Away from the chaos of Westminster, most MPs are trying to serve their constituents

Most members of parliament are just trying to get on with serving their people away from the din of Westminster.

I’d want to change the subject today!

If you’ve been keeping up with the news (and let’s face it, you probably have), you could be forgiven for supposing that everyone in Westminster has lost their minds and is now dedicated full-time to sowing discord, stoking rumors, and stirring up anger.

I have to admit that it is really interesting to see the recent political killings among the Conservative Party’s leadership.

In truth, though, most legislators are terrified by the state of affairs. Some members of Congress will be concerned that the present upheaval will cause them to lose their seats, while the vast majority (I hope) will see the harm that the current disarray is doing to the well-being of their people.

Most of us are just trying to get on with serving our people and representing them in Parliament while all this craziness is going on around us.

This last week, for example, I have:

I’ve advocated in Parliament for the concerns of my constituents, including a reduction in the amount of sewage dumped into local lakes and rivers, improved healthcare access for those living in rural areas, and stronger protections for British farmers in any future trade agreements. Also, I’m on the committee for the Leveling Up Bill, where I get to voice my concerns about the bill’s impact on housing availability, urban development, and disparities between different regions.

Visiting local classrooms and engaging in a Q&A with students is one of my favorite parts of the job, and I’ve done it twice already.

I have written to the Housing Secretary about the dire situation in Cumbria, and I have arranged a meeting with the rail minister to discuss making local stations more accessible to individuals with mobility impairments.

My casework team and I continue to assist constituents with a wide variety of problems, such as those of people who are stranded in hospitals without access to care packages, those who have been separated from loved ones due to immigration red tape, and those who are at risk of losing their homes due to eviction or other housing crises.

In addition to finishing the London Marathon, I was able to raise almost $4,000 for the Great North Ambulance Service.

This is not meant to be a self-promotional list (well, maybe a little part is), but rather to give you a sense of the numerous things that members of parliament and their staffs are doing behind the scenes, despite the present situation.

More people are in need because of government instability and unpredictability; this includes households and businesses that are unable to budget for the future, struggle to pay their mortgages and utility bills, skip out on the weekly grocery run, and worry about whether or not they will have enough money in their retirement accounts.

In a similar vein, the present state of affairs has led to a precipitous decline in the public’s esteem for both our government and its leaders. A lot of people don’t have much faith in politicians anymore after how they handled the turmoil of the previous several years, including Brexit, the flu outbreak, and partygate.

The rise of populism and nationalism is based on the belief that mysterious ‘experts’ and ‘elites’ basically control the country for their own advantage, and extremists of all stripes have attempted to exploit this decline in respect for politicians and faith in politics for their own ends.

As I said last week, though, leaders should not exert their authority over the people they serve.

Selflessness, integrity, objectivity, responsibility, transparency, honesty, and leadership are all tenets of the Nolan Principles, a set of guidelines for public servants in the United Kingdom.

These are meant to counteract the corrupting influence of authority by serving as a constant reminder to individuals in positions of authority that with great power comes great responsibility. Even though the Nolan Principles were developed in a secular context, they appear to rely on a Christian view of leadership (although potentially unconsciously).

Christians in positions of authority may take their cues for servant leadership straight from Jesus’ example. Christ forewarns that “those who elevate themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12).

In verse 23, Jesus condemns the pious instructors of the law who seem to be compliant but fail to teach their students “the most vital principles of the law—justice, kindness, and loyalty.” The administration, some would argue, has been doing neither in recent weeks.

However, these verses provide us with a model for how to pray. Even if you don’t agree with all of your local representatives, it’s important to recognize the time and effort that the vast majority of them still put into serving their constituents.