Does anyone really think The Lord’s Prayer and The National Anthem…

[CurlewKate]

…belong in Council meetings? And if so-why?

Absolutely not!

Not remotely. The workplace should be totally secular. The idea's a load of crap.

Nobody has to join in if they don't wish I suppose.

The Lord’s Prayer, no.

I’m not sure about the national anthem, what do you think the main issues with it are?

Absolutely not

No, but it has been going on forever. It was challenged after the Localism Act came into being and a new piece of legislation enacted. Waste of taxpayer funds.

I find these words chilling when you think where we are today politically.

The right to worship is a fundamental and hard-fought British liberty, and the fight for religious freedom in British history is deeply entwined with the political freedoms we take for granted.

Building on what we have already delivered through the Localism Act, this further Act strikes a further victory for localism, for freedom to worship over intolerant and aggressive secularism, for long-standing British liberties over modern-day political correctness, and for parliamentary sovereignty over judicial activism.

I don't think Scottish councilors would like verse 6 of the national anthem.

Lord grant that Marshal Wade, may by thy mighty aid, victory bring. May he sedition hush, and like a torrent rush, rebellious Scots to crush. God save the King!

In fact, as a Scot I tend to avoid the UK national anthem. I am not against it, nor am I a republican. I just don't sing it.

Because you don't have to be a monarchist to be a councillor.

The national anthem shouldn't even be the national anthem. Surely it should be the theme tune to The Archers.

I don’t think either belong. I found the religion in council meetings really inappropriate when I worked for local authorities.

Me too @BIossomtoes , I remember the statutory instrument being passed/fed down the food chain. Really tedious when I do many things don’t get passed because of parliamentary time.

Performative nonsense from the party that wants to sow hate and division. They are just trying to stir up a fuss. I doubt they know the words to both and probably do not live by the values of the Lords Prayer.

I don't think either need to be there and didn't know they were.. Just get on with the meeting FGS.

Why would anyone want to hear our horrendous dirge of a national anthem anyway. We ought to change it for something better.

Harsh …
what’s not positive about being patriotic and reminding ourselves of our country’s Christian values?

Don’t care more in life to think about might be different if I worked there
But tbh I don’t think I’d bother

Ain’t nobody got time for that!

It’s not just Reform. The Labour council I worked for started meetings of full council with an act of worship.

No to both. Separation of church and state is needed for democracy; the national anthem has some pretty grim words and celebrates both religion and monarchy.

To be fair, "as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation" are values some Reform UK members might need reminding of...

Ditto many of the 10 Commandments.

Though shalt not lie, Nigel. Says so in The Book.

Don’t see anything wrong with the national anthem.

councils aren’t specifically Christian so the Lord’s Prayer not appropriate.

don’t see anything wrong with eg a short time of silence to pray to whatever god(s) the councillors believe in

Because the Lord’s prayer is a prayer, part of christian worship and international. It doesn’t exist to “remind us of our country’s Christian values” in a political setting.
My local council ( Kent, now Reform led) has just decided to do this and I am so cross about it - I think it is performative nonsense. I could get behind it if there were faith based and non faith based “ Thought for the Day” type contributions representing the beliefs of all the Council members and the area it covers - but I also think that would take up a whole lot of time in which they could be working…

Was it a specific act of Christian worship, or just a few thought-collecting minutes of your choice? Because I think that’s an excellent idea….

I hope prayers are not while they are clocked in? Pray all you want while you are clocked off, but not while you are being funded by the tax payer.

Act of worship led by a religious leader with various faiths taking turns to be represented.