I've become radicalized and it's all good
Until fairly recently I had no interest in party politics. Now I'm full on Labour. Here's what happened and what's happening where I live
In this wondermissive, I’m going to talk about what I’ve seen, why I have been drawn to Labour, what I see on the doorstep and my caution for the future. It’s personal but if you share any similarities then I’d encourage you to get involved.
A journey - 2017BP to 2023AL
Note: in case you’re wondering: BP = Before Politics and AL = After Labour
Politics was always a difficult topic for me during my time as a tech media person. The perceived wisdom was to steer clear, only engaging with specifics that directly impacted the industry I covered. Even then, there were question marks about how far I/we should go. While I have always been interested in the broad topic of inequality, I was not politically motivated nor especally interested in political positions. That has changed dramatically since I retired. Today, I am a full on supporter and member of the Labour Party.
You can argue that’s all well and good because I’m free of the constraints I saw in my past life. What is less known is that behind the scenes, I regularly discussed matters of political interest with colleagues, but again, without any political party affiliation in mind. Apart from one colleague, I have no clue where any of my former colleagues political allegiances lay.
What happened? When I retired, I was and remain in a relatively comfortable position financially. I have no debt and can afford to do pretty much anything I choose. Why should I care enough to join a political party and especially Labour? There are several reasons.
First I live in a family that is relatively poor. Few have university educations and those that do will likely never use them directly. Most by number are either single parents or in what I term transient relationships. In short, they don’t have particularly secure home environments where the burdens of life can be readily shared. Those are their choices and I respect all of them and the reasons that lead to those situations. None of the family work in professions where there are stellar opportunities, several are gambling on a self employed life and with some degree of success. Like so many others in our society, many are at least partially dependent on state support to pay the bills. Only one has the ability to save into a pension, perhaps 40 years out. They don’t complain, they don’t bemoan their lot in life. They’re simply doing the best they can. Most feel disenfranchised and have lost all connection with our political masters. Even among those who are my fiscal peers, there is a growing sense of disquiet and a general recognition that it is we who have some wealth who will have to support our families directly. It’s already happening. We can no longer trust the state to take up most of the slack and we certainly can’t expect our children to fulfill the financial support role for elders that was common in the past. We can, of course, count on our mutual love of family for which there is no price.
Second, after returning to the UK after 20 years away, I was both shocked and appalled at the general state of the country but had little understanding of what had happened and no idea how it might be fixed. When I left the UK, you could get a doctor’s appointment pretty much the same day. Even before the pandemic, we’d be waiting days or weeks. Nationally funded dental care is pretty much impossible. Our streets are far less safe than they were, especially in the large town centers where we live. Support for those needing publicly funded housing is almost non-existent. Our transport infrastructure is creaking, having been largely ignored on the alter of privatization. Our children and grandchildren have largely been abandoned by the state and parents feel powerless in a world where media, and especially social media, encourages the twin perils of entitlement and rage.
Third, as I looked at what happened and what is happening, especially in the period 2019-22, it became blindingly obvious that our government bench strength is/was largely exhausted to the point where most high office occupants are one or more of the following:
Chancers who view politics as a stepping stone to a more lucrative lifestyle,
Useful (at least temporarily) idiots, promoted well beyond their intellectual let alone practical abilities and/or
Simply no longer caring enough about the people they represent. Hint: the down right rude emails we see from our MP are staggering in their arrogance.
There are, of course, exceptions but as a team, they’re done in my eyes. We need change.
Why Labour?
Why Labour when so much of the media regards its leadership as grey and uninspiring with little real difference between what it says it stands for and our incumbents? At least on some topics that matter to voters.
Quite simply, there is no practical alternative under our first past the post electoral system. My personal inclination towards green topics won’t get anyone elected. Despite climate change being ever present in the news, there is insufficient top of mind urgency for it to matter to the ‘man in the street.’ The idea of social democracy appeals to me but again, the Lib Dems have insufficient to offer in my part of the world to make their agenda viable as an election winner. Even if I could forgive and forget the sins of the past, the Tory party, while ostensibly leaning towards a fiscal agenda you’d regard as normally owned by Labour, it simply doesn’t have the ambition or creative thinking to provide the kind of country that gives hope for our future generations. That only leaves Labour. But that’s not enough.
I have gone one step further in my thinking. As I mulled these problems, it struck me that I could rant and rave all I like but pissing into the tent doesn’t carry as much weight as being in the tent and pissing out. Or in my case, just as likely to piss inside the tent as the occasion demands. So I joined the Labour party.
What do I want from Labour?
It is early days and I’m learning a lot. Like other political organizations, Labour is a coalition of people who have different ideas about different topics. The Labour Party has set out its broad stall but that doesn’t tell me enough. I for example am firmly in favor of a strong position on law and order, but at the same time have no desire to cram our already overpopulated prisons.
I am in favor of labour unions but I’d like to see them adjust their traditional pugnacious position to one that recognizes the need for partnership with industry leaders. A focus on working conditions by industry leaders would go a long way. I am in favor of immigration.
Our post world war history proves conclusively that we benefit from welcoming other cultures but we’ve done a terrible job in passively insisting on imposing ‘Britishness’ on other cultures. Several of our Muslim girls choose to wear the hijab as a sign of their understood faith. That’s great. They set an example I can admire, even if I don’t share their beliefs. The Muslim culture of hospitality is one that the British ‘village’ has lost. We would do well to relearn that experience because it is a cornerstone of strong communities.
And yes, I am firmly in favor of the UK as safe haven for those fleeing oppression in all its forms but I am not in favor of those who come to live permanently solely for economic reasons when we struggle to offer opportunity for those already here. The list of topics and policies of interest to me goes on but I hope you can see what I mean.
But above all, I want to see a society where opportunities to build financial security are more evenly available. That requires a massive expansion in the availability of apprenticeships coupled with a sense that plumbers, electricians, mechanical engineers - as examples - are just as valuable to society as our doctors, nurses, lawyers and accountants. The UK has never been short of talent. But if history is a guide, the UK has a knack of providing some building blocks, only to see those who show promise disappear to lands where opportunity is far better than what we can offer.
I am far from convinced that Labour’s stated policies are ambitious enough but I see enough ‘flesh’ on the bones of what Labour is promising to nail my colours to that particular mast. Whether that turns out to be naive on my part remains to be seen but I do think Labour has one advantage no other party can match. Integrity. That sounds like an oxymoron in today’s febrile political climate. But it is something I see among the Labour leadership among those expecting to be in the great offices of state. I also see a crucial ingredient that’s lacking elsewhere - a strong background of employment in the real worlds of legal, financial and social industries. Provided they don’t forget where they’ve come from, it should provide the bedrock upon which to rebuild the country.
On the streets
What have I found as I’ve given time to campaigning and leaflet dropping in support of of Labour in our upcoming local elections? My one fear was that there might be occasion when I’d be savagely attacked by those who support other parties. As a society, we are constantly portrayed as hopelessly polarized and riven with division. If that’s true then I see no overt signs of it. What I see is a hunger for change.
Apart from the one person who refused to talk politics and the other who only begrudgingly took my handout, I’ve met a good few people who are equally anxious for change and who also see Labour as the only viable alternative. Yesterday for instance, it was encouraging to find myself being chased up the street by a young lady wanting to know how to volunteer. I had little to offer other than encouragement to keep in contact. Another was unsure about Labour but after a little conversation about topics that mattered to her, I was content to see her leave with a smile. And of course it’s always encouraging o get a high five as I have on a good few occasions,. Even more encouraging, I saw a smattering of garden placards proclaiming support for Labour. I haven’t seen a single one for Tory. On our street alone, I can see at least four garden placards other than our own proclaiming Labour support. I’ve never seen that before. Encouraging? Sure, but let me put this into perspective.
I live in a ward that’s traditionally and hardcore ‘true blue.’ Even at the height of the Johnson-led litany of scandals, Labour could not unseat the long term incumbent Tory councillor. Labour was 400 seats short which translates to 9% of those who voted. Our Tory MP has been sitting since 2005. The fact that he gets substantial support from the betting lobby is largely overlooked by the electorate. His share of the vote has been consistent since 2005 (see above.) But…he, along with our local ward councillor, are vulnerable to being ousted.
It is a good time to be campaigning for Labour and as I say to everyone, it’s good that we can count on your vote but you must vote - use out or lose it. Along with other local Party members I’m hopeful but with a soupçon of caution. If we take the local ward then it will be a huge achievement. But then what happens?
An uncertain future
Our council, which is Labour controlled, has a mountain of challenges, not least of which is a Children’s Services division that’s in disarray and under Special Measures. It’s a story of its own but I’m not convinced this administrative change will do enough to turn service delivery around. It is likely that our council will exhaust its reserves in 2024-25 but local councillors I’ve spoken to think they’ll get bailed out by central government, along with others facing similar issues. That’s a lame response. One bright spot is that we are the UKs 2025 City of Culture, but already we see strange decisions giving cause for alarm. But above all, I hope that if, as expected, Labour makes significant gains, then it doesn’t go to the Party’s collective head. There are bigger prizes to be won but first, voters’ trust has to be earned. And that requires work.