COVER

Thomas Baldwin explains why churches have a key role to play in this month’s elections to the Scottish Parliament.

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ANOTHER May, another election. On Thursday May 6, Scotland will go to the polls to elect their MSPs for the next five years. By the time you read this, many will have already voted by post.

With a second independence referendum potentially round the corner should the Scottish National Party (SNP) form the next government, the stakes are high – but, while many people will be excited by the possibilities, we could also be forgiven if we were experiencing democracy fatigue.

This will be the ninth time many of us have taken part in a UK or Scottish national vote since 2010 – four UK general elections, independence and Brexit referendums, and this will be the third Scottish Parliamentary election. There have also been at least two rounds of local government elections. A sense of déjà vu while your pencil hovers over the ballot paper would be understandable.

But, with events elsewhere in the world from the US to Myanmar reminding us how fragile and precious democracy is, it is perhaps worth remembering how privileged we are to have this opportunity. Indeed, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index for 2020, less than half the world’s people live in a democracy, and only 23 countries – accounting for 8.4% of the global population – qualify as a ‘full democracy’.

David Bradwell, the Scottish Churches Parliamentary Officer, says that for a Christian voting should be part of the Gospel imperative to love our neighbour. “When we vote, we have the power to change not only our lives but the lives of those who live around us,” he says. “We have the chance to think about which candidate has the most integrity or will best serve the common good; we can think and pray about the issues and policies from the different parties and ask: how will my vote show love to my neighbour? If we care about the world, and those who live around us, then participation in democratic activities is an important part of our commitment to each other.