After Polling Day

When I first joined the governing body of the City of London Corporation, known as the Court of Common Council, in 2002, I was the third priest to be elected in two months. There was a strong sense of anti-clericalism amid suggestions that it was a co-ordinated campaign (from those who clearly didn't grasp of the CofE's inability to co-ordinate anything). I remember having to reassure the then Chairman of policy Resources, Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas, that there was not a conspiracy. To the claims that there were too many clergy I replied with a question: "Too many solicitors or accountants?"

The number of clergy has gone up and down since then. The original pair were Brian Lee, from St Botolph's, Aldgate, who was for a while a pillar of the Establishment, and Fr William Campbell-Taylor, who was its scourge. Fr William dropped off - at the time of annual elections - and then got re-elected the next time and the Revd Stephen Haines (more financier than priest, which I do not mean to be at all unkindly) came onto the Court. Fr Brian was lost to us earlier in the year when ill-health led him to resign from the Parish; he nominally continued on the Court but no longer attended anything. Fr William did not stand for re-election this time, so Fr Stephen and I are now the only clergy. He serves in Cornhill ("Can anything good come out of Cornhill?") and I in Aldersgate.

I was returned yesterday, in the City-wide election, for a further four-year term, polling 300 votes. Unusually we had a challenge from the City of London Labour Party which is, as you might guess, rather a small body. The Party didn't really understand why we have no political parties in the City and also didn't believe our protestations that we are not all closet Tories. It did, stupidly, suggest we were all bankers! It put up seven candidates and none of them were elected, but the campaign focussed our minds and that was a good thing. Residential members might now be more inclined to voice their concerns and to insist on being heard.

My question, for myself, is whether I've gone native and become Citified. When I stood unsuccessfully as an alderman last year, I was accused of worldliness. I stick to the idea that "here we have no abiding city" and I try to seek the city which is to come. Erasmus, my Lenten companion, really stresses the need to strive for heavenly treasures, but that doesn't stop us bringing a thoroughly businesslike approach to things earthly.

I am glad I have kept my place on the Court and I will continue to be vigilant against worldliness. Incidentally, someone kindly described me as "the only original political thinker" among the Barbican candidates; he clearly hadn't read Machiavelli.