Catholic Union, Deputy Director, James Somerville-Meikle, writes:
I remember an MP once telling me that politics was about “the art of the possible.” In many ways, he was right. For those in public office, problem solving and practicalities are part of the day job. But there is another “p” which sometimes gets overlooked in politics, and that is principle.
Even on a matter such a genocide – where the need for action seems so obvious – there are practicalities and problems that can get in the way.
In the Catholic Union’s first Pub Talk earlier this week, Lord Alton spoke about the challenges in getting the Government to support victims of genocides in places like Xinjiang and Tigray. There are particular difficulties around the legal definition of genocide, which his Genocide Determination Bill seeks to address.
Of course politicians need to deal in practicalities, but that doesn’t mean they should lose sight of principle. As we mark Holocaust Memorial Day, please contact your MP and ask them to support Lord Alton’s Bill. For Catholics, politics should be the art of making principle possible.