Defectors and Defective Conversions

Some Tory MPs are like rats, deserting a sinking ship. This week, Natalie Elphicke, the Member for Dover, defected to Labour. She was hot on the heels of Central Suffolk MP Dan Poulter who had previously crossed the floor. The former was on the Conservative Party’s right, so her conversion to socialism is all the more remarkable. Daniel Martin writing in The Daily Telegraph reports one Labour MP as asking:

“Natalie Elphicke is not a socialist. She is not even a social democrat. She’s a Tory through and through. What next? Would they accept Jacob Rees-Mogg? That would be good for putting the boot into the Tories, but does it make Labour more stable?”

A Labour Party member is reported saying:

“Natalie Elphicke has consistently demonised refugees and aid groups. She voted against Labour proposals to outlaw fire and rehire while supporting a wide array of destructive and damaging Tory legislation. She should have no place in a Labour Party committed to progressive values and working-class people.”

Having MPs cross the floor is a wonderful publicity coup for the receiving party and a serious wound inflicted for the leader of the one deserted, in this case, the Prime Minister. Such desertions are nearly always opportunistic or attempts to save a parliamentary pension. Elphicke and Poulter are on record criticising Labour and Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, which they both now consider to be superb. Both MPs once received criticism from the very Labour ranks which now welcome them, if not unanimously, with open arms, fellow comrades in the struggle.

It is all a nonsense.

Just as political conversions are invariably fake, opportunistic and confected, so too, sadly, a number of conversions to Christ. His Parable of the Soils (or 'the Sower') details the spiritual reasons behind this ‘falling away’, but some who appear to profess faith soon grow tired, or give up, or find excuses to absent themselves from the assembly, moving to some new hobby or pastime to occupy their modest spans of attention. These people saw, but did not perceive; they heard, but did not understand, they did not truly turn and have their sins forgiven.

‘Seeing they may see and not perceive,

And hearing they may hear and not understand;

Lest they should turn,

And their sins be forgiven them.’ ” Mark 4:12, NKJV

Image by Sarah Larkin from Pixabay