Alreet, wee mucker?*

I know I'm coming home when I see this. This is the welcome home Jennie sign in Belfast internationl airport. Tayto crisps, one of Northern Ireland's favourite delicacies: the best cheese & onion crisps in the world, both an acquired taste and a romantic disincentive. They're made in Tayto Castle, the northern irish equivalent to Willy wonka's chocolate factory. It's a very exciting place to be. Even if you're a grown up like my friend Heidi, a chartered accountant. She said she had fun auditing the factory.

I'm home.

But I've forgotten about the microclimate that operates in this part of the world. The weather varies between pretty cold and... baltic. But today it's beautiful and one of my very good friends is getting married later. She picked a great day.

I love coming home. Especially here. The shores of Strangford Lough on a beautiful clear day in April last year.

I guess most people would say their home is the place where they know they can just be... For me, home is veda bread, Maud's ice-cream and barm brack. Home is a cup of tea and a wee bun and the Harland & Wolf cranes at Belfast harbour. I've been home sick for the last month, missing friends and family. I have a friend in London, I asked him when he was next going home, meaning, Northern Ireland. But, for him, this is a place which reminds him of loss; it isn't home. Nor is London his home, even though he has lived here for 40 years. The place he calls home is the place of his childhood, Argentina. Home is a place of unspoilt memories for him.

Home, I think, is more than a postcode. Home is more than just the place where you have sole ownership of the remote control or a carton of milk in the fridge. I find, when I talk about home, I talk more about the physical qualities. Like how close it is to M&S and Kew Gardens and the river. Well, this is useful if I'm giving you directions to come and visit. But if I just hold onto the things I can see, I forget about the stuff I can't see. What our house is really like. Well, we love to have people round for tea and just hang out with us. We invite people to just be. We invite people to get to know them better. I love this about our home. Both of these places are my homes. They are both very different and still, they are temporary. Each time I come back to the house where I lived for most of my childhood, it's changed. And so it becomes less about the physical state, and more about the memories. Very precious memories of my family.

But home, again, is more than this and I'll not say much more. But this wee passage has helped me remember about the more-ness to life this weekend. Psalm 27:4-6.

* You have just learned some N. Irish slang: how are you my friend?

We go together...

Like ramalamalama ka dinga da dinga dong.

Like cheese on toast. Wimbledon and strawberries. Socks and sandals.

And then there are some things ... that .... don't go together. Like the other day my colleagues, in their usual edifying way, commented on my selection of contrasting florals. An energetic fusion of brown and lime and fuschia and turquoise, hastily selected that morning. Apparently I looked like a magic eye picture. In retrospect I agree it was kaleidscopic vertigo-inducing awfulness. And I am deeply sorry for any offence/motion sickness caused.

So will our new PM and deputy PM work in harmony I wonder. Or will they, when it comes to it, clash like my daisy prints. That's the question everyone is asking. Well, not the fashion question. The political one. I'm quite fascinated by all that's going on. In some places it does work, like the dual executive in France, cheekily known as 'cohabitation' when Monsieur le President represents a different party to the Premier Ministre. There's nowt wrong with a bit of power sharing, and perhaps it will even create greater accountability.

And so we have a mixed cabinet, which generally speaking, is good. And we have yet to see what will happen through this but I was pleased so see Vince Cable, appointed as Lib Dem Business Secretary. He has, in the past, been outspoken in his opposition to bankers' bonuses. Both parties, in their manifesto, have said they are in favour of some sort of tax on banks. One way they could do this is to adopt the Robin hood tax ; skimming off a bit of revenue from top level global financial transactions and sliiiiide this into the fund to reduce world poverty. As a concept, I think this sounds great. And even after a little bit of squirming, Bill Nighy does too. Get involved. Angela Merkel and Monsieur Sarkozy already are.


I've been out this week chatting to people and asking them to send a message to number 10. Back in 2000, we signed up to the millennium development goals; 8 targets to cut world poverty by 2015. And we're still a long way off. This Micah Challenge film was made in 2007.


So with just 5 years to go, we need to keep pressing forward. Pop a message through David's door. And ask him to keep his commitment of 0.7% of our national income towards reducing world poverty.

And if you ever see me, looking mis-matched and un-coordinated...


Please be kind.

Election-orama

Yesterday, after months of election hype and debates and canvassing, millions of people queued up to take their place in awkward little booths with a pencil on a string.

Yes. The 6th May 2010 was voting day. And I'm sure I'm not the only one to have had momentary pencil paralysis: Is it an X? Or a tick? Or numbers 1 to 17 in order of preference???

Today, the element of surprise continues. In fact, everyone is talking about it. The uncertainty. The whispered deals of power sharing. How many people can fit into Number 10?





One thing is certain, we need our government to reform quickly. The job description for PM grows more demanding by the day. And now there's the more topical question of electoral reform. Certainly I can agree, it would be nice to make the voting system fairer, more representative of the votes cast. Although, in saying this I realise that there is still some work to be done in overcoming voter apathy. There's been a downward trend in recent decades, but yesterday, a surprise surge, which some are suggesting might be thanks to social media. It would probably have been higher still, only Facebook isn't actually a legitimate form of voting.



And so, we've had a turnout of about 65% in voting stations. Which is...erm... supposedly...good. But I think we have to remember that democracy is something that throughout history, people have made sacrifices for. As a Christian, I want to connect with God's heart for the poor, the neglected and those on the edge of society. I want to know what our leaders are doing to bring justice and fairness to everyone. It's not just about what happens now, or in the next week as our parties decide what to do, or in the next month as they figure out who goes and who stays...

My constituency has had a surprise change of colour. But actually, it's the policies, not the colours that matter. We need our government to make good decisions, to look outwardly as well as inwardly. To stand with integrity and to represent the people. To be recognised for it's uprightness and to uproot corruption.

I'm certain that God's heart is for our government to do a fair job for everyone.

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.

Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy."
Proverbs 31:8-9

So, let's continue to pray for those in power. Pray for our Christian MPs, that they will be a positive influence on domestic, economic and international policies. And pray for wisdom and integrity to reign in this time of uncertainty. And whatever the decision, we need to keep our leaders accountable. Challenge them. Write them a letter. Tell them what needs to be changed. We're going to send Zac a toilet seat with some signatures on it. Long story. Check out the link.

Catch up on the results on the Beeb.