?

I am a born and bred Londoner from South East London.  I lived in Canada for 14 years between 1989-2003 where I became a born again Christian.  It a very valuable experience living in another culture who have a different world view than most Europeans.  North American’s are much more Patriotic on a whole.  I have been in property management/housing for the past 13 years which I enjoy immensely.  I am single with no children.  

“Britain needs Christian values again, the moral decline must be stemmed.  When government Legislation is a willing accomplice in the moral decline of our nation it is time to act”

What lead you to be a candidate in the Greater London Assembly elections?

I have been a member of the Christian Peoples Alliance since about 2009 an active member since 2015 when I ran in my constituency in the GE representing the CPA.  I have, since voting age been a very conscientious voter seeing it as my civic duty. Especially as a person of colour I honour those who sacrificed for me on two counts, being an ethnic minority and a woman, for me to be able to vote.  Britain needs Christian values again, the moral decline must be stemmed.  When government legislation is a willing accomplice in the moral decline of our nation it is time to act.  

Some of our readers might not be familiar with the CPA.  At a national level what are you key priorities?

Our priorities are clear:  Support Marriage and the family, Respect life from conception to natural death.  Protecting unborn babies is one of our key objectives, Make tax fair and care for the poor.  We would end the scandal of the multinational corporations such as Facebook and Google avoiding Corporation tax by moving their profits abroad with a turnover tax to offset corporation tax.  Also provide free shelters for the homeless. Fight Crime:  support people leaving prison to lower re-offending rates.  Also empower the police to do their job concerning the knife crime epidemic. 

CPA General Election 2019 campaign video

You ran in Lewisham East by-election against David Kurten and Sean Finch who we have worked with.  How did you find the experience?

It was a valuable experience I found David very friendly and I thoroughly enjoyed his presentation, in fact I agreed with just about everything he said. His focus the knife crime issue and how the current mayor had dealt with the growing problem. I like working with other candidates even if we have different views.

The police should have arrested the protesters and allowed the Hustings to take place. Free speech was hindered that day!

You were part of the by-election was the bazar and infamous hustings that the police closed down. (Watch on YouTube) What are you memories from that day?

This was quite bazaar.  I had to be escorted into the building by two police persons because of the human blockade.  There was a great deal of jostling, thankfully I was able to get into the building, some of my CPA party members did not gain access.  The police should have arrested the protesters and allowed the Hustings to take place. Free speech was hindered that day!

“Another major issue being ignored by this administration is homelessness which in London is quite clearly on the increase”

The GLA and Mayor have key duties on Transport and Policing.  What are your priorities for London?

The CPA priorities would be to tackle knife crime, this is a scourge in our communities and must be met head on with a comprehensive plan which this mayoral administration has failed to do.  Another major issue being ignored by this administration is homelessness which in London is quite clearly on the increase and of course this links into the London Housing crisis, which again the CPA will address with a comprehensive housing policy outlined in our manifesto.

Any thoughts you would like to leave us with?

London needs a fresh approach, new ideas that are creative and innovative.  If the same old parties are continually given the reigns of control in government the result for the electorate will be mush of the same, ineffective unproductive policies that often just waste money and yield very little results.

Maureen is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Maureen_cpa. The CPA can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/CPA_Party, and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/www.cpaparty.net/.