Friends have been urged to use their spiritual motivation to work with others towards the ‘divine commonwealth’. The phrase appeared as Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) explored political engagement.

Several Friends emphasised the political importance of Quaker testimony. One said that his teenage daughters had instinctively judged candidates’ views on the basis of Friends’ testimonies during the recent election.
Others urged Quakers to see ‘that of God’ in politicians and those with power in corporations. One contributor said his Meeting had invited the local Conservative MP to share views on Trident. The MP told them he felt it was the first time that people who disagreed with him had listened to what he had to say.

But a few Friends warned of the dangers of Quakers seeking to do everything alone. They urged more joint work with other campaigners and faith groups. ‘We are a very small minority,’ said one Friend, encouraging Quakers to ‘get as much help as you can’.

Much ministry focused on electoral and party politics, but several Friends were enthusiastic about wider engagement. A Friend pointed out that politics is about ‘the decisions we make every day’, such as ‘where we shop [and] what sort of transport we use’.

There were several references to corporate power, with one Friend suggesting that society is ‘close to an amalgamation of public power and commercial interests’. But although some Quakers have engaged in direct action, it was mentioned only once. A Friend insisted it ‘can be very effective in many situations’.

Not all the ministry referred specifically to Quaker approaches or motivations. A number of Friends spoke with dismay about apathy, while some sought to identify reasons for it and one said that fear sometimes prevented her from speaking out.

Away from the hall, several Friends said they considered the political engagement sessions too broad, but others said the ministry had helped them. A few told the Friend that they did not understand the decision to devote two of BYM’s longest sessions to an issue that did not involve any firm decision-making.

‘It felt like not a very good use of our resources,’ said one Friend. She pointed out that ‘There were already at least three chunky pieces of business to address during this weekend.’

The final minute on political engagement concluded, ‘What really matters is how our lives speak, as ‘living minutes’ of this Yearly Meeting’.