God help conservatives – heaven knows we need it

Pro-life campaigner Lois McLatchie gave an impassioned defence of Christianity’s role in the conservative movement during a speech at the National Conservative Conference entitled ‘On Fighting Lost Causes’. Here it is in full  

“You’ve said you’re engaging in prayer, which is the offense.”

“Silent prayer.”

“You were still engaging in prayer, which is the offense.”

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m not quoting 1984. I’m quoting an exchange between a police officer and a member of the British public on the streets of England in 2023.

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce is a charitable volunteer who stopped to pray inside her own mind outside an abortion facility in Birmingham – outside of its operational hours. Her actions were imperceptible. She was simply standing on a street, thinking thoughts. But these thoughts were not acceptable to authorities.