Scottish Christian Peoples Alliance

What You Need to Know

Scottish Christian Peoples Alliance

is a political party founded in 2001 by Teresa Smith, a Chartered Educational Psychologist and former Chair of the Dumfries branch of the Labour Party.  Though no-longer with CPA, Teresa resigned from the Labour Party in the year 2000 due to the Party's increasingly aggressive anti-family and anti-life policy agenda.  Whilst many eminent figures in Scottish political, religious and civic life continue to call for Christians to work within the mainstream political parties, Teresa's experience, and that of many others, bears testimony to the marginalization of moral and ethical considerations within the established parties.  There has never been a more urgent need for a strong, independent voice, based on Christian aims and values, on the Scottish political scene.

Christian Peoples Alliance is also Scotland's first Christian Democratic Party.  Drawing inspiration from the Christian Democratic parties of Europe, it is a moderate party that has emerged as a political force in Scotland due to the moral vacuum in our Nation's Parliament.  Many of the measures adopted by MSP's since the re-establishment of the Parliament in 1999 are strongly opposed by the majority of Scots and are having a devastating impact on the stability of Scottish society.  These range from quickie divorces and civil partnerships, to support for military action in Iraq and the renewal of Trident.  Our MSP's have left their conscience at the door of the Parliament and elected instead to vote, on these and other issues, in accordance with the wishes of their party or on the basis of outdated ideology. 

Christian Peoples Alliance is offering Scots voters a new way forward, advancing a full policy agenda that takes values as its point of reference, rather than ideology.

Founding Principles

Christian Peoples Alliance (Scotland) is founded on six key principles that have a broad appeal, including:

Respect for Life

There should be unconditional respect for human life as a gift given to all people by God.  Respect for life, from its natural beginning to its natural end, should be integral to all public policy in Scotland.  Abortion, euthanasia, cloning and practices that directly or indirectly violate or de-value human life are wrong and have no place in Scottish society.  Escalating armed conflict between nations and ethnic groups, accompanied by nuclear proliferation (typified by the replacement of Trident) also pose a grave threat to human life and damage the wider aims of lasting peace and security.  CPA will challenge the anti-life consensus that currently exists amongst the mainstream political parties in Scotland and make these issues central to its policy making. 

Primary Importance of Marriage & the Family

Marriage between a man and woman is the basis of all social cohesion, providing the stability required for individuals, families and communities in Scotland to grow and thrive.  Marriage and the family are also the best safeguards against poverty, exploitation, isolation, ill health and all of the most significant social problems that face the Scottish nation.  The Scottish Executive and the mainstream political parties have cynically attacked and undermined married couples and families in Scotland in two critical ways; by failing to introduce and endorse legislation that promotes, supports and sustains marriage and family life and by supporting legislation that has made divorce easier and elevated unmarried partnerships to the status of marriage.   

Social Justice

Commitment to the poor, the elderly and the vulnerable.  We will campaign for policies that support a decent standard of living for all people in Scotland, in addition to protection against exploitation.  We will also directly address the needs of the poor, the homeless, substance mis-users and other vulnerable groups.  Our policies on poverty were recently described as "admirable" by Bob Holman, a specialist in poverty and Visiting Professor in Social Policy at Glasgow University.

Protection of the Environment

Economic activity should involve respect for God's creation and a proper distribution of work and resources. We should have fair markets and pricing without unjust concentrations of power and wealth, and our economic output should serve people, not enslave or dominate them. We affirm the need for the State to apply justice to those who exploit and work against the common good.

Promotion of Peace and Reconciliation

Jesus Christ is the great reconciler - of nations, races, men and women, and classes - and we want to work for reconciliation and healing among people.  We recognise this is not cheap. It involves fighting pride and practising forgiveness, repentance, recompense and justice. But we want to work at peacemaking on Jesus' terms.