Scottish Christian Party - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Christian Party, also called the Scottish Christian Party and Welsh Christian Party, is a minor political organisation in Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

. Its leader is the Reverend George Hargreaves

George Hargreaves (politician)

James George Hargreaves , known as George Hargreaves or J. G. Hargreaves, is a religious minister, political campaigner, leader of the Christian Party , and former music producer and songwriter.-Early life:...

Operation Christian Vote

The party originated as Operation Christian Vote, which was founded by Hargreaves in May 2004. It was based in Ilford

Ilford

Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. The party contested the 2004 European Elections

European Parliament election, 2004 (UK)

The European Parliament election, 2004 was the UK part of the European Parliament election, 2004. It was held on 10 June. It was the first European election to be held in the United Kingdom using postal-only voting in four areas. It coincided with local and London elections.The Conservative Party...

in the Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

constituency, gaining 1.8% of the popular vote.

Hargreaves was a candidate for Operation Christian Vote in the Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election, where he received 90 votes, last place in a field of seven candidates, and lost his deposit. In the 2005 general election

United Kingdom general election, 2005

The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....

, Hargreaves stood in Na h-Eileanan an Iar

Na h-Eileanan an Iar (UK Parliament constituency)

Na h-Eileanan an Iar is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, created in 1918. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- History :...

, where he placed fourth, ahead of the Conservatives

Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

, and retained his deposit

Deposit (politics)

A deposit is a sum of money that a candidate must pay in return for the right to stand for election to certain political offices, particularly seats in legislatures.-United Kingdom:...

with 1,048 votes, or 7.6%.

The group was involved in protests, such as at Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

.

The party became known as the Christian Party at the end of 2005.

Policies

The party claims to use the talents of Christians in different callings to legislate against religious, spiritual, moral and social problems in society.

At the time of the Scottish election in 2007, the Scottish Christian Party produced a manifesto including the following:

a proposed referendum on the reinstitution of the death penalty for murder where there are at least two human witnesses.
legislation to ban abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...

.
increased taxation on alcohol and tobacco.
initiatives to bring personal responsibility to bear upon "self-inflicted disease" (such as alcoholism).
zero tolerance
Zero tolerance
Zero tolerance imposes automatic punishment for infractions of a stated rule, with the intention of eliminating undesirable conduct. Zero-tolerance policies forbid persons in positions of authority from exercising discretion or changing punishments to fit the circumstances subjectively; they are...

on drug possession.
curfew
Curfew
A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...

s for under-11-year-olds, with mandatory intervention of child protection agencies in relation to any child 10 years or younger who is found unaccompanied on the street after 9:00pm.
the reintroduction of the right of teachers to use corporal punishment in extreme circumstances.
greater observance of a weekly day of rest (Sunday).
limits around coastlines to preserve stocks of fish and sand eels.
promotion in school of chastity
Chastity
Chastity refers to the sexual behavior of a man or woman acceptable to the moral standards and guidelines of a culture, civilization, or religion....

before marriage.
re-instatement of Section 2A (also known as Section 28
Section 28
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...

).
the re-introduction of corporate readings from the Bible in all Scottish state schools.
provision of Christian religious education on a mandatory basis, with no obligation to promote other faiths, regardless of the wishes of those being instructed or their parents. There currently exists a level of compulsory Christian observance in most British schools, so these policies are calling for this to be increased.
a "science" curriculum which should "reflect the evidence of creation/design" in the universe (see Creation-evolution controversy
Creation-evolution controversy
The creation–evolution controversy is a recurring cultural, political, and theological dispute about the origins of the Earth, humanity, life, and the universe....

).
public health campaigns to discourage homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...

alongside excessive drinking and the use of addictive substances, whilst maintaining "God loves and we should love" such individuals.
the restoration of the right for parents to smack their children (as with prayer, this right currently exists and the policy is a call for an increase).
"Mind Pollution Levy" on 18 certificate films, DVDs, CDs, video games and top-shelf magazines.
a re-establishment of the principle of the innocent party in a divorce being acknowledged in any divorce settlement.
discouragement of the practice of addressing women as "Ms.
Ms.
Ms. or Ms is an English honorific used with the last name or full name of a woman. According to The Emily Post Institute, Ms...

".
opposition to the practice of altering birth certificates to reflect gender confirmation surgery.
replacing the standard of 'beyond reasonable doubt' with the more biblical 'evidence of two or three reliable witnesses' in the criminal justice system.
that Mechanical Copyright Protection enjoyed by songwriters should be extended to featured recording artists and record producers.
that a minimum royalty percentage (the level of which should be decided through consultation with the music industry) should be paid to featured recording artists and producers on exactly the same basis as is currently paid to songwriters.
Increased restrictions on immigration.

In Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

the party wants to change the Welsh flag, because it views the red dragon as a satanic symbol; they would replace it with the cross of Saint David

Flag of Saint David

The flag of Saint David is normally a yellow cross on a black field, although it has also appeared as a black cross on a yellow field, or with an engrailed cross...

Electoral performance

Candidates from the party stood in Sedgefield by-election, 2007

Sedgefield by-election, 2007

The Sedgefield by-election, 2007 was a by-election held on 19 July 2007 for the British House of Commons constituency of Sedgefield in County Durham...

and Ealing Southall by-election, 2007

Ealing Southall by-election, 2007

The Ealing Southall by-election, 2007 was a by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Ealing Southall, in west London. It was held on 19 July 2007....

. The party got 26,575 votes (0.7%) in the 2007 Scottish Parliament election

Scottish Parliament election, 2007

The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999...

and 8,693 votes (0.9%) in the 2007 Welsh Assembly Election

National Assembly for Wales election, 2007

The 2007 National Assembly election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the National Assembly for Wales. It was the third general election. On the same day local elections in England and Scotland, and the Scottish Parliament election took place...

; it did not come close to winning any seats.

Hargreaves stood for the party at the Haltemprice and Howden by-election, 2008

Haltemprice and Howden by-election, 2008

The 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election was a by-election held in the United Kingdom on 10 July 2008 to elect a new Member of Parliament for constituency of Haltemprice and Howden...

and got 76 votes or 0.3% of the total votes cast.

The party competed in the 2009 European elections

European Parliament election, 2009 (United Kingdom)

The European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's component of the 2009 European Parliament election, the voting for which was held on Thursday 4 June 2009, coinciding with the 2009 local elections in England. Most of the results of the election were announced on Sunday 7 June, after...

retaining one deposit in the London region

London (European Parliament constituency)

London is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 8 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :The constituency corresponds to Greater London, in the south east of the United Kingdom....

through gaining 51,336 votes (2.9%).

In the 2010 United Kingdom general election, the party stood 71 candidates, gaining 18,623 votes.

Registration as a party

The party was registered by the Electoral Commission

Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)

The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. It regulates party and election finance and sets standards for well-run elections...

on 29 April 2004, with the name 'Christian Party "Proclaiming Christ's Lordship!"'. It has registered nine Party Descriptions, and two translations, to be used on ballot papers, namely:

Christian Party
Christian Party (Scotland)
Christian Party (Wales)
Scottish Christian Party
Scottish Christian Party "Proclaiming Christ's Lordship"
The Christian Party
The Scottish Christian Party
Welsh Christian Party
Welsh Christian Party "Proclaiming Christ's Lordship"
Plaid Gristionogol Cymru
Plaid Gristionogol Cymru "Datgan Arglwyddiaeth Crist"

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Operation Christian Vote

Policies

Electoral performance

Registration as a party

See also

External links