Dear Friends,
Today, Wednesday, is Budget Day; one of the great political ‘set piece’ occasions of the year. It used to be that everything in the Budget was kept a closely guarded secret until revealed by the Chancellor during his actual Budget speech. Nowadays it is as if it is ‘open season’ on what the speech will contain. Its not for me to comment on any particular proposals. Each one of us will reach our own judgement about such things. But it does serve to remind us that whilst the Pandemic is primarily a human tragedy – been nobody can put a ‘price’ on the 120,000+ lives that have lost in our own country over these last 12 months, to say nothing of the indirect effect on people’s ongoing physical and mental health & well-being – nevertheless it is obvious the consequences for the economic life of the nation have been little short of catastrophic. We as a church have experienced something of the economic cost of COVID-19 due to the substantial reduction in our income caused by our having to close the hall, and the church rooms to 3rd party hirers, as well as being denied opportunities to hold fund-raising events such as the annual bazaar and our monthly music recitals. Thankfully, due to the generosity of people like yourselves, and the diligence of those who manage our money – Derek & Claudia, and who look after our premises, David – we have managed to keep going without being unduly embarrassed financially. But for many others: individuals, families, small businesses, large companies, it has been a different story altogether. The evident rise in the use of Foodbanks and related charitable support indicates this. Many have been made redundant, and the furlough scheme presently in place may only be putting off for now the inevitable unemployment that awaits so many when it does come to an end. Retail, entertainment, leisure & hospitality have been hardest hit with many well-known brand names disappearing from our neighbourhoods. The Govt has been ‘borrowing’ eye-watering sums of money just to keep the country afloat and while we might be able to criticise the details; in general terms we should recognise that what has been done was ‘the right thing to do’. And so, as we contemplate the country’s emergence out of lockdown, the relaxing of the most stringent restrictions, there is the hope that the economy will revive itself. Instead of shrinking it will begin to grow again. But the real challenge will be to ensure that the growth in the economy will not be an end in itself, but that it will in turn contribute to the reviving of the political, social, cultural and spiritual life of the nation, such that when the opportunity comes to make informed decisions concerning our future economic well-being, that those decisions are themselves informed as a result of an increased political engagement, a more significant social interaction, a greater cultural participation, & a heightened spiritual awareness. ‘It’s the economy, stupid’ is now part of electoral folk-lore, but maybe, just maybe, as a result of having had to live through these last tumultuous 12 months, we are waking up to the realisation that we are not so stupid after all. Anyway, as long as the Chancellor doesn’t put a tax on jigsaws, I for one will be happy…whatever else he decides to do…