Unlock Democracy reports that recent polling in the UK reveals that 20% of adults aged between 18 and 44, would prefer a government led by a strong leader, who doesn’t have to “bother” with elections. They would prefer that to a democracy.
Where we see such leaders, they suggest they have all the answers. They often denigrate those who have other views. They also want to hang on to power, and often do so, at any price and often by any means, regardless of the rights of others.
So, what do we want from our leaders?
In the Church Times of 3 January, a full page is given over to ex-President Jimmy Carter, who died recently aged 100. It’s not his presidency that takes precedence in these appreciations, but his humanity and his lifelong commitment to human rights, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
And where did that commitment to humanity come from? When he took the oath of office to become the 39th US President, he did so on a family Bible open at Michah 6:8 : “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.”
The outgoing US Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, said, “Jimmy Carter served as our commander-in-chief for four years, but he served as the beloved, unassuming Sunday school teacher at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, for 40. And his humble devotion leaves us little doubt which of those two important roles he prized the most.”
Chris Dawson