There has been a lot of ink spent on Dominic Cummings in the last few days. One curious aspect of the debate is for his right leaning apologists to silence the voice of Christians by citing “forgiveness”. “You are a Christian. That’s not very forgiving”.

At the heart of the Christian Faith is repentance, or in Greek, metanoia. Turning your life around. Giving up the old ways and pledging to take a new, better path in the future. This is where forgiveness is transformative.

So what has this all got to do with Cummingsgate? Here we have someone who broke the social contract that we share with one another. We keep it because we are protecting not ourselves but others. And Cummings has highlighted that there are an elite among us for whom the rules do not apply. Their social contract is different. It is a contract that applies to others but not themselves. In this case, it is a social contract shaped by Cummings that was applied to the rest of us. And this is the rub. Rules created by the elite but not for the elite. And when exposed and challenged, this disingenuous cabal of the ruling classes close ranks to protect one of their own.

In tonight’s Yorkshire Evening Post there is a moving letter from a bereaved woman who has lost her brother. Her story is one of betrayal. A betrayal by the ruling classes who who have the brass balls to flat out lie through press briefings rather than hold their hands up and admit to making an error.

“All I wanted and needed from the government was an acknowledgement and apology that this trip was made with poor judgement.”

So yes, this is a point at which we need to examine the Christian values of forgiveness and repentance. We need to regard how they provide us with a lens through which we can examine the actions of those who govern us. For repentance, that life changing metanoia holds us all to account and shapes the future we walk into.

Please read Josette Ward’s letter in full at the YEP. It is a moving read.