{"id":734,"date":"2010-05-24T17:19:54","date_gmt":"2010-05-24T21:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedockchurch.org\/blog\/?p=734"},"modified":"2010-05-29T18:35:39","modified_gmt":"2010-05-29T22:35:39","slug":"734","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.the-dock.org\/blog\/2010\/734\/","title":{"rendered":"Coalition"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few weeks ago none of us had the faintest notion what a coalition was. \u00a0Doom-mongers prophesied dire consequences if the election resulted in a hung parliament, and we all nodded sagely and thought, “flip, I hope that doesn’t happen (whatever it is)”…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>What a difference a few weeks can make. \u00a0We’ve had buddy-buddy press conferences, mutual admiration, conversation; Nick Clegg now reckons that the two previously diametrically opposed parties were actually talking about the same thing all along: “The interesting thing I have discovered over the last week is that we have been using different words but we mean similar things… What I call liberalism David Cameron calls the Big Society.”<\/em><\/p>\n

I love the description in yesterday’s Sunday Times of the coalition as ‘A Fine Bromance’:<\/p>\n

Couldn’t you just watch them all day? \u00a0Joshing and jousting, second-guessing each other’s jokes, smiling at one another’s indiscretions. \u00a0Who cares how the coalition is panning out, when we have the mesmerising spectacle of the Cameron-Clegg bromance unfolding before our eyes…<\/em><\/p>\n

What fascinates me about the coalition is that, in the space of a few weeks, the concept of distinct parties becoming part of a shared entity has become common cultural currency. \u00a0Not only do we now understand it, it feels as if people like <\/em>it; we’re starting to really see the value of conversation, negotiation and compromise over single-party control. \u00a0And also – it looks like a lot more fun.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>It’s almost like…could you say… a Shared Medley?! \u00a0The concept for The Dock (explained more fully here: http:\/\/www.thedockchurch.org\/blog\/?p=606<\/a>) could in many ways have included the term ‘coalition’ (if I’d known what it meant at the time…) \u00a0Different denominations, different ministries, different styles and expressions of worship – but sharing a common core. \u00a0Engaging in (respectful) conversation about our differences, but focussed on the greater good that unites us – the call to bring the love and hope of God to the Titanic Quarter.<\/p>\n

I wonder if the coalition is a sign that we’ve left an outdated style of leadership in the past; that we’re all beginning to favour conversation over competition.<\/p>\n

And, if that’s the case – one more thought: why are politicians – politicians!<\/em> – showing Christians how it’s done?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few weeks ago none of us had the faintest notion what a coalition was. \u00a0Doom-mongers prophesied dire consequences if the election resulted in a hung parliament, and we all nodded sagely and thought, “flip, I hope that doesn’t happen (whatever it is)”…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chris-blog"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCoalition - The DOCK - Life in the Titanic Quarter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-dock.org\/blog\/2010\/734\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Coalition - The DOCK - Life in the Titanic Quarter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A few weeks ago none of us had the faintest notion what a coalition was. \u00a0Doom-mongers prophesied dire consequences if the election resulted in a hung parliament, and we all nodded sagely and thought, “flip, I hope that doesn’t happen (whatever it is)”…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.the-dock.org\/blog\/2010\/734\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The DOCK - Life in the Titanic Quarter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-05-24T21:19:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2010-05-29T22:35:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.thedockchurch.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/4601012387_464f19deea_o-150x150.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chris\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chris\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.the-dock.org\/blog\/2010\/734\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.the-dock.org\/blog\/2010\/734\/\",\"name\":\"Coalition - 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