The case of David Campanale: 'Neither liberal nor democratic'

It was Lord David Alton, a committed Catholic Peer and pro-life legend, who described what he called a "mutant liberalism" as a massive problem in politics today.

It is a creed and ideology that, on the one hand, professes to believe in freedom of thought and action. But in reality, it all too quickly cancels you if you dare stray from its approved beliefs.

This is especially challenging for those of us who believe in the sanctity of life from conception to life’s natural end and who uphold God’s good design for sex and marriage.

I was reminded of this phrase recently when the news broke that former BBC journalist David Campanale had won his court case against the Liberal Democrat Party. You might reasonably assume that a political party that owns the words "Liberal" and "Democrat" in its name would be welcoming of differences of opinion.

David’s story suggests otherwise.

'Humiliated'

You see, he won an internal selection process to become the Lib Dems' parliamentary candidate for the Sutton and Cheam constituency. However, outraged over his overt opposition to abortion and assisted suicide and his former involvement with a group called the Christian People’s Alliance, a gang of activists resisted his appointment and he was eventually ousted.

As part of this process, he was basically subjected to Soviet-style interrogations and was told that former leaders who identify as Christian, like Shirley Williams and Charles Kennedy, are "dead and in the past". In his own words, David was "humiliated". He said he was asked, "Are you ready for the Spanish Inquisition?" He said: "There were 30 people there, and I was led to a chair in the bay window. I was then subjected to a two-hour interrogation about my Christian views."

Despite seeking justice via the party’s internal processes, in the end he took the Liberal Democrats to court. And he won. The party, at various levels, has admitted religious discrimination against Mr Campanale and has been ordered to pay court costs, which are estimated to be around £250,000.

As Lord David Alton put it, "The treatment of David Campanale was neither liberal nor democratic. It smacks of the same prejudiced intolerance that increasingly disrespects conscience and has infected too much of politics and our national life."

Lord Alton is surely right.

And this is not the first story of its kind. Remember the campaign of intolerance against Tim Farron in 2017? More recently, in 2023, the Christian Kate Forbes stood for leadership of the Scottish National Party. She was hounded by the media and by some within the SNP because of her Christian views. She said at the time, "Have we become so illiberal that we cannot have these discussions or are some people beyond the pale? Because if so, then these are dark and dangerous days for Scotland."

Christian values

The tragedy of what happened to David, Tim and Kate (and I’m sure there are others) is that Christians and Christianity have so much to offer society. Our Western world is so intimately shaped by Christian values, such as equality and freedom. Democracy itself is a logical outworking of the principle that we are made in God’s image and there should be constraints and checks on the power of leaders.

Historically, the Lib Dems - a party that was born out of the old Liberal Party - do have a fine Christian tradition. In the late 1800s especially, non-conformists found a political home in the party of William Gladstone, a great social reformer.

I’m pleased David has won and justice has been done. And I pray his story does not persuade others from entering politics. When Christians enter Westminster, its corridors and the chamber are immeasurably enriched. But you need courage and determination (Joshua 1v9). David has demonstrated that in abundance, and I pray God honours him for it.