Tawney Dialogue 2018 Great Success
Members and guests were touched and impressed by a very personal and unexpectedly moving contribution from Angela Rayner MP at Christians on the Left event "The Tawney Dialogue 2018" this March.
The annual showpiece event, chaired by Director Louise Davies and attended by Shadow Cabinet Members Jonathan Reynolds MP (Chair, CotL) and Rachel Maskell MP (Member, CotL) amongst others, was well attended and held a constructive and expectant atmosphere at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster. Opened in 1912, the Church and conference centre is iconic and was famously host to the first ever meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on January 10th, 1946.
Christians on the Left Member Ian Geary opened the event with a speech which was both passionate and eloquent. Quoting the great RH Tawney, Ian said that "the essence of all morality is this: to believe that every human being is of infinite importance."
Angela Rayner asked the fundamental question: 'What are we all doing it for? In their dying days, people don't talk about achievements, but about missed opportunities to spend time with loved ones.'
Following Ian and Angela's contributions, Director Louise Davies chaired a Q&A session, also bringing Jonathan Reynolds MP and the audience into the discussion.
(L to R) Ian Geary, Louise Davies, Jonathan Reynolds MP, Angela Rayner MP
Over 450 viewers watched the Live Stream on Twitter and Periscope alongside the audience at Central Hall, and the event is also available to view on YouTube. For more information, see the Christians on the Left website, and for updates visit the Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.
Christians on the Left Member Matt wrote this short reflection on his experience:
I’ve always had left-leaning ideals and priorities, but have only considered myself active in politics since January 2017. Never being one to just dip my toes in, I have tried hard to understand the wonderful but complex world of politics ever since, albeit on a local level.
So it was a fascinating pleasure to attend my first ‘Christians on the Left’ AGM and Tawny dialogue at Westminster this year. I learnt so much about politics in the wider context and how it can be implemented locally. It was great to be welcomed by people from all kinds of similar backgrounds, who on another day might have been adversaries out on the doorstep, and during local elections. However on this day we were all there to share best practice and support and encourage each other.
I loved hearing from Angela Rayner, Jonathan Reynolds and Ian Geary about their experiences and tips on how to achieve a balance between politics and religion, which I sometimes find hard to do in life.
I will definitely be attending this kind of event again. I will try to bring some more friends next time, and I look forward to engaging with CotL more in the future.
Matt Bunday (Southampton Labour Party)
