As far as your point on taxes, economists believed that without North Sea oil the Thatcher experiment would have ended in 1981. As for Blair and Brown, they were more of the same. Just ask the ASW workers who were deprived of their pensions why the government just stood by and did nothing.

Michael Cridland
“The only people that benefited from the tax cuts of the 1980s were the super rich.”
You are fortunate you live in Ely…I pay £1,536 for living in sight of the Corus blast furnaces. But the amount begs the question. The reality is that we have to pay tax. A fair way is to distribute the collection of tax across income, expenditure and use. The ‘mixed economy’ of Harold Wilson required an adjustment of tax collection and Margaret Thatcher broadened the scope of collection. The rich did well but so did the average taxpayer. They got to keep more of the money they earned and paid tax as they spent it. The ability to keep income encouraged people to earn money and the economy grew, there was a shift away from the number of poor towards middle incomes and the gap between the poor and median income was better than almost anytime since 1945.

We have to all intents and purposes being living in a mixed economy and broad tax system since Harold Wilson and for the majority of the time there has been a Labour administration. If there is any group who deserves your ire it is Blair/Brown because they have been in charge for thirteen years, longer than Margaret Thatcher was in office. In this period the position of the poor has worsened and it has become more difficult than anytime since Harold Wilson for the children of the poor to move up to median income.

Harold Wilson famously said, “A week is a long time in politics.” Perhaps 13 years of Tories or Labour is to long although we should remember something else Wilson said, “Whichever party is in office, the Treasury is in power.”

“When churches in Cardiff actively run kitchens for the poor and free classes for kids, and build houses for the homeless, then I will be impressed.”
A sense of history is a very useful thing. The Church has done most of these things and is still doing them, and other things beside. But it is not possible or right for voluntary organisations to provide things that we are already paying tax towards. In our mixed economy welfare state, the state that takes our taxes should be largely responsible for making provision for the poor and those in need.

“Calvinism”
It is easy to take a word and use it as it disparagingly. But in Wales the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists have a great record in supplying aid to the needy and providing free education to both adults and children. The continued use of the Welsh language can be closely linked to its activities.

Like you, I am critical of tea-shops for profit and my own congregation does not support income activities. We do however, support Age Concern, free creche for mothers and toddlers, cancer research, self-help sustainable housing in South Africa, relief in Georgia and Ukraine, alcohol and drug rehabilitation, a youth football team, various social events for the community throughout the year and Tear Fund. I’m impressed with the commitment and generosity of the people.

Education
Churches pioneered free community schooling in Wales. Today there are 31 Church Aided schools in Cardiff Borough, representing 28% of the Local Authority public provision. Of these 18 are Roman Catholic (14 primaries and four secondary) and 13 are Anglican – 11 primaries, 2 secondary). There are in addition nine independent schools, of which five have a religious community affiliation. Two of these are Muslim foundations. Some of them are very diverse in culture and nationality, and have been at the forefront of
welcoming and including newcomers to the City for generations.

Homeless youngsters
The Church Army’s innovative work with homeless young people in Cardiff has created two hostels offering support to the vulnerable. This charity works with Cadwyn, a local housing association and social services in seeking to limit the damage caused by family dysfunction and breakdown, drug abuse and self harm, with educational and rehabilitation programmes.City Centre Curches provide great support.

Canton Uniting Church
Brings together former Baptist andReformed Church congregations with a common will to serve the wide local community, through its Treganna family centre, and a range of church based community activities for
the whole age range of people. These include Alcoholics Anonymous, Rainbows, Brownies, Guides; The Little Folks Play Group; Pensioners Luncheon Club; Weight Watchers; dance classes; concerts, choir rehearsals; counselling.

City United Reform Church
City United Reformed Church exemplifies how city centre churches can serve as gathering places for a diversity of needs. Its building hosts ecumenical meetings, is home to Cardiff’s Adult Christian Education Centre, to Cruse, bereavement counselling, Weight watchers, Alcoholics Anonymous, a free Legal service for refugees, a religious book shop, and the Refectory coffee shop, and ordinary church social organisations. It has an open policy to all-comers, expressing its commitment to be a “safe space” for marginalized populations in the city seeking acceptance, support and affirmation.”

St Teilo Arts Trust
St Teilo’s Cathays illustrates how a building can be adapted as a centre for musical performance and rehearsal, benefiting both the artistic community and a church congregation which would otherwise not be able to afford to maintain it as a place of worship and community activity.

Thornhill Community Church
Thornhill Community Church demonstrates the capability of an enthusiastic active group of Christians to pioneer community development in a new housing area, and take initiatives which led to the City Council being willing to work through partnership with them to set up a new purpose built community library, to add to the existing wide range of social amenities established through this enterprise of faith.

The Beacon Centre
Trowbridge St Mellons housing estate is an area of high unemployment and social deprivation, where a group of local Christians worked for 10 years to create a meeting place that could serve a wide variety of needs for people in the local community. It offers activities for all ages, from crèche to luncheon club for seniors, and flexible opportunities for a range of educational and training activities. With success in funding applications to
the E.U., government and charitable trusts, it opened in 2005, and is still developing its range of activities in response of local community needs.

The City Council provides service on occasions of bereavement touching 3500 families a year in Cardiff. Ninety percent of these will be assisted by a minister of religion.

The recent Gweini Report, ‘Faith in Wales – Counting for Communities’ estimated that the economic value of the contribution of faith community groups in Cardiff is over £10.8 million.

The only people that benefitted from the tax cuts of the 1980s were the super rich. and what was given to us in income tax cuts was more than made up in VAT, property tax. For example under the old rating system my household paid £300 pounds a year. In 1990, it was £1,200 in Ely.

Faith in the City was a great report. It’s time for FITC2, for our time. Roy, what the Church in Wales does for the poor and the marginalized is minuscule compared to communities in my locality, where they build houses for the poor and feed the hungry through kitchens. When churches in Cardiff actively run kitchens for the poor and free classes for kids, and build houses for the homeless, then I will be impressed. At the moment it’s more restaurants and tea shops for profit.

A particularly nasty and valueless comment that nearly didn’t make it through despite some heavy editing. If you wish to contribute to this site, I urge you to think of some more interesting and positive to say.

I agree with you that Faith in the City is still a very good read the up date “Faithful Cities- a call for celebration, vision and justice (2006)” and our own Spiritual Capital Report also sets out, amongst other things, the contribution of faith groups. It deeply questions whether regenerating Cities simply with economic and social modelling can really deliver happiness or well-being for all.

All these Reports argue strongly, in the growing recognition that factors beyond material wealth are essential for human happiness, that we need a new approach – what about:

- Fulfilled and secure relations in personal life.

- Relations that spread beyond the personal to create good community
life and relationships.

- Good health, especially mental health.

- Freedom, including the scope to participate in matters affecting ones’ life.

- A philosophy of life, faith or worldview which includes a commitment to
something beyond serving one’s individual needs.

As our Archbisshop Barry Morgan said on St David’s Day this year at St John’s “The regeneration of Cardiff is meant to stimulate the urban, regional and indeed the national economy and assist in beating the economic blight which still deeply afflicts the post-coal industrial valleys of this area. At the heart of Ezra and Nehemiah’s city was the temple, signifying religious values but also signifying the importance of the city, not just as an economic financial and commercial centre but as a place that valued people as people and catered for all their needs – social, religious, communal.”

Quite rightly the Archbishop referred to a hidden element of the total Cardiff regeneration programme a £3 million pound hostel and support centre for the homeless, planned to improve significantly the city’s existing service provision and enhance the work of rehabilitation. He could have added the new Library. The city has realised that unless there is good news for everyone, there’s good news for no-one and that a city or society is ultimately judged by how it treats its poorest inhabitants.

The Report Spiritual Capital is available on : http://www.spiritualcapital-cardiff.org.uk

It was written and we hope will inform policy.It offers up-to-date information publicly available of the contact details of 200 religious organisations in the City as a point of reference and support for really putting the Old Testament teachings into action.

An estimated 35,000 plus are attracted to a faith and cultural group on one day in Cardiff more than watch our sports teams.May I suggest there may be policy in this rather than the superfical secular trash dished out out to us day after day.Thank goodness for the Internet.

It is of course faith based organisations that bring relief to victims of disaster – the Red Cross, the Red
Crescent, Islamic Relief, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Hindu Aid and SEWA International, World Jewish Relief and Khalsa Aid – are recognised globally, drawing inspiration from the humanitarian teachings of different faiths.

Faith-based charitable activity is widespreadhere in Cardiff, groups which are active in the community but often work unrecognised as they spend little on marketing and self-promotion, simply getting on with the job.

Conservatism should expunge all red letters from its alphabet.

Mr Melding has long since lost touch with the mainstream of his party.