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Markets need �?family values’ says British Prime Minister

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for banks and financial markets to adopt “family values” as world leaders gather in London for Thursday's G20 summit, reports Dan Wooding, founder of ASSIST Ministries.

“Addressing religious leaders at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London on Tuesday, March 31, 2009, Mr. Brown said markets must abide by common values such as fairness,” said the BBC in a story.

“Mr. Brown, who met with the leaders of Indonesia and South Korea on Tuesday, has stressed the main aim of the summit - taking place in London's Docklands - must be to �?clean up’ the global banking system.

In an address to religious leaders gathered at St Paul's Cathedral about the aims of the G20, Mr. Brown said that “markets need morals”.

During his passage about families’ values he said people did not encourage their children “to seek short-term gratification at the expense of long-term success.”

“And our task today is to bring financial markets into proper alignment with the values held by families and business people across the country.”

Katherine Baldwin, writing in The Guardian newspaper in the UK said that his spokesman said today that Brown “is not a regular churchgoer but he does believe in God.”

Baldwin went on to say, “The revelation came as the prime minister was quizzed on his religious beliefs following a speech on the G20 at St Paul's Cathedral.”

The spokesman, she said, told Westminster reporters, “I would not describe him as a regular churchgoer. His approach to politics and public life are driven by the values which he holds and, as he was saying in his speech today, the values that he holds are values that are shared across many religions.”

The spokesman added that Brown told a newspaper shortly before his election that he believes in God.

Baldwin said, “The comments came after the prime minister and his Australian counterpart, Kevin Rudd, were asked at St Paul's, before an audience of religious leaders and charities, whether �?doing God’ was important to developing shared global values.

“The questioner echoed the phrase �?We don't do God’ famously coined by Tony Blair's former press chief Alastair Campbell in a bid to stop his boss straying into controversial territory.

Blair, since he resigned as British Prime Minister, has since been quite open about his Christian faith.

Rudd, however, did not need Brown to explain the reference, saying: “I had a chat with Alastair Campbell the other night ... It is far better to name the spirits who are among us.”

In reference to his own faith, Rudd described himself as “a garden-variety Christian of no fixed denominational abode.”

He added: “I think the key thing is that whatever your faith tradition, that to the greatest extent that you can, that you not only own it but you reflect it in that which you seek to do.

“Always recognizing, I think, the injunction of St Paul [that] we all fall short of the glory of God and that those of us in the political process certainly do so.”

Rudd handed the floor to Brown, with the words: “Off you go, mate, give us a more saintly version.”

Baldwin said, “Brown was less direct in his handling of the question, describing his upbringing in the Church of Scotland and his father, who was a minister. He then joked about a minister who would not reveal which way he voted to his congregation but chose his hymns carefully after elections.”

“I think politicians have got to be very careful that they don't turn out to try to be bishops,” he said.

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TAGS: United Kingdom British Prime Minister Gordon Brown financial markets family values G20 summit

[04/01/2009]

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