Hon Bill English
National Party MP

31 October 2006

Labour can't claim Christian values

Labour has to take responsibility for its actions over the pledge card before it can claim a monopoly on Christian values, says National Party MP Bill English.

He is commenting on a push at the Labour Party conference for Labour to discredit conservative Christian beliefs and position Labour as the party of Christian values.

"Personal responsibility lies at the core of Christian belief - responsibility for our own choices and a responsibility to care for others.

"However, Labour appears to believe that Jesus was a politically correct bureaucrat.

"For Labour to claim it has Christian values it would have to drop three fundamental convictions:

* That people aren't responsible for themselves because their background and identity determine their destiny.

* That we don't have to care for others because the government will.

* That government has all the answers and that families and communities can't be trusted.

"A party which won't accept the consequences of misusing taxpayers' money doesn't understand the concept of personal responsibility or its obligations to others," Mr English says.

"The country would welcome a turnaround by Labour on personal responsibility, but I think it's unlikely."

ENDS

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