Here are some issues and questions which may help inform your decision on who to vote for. They are open questions with no single ‘right’ answer. But from the responses given you may form a better idea of how far any particular candidate will be addressing the needs of the common good. You may well, of course, have other questions of your own to ask. This list is not exhaustive.
1) Firstly in valuing life. That means opposing abortion and euthanasia, and life-cramping poverty, and the neglect of the elderly.
What does respect for life mean to you? Do all lives have the same value? Older people and the infirm … the severely disabled … the unborn?
2) Families are the basic building block of any stable society. Marriage provides the best context for bringing up children and must have the clear support and encouragement of Government.
What will you do for marriage and the family? What practical measures will you take to encourage and support stable family life and the institution of marriage?
3) Migration is not about numbers, it is about human beings. Wherever the Government sets the boundary on who can or cannot live here, it must apply its rules with fairness, decency and respect for the individual.
What beliefs and values underpin your approach to migration? And how will you show them in practice?
4) Our care for each other is also shown in how we support the development of the world’s poorest people, and how we use – or abuse – the environment we share. We must be good stewards of God’s creation, not selfish exploiters of it.
What do you think is our responsibility to the poor, in this country and overseas? What is our responsibility to safeguard and protect the environment?
5) Our faith is at the heart of our lives. Religious belief is not just something private: it helps create a society that wants to see everyone flourish. It has a contribution to make and must be allowed to do so in accordance with its teachings.
What do you think is the place of religion in society?
Whoever you decide to vote for, from whichever political party you decide to support, send back to Parliament someone who understands and will work for the common good.
Please refer to this guidance when canvassers or candidates call.
April 2010
Some issues and questions for Parliamentary Candidates (pdf)
