Earlier this week, I joined a group from the United Reformed Church, the Baptist Church, the Quakers and the Salvation Army who were visiting the Labour Party Conference in Manchester.On the first evening, we had a thorough briefing about the conference, and the MPs who had agreed to meet us the following day. We learned about their backgrounds and priorities and agreed on the kind of things we would ask them.
The next morning was an intensive round of interviews. We assume that MPs would not be interested in what the churches have to say, but in fact there are many who welcome the opportunity to speak to us. I was frequently impressed with the values and idealism that lay behind their engagement in politics.
When listening to Ed Miliband's speech, I welcomed his pledge to increase investment in the National Health Service, and to develop its scope. I will be interested to hear what the other main parties propose.
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