This will be an ongoing timeline looking at the ups and downs of Britain's tradtional third party the Christian Democrats.
The story will be told through a mixture of interviews old and new, extracts from books, and magazine articles, and a few juicy diary entries.
It will not be in chronological order.
The Christian Futures office is a grubby shopfront on Mare Street in Hackney, and it was there sitting across a cheap scratched old desk from a grumpy middle aged West Indian woman with a pencil chewing habit I waited for the Reverend George Hargreaves. He was nearly an hour late.
We sat under a garish poster displaying an aborted fetus in all its gory glory. I declined the offer of a cup of tea and a biscuit.
“No, I don't regret anything” Hargreaves says with a pursed lip grin that doesn't reach the eyes.
He grabs a cheap bible from the coffee table “This is the only manifesto I need,” he says waving it vigorously.
“Hang on, where does it say about not joining the Euro?”
He laughs, genuinely.
“I'm joking with you of course, but the fact is a party which claims to be Christian, cannot go around supporting same sex marriage.”
I change tack and ask him if he misses his four years as mayor of London.
“Of course I do, the changes we made in housing and transport changed the lives of thousands. Of course I'd love to be able to do that still. This Liberal woman,” he can't bring himself to say Susan Kramer’s name; “she is ruining London, all for Chinese gold. There are no principles there; and I heard the Seedies were going to give her their second preferences.”
I hadn't heard that actually, my friend in Justin Welby’s office told me they were going to give their second preferences to Zayda Hussein the Radical candidate. Which is entirely in keeping with Welby’s place on the right of the CDs. But I didn't correct George.
I asked the reverend how he felt about Christian Futures being down to seven councillors, three in Hackney, and four in Newham.
“David, haven't I been clear with people all along?” He glanced up at the bloody poster. “It's principles not power that really matters, how could I call myself a Christian if I sacrificed my faith for a few elected offices?”