Keep The Faith magazine - Britain's leading publication about Black faith

One of the great privileges I have as Prime Minister is meeting thousands of people up and down the United Kingdom, hearing their stories and listening to their hopes and ambitions. I am an optimist, and I strongly believe that we can make our country a better place to live. That’s why I’m so passionate about building a bigger, stronger society – involving a grassroots revival in community action. And I don’t claim that this is a fundamentally new idea. In fact, this kind of activity has been around for hundreds of years, and faith organisations have often been at its heart.

I don’t agree with people who say there is no place for faith in society and public service. Just look at the good work of faith schools – including the one my own son and daughter attend – or the work of Street Pastors and the Salvation Army. In every town and every city, there are charities and voluntary organisations of all faiths doing terrific things. And through the new Localism Bill, they are freed up like never before to transform their local communities. This revival is at the heart of what I want us to achieve.

But I also think faith has a role to play in mending the breakdown of responsibility in our country. In my Easter Message, I wrote about how we need to follow our conscience and ask not what we are entitled to, but what we can do for each other. It’s a message I know is consistent with the values of ‘Keep The Faith’ magazine. And after seeing the scenes of mayhem during the riots over the summer, it’s a message which has gathered even more relevance and urgency.

The looting, violence and criminal actions that we witnessed were truly sickening. And let us all be clear: This was not political protest; it was predominantly criminality, pure and simple. It highlighted the evidence of a moral collapse in parts of our society. Now, I don’t pretend that there is an easy solution. There are many things we need to do fix this, such as restoring discipline in schools and reforming our something-for-nothing welfare system, but it’s also vitally important that we don’t shy away from making judgments about right and wrong. For too long, we have been unwilling as a society to talk about behaviour and morality. We have too often avoided saying what needs to be said – about everything from marriage to welfare to common courtesy. As a result, we’ve created a sort of moral neutrality.

We cannot shy away from the truth any longer. I believe faith leaders have a key role to play in instilling this greater sense of right and wrong – and it is up to all of us to help in this mission to build a fairer, stronger and more responsible society. Thank you for everything you are already doing to achieve this. I can assure you that I, as Prime Minister, and we as a government have the determination to see it through.

David Cameron
10 Downing Street

September 2011 for inclusion in the Black History Month issue