Now that the dust has settled on yet another General Election, we can take a step back and reflect on what was a disastrous night for Corbyn’s Labour Party, and a massive majority for Johnson and the Conservatives. But what went wrong? How does Labour move forward and get those Northern and Midlands regions back, and rebuild the so called “red wall”? Can all this misery be solely put at the door of the opposition, or do voters also have to do some soul searching of their own?
It’s fairly clear that Brexit played a big role in a thumping Tory victory, with voters on doorsteps saying they’d like to “get Brexit done” and to see their democratic vote in 2016 be fulfilled after three and a half difficult years fudging through Withdrawal Bill after amended Withdrawal Bill, seemingly getting nowhere. It also very much seemed that Jeremey Corbyn was not a popular figure, with negative comments about the IRA, anti-antisemitism and spurious links to Russia following him wherever he went. Suffice to say, the polling figures did not help him here, despite Boris Johnson’s serial antics of lying, frequent dishonesty, hiding from scrutiny, written evidence of racial and homophobic discrimination as well as getting kicked out of jobs…even this wasn’t enough to boost Labour’s numbers. But again I ask, is it always beholden upon losers to address their faults or can we also look to voters to explore their logic?
It’s the vox pops that really get to me. Short interviews with members of different communities on the streets in order to get a sense of their thought processes and what they really think about the state of the world. Sometimes, these can be really insightful, most of the time, I end up screaming at the TV wondering how on earth someone could ever come to such a ridiculous conclusion, and then be allowed to go and vote based on said conclusions.
Here are some examples of true vox pops that make me want to pull out my hair in frustration:
Lady from Leigh: So glad we voted for a Tory MP. We voted for change.
Interviewer: But the Tories have been in power for nine years.
Lady from Leigh: Not in Leigh they haven’t!
Interviewer: What about all the EU money that came in for the coal fields, this area’s benefited from the EU.
Lady: Well…I don’t know that far back like…but I’m just glad we’re out, that’s it for me cos this is our England *points to shirt with English flag on” this is our England.
Dean: We possibly may have a dip for a few years, but I think in the long run we’ll be fine.
Radio host: What do you base that on?
Dean: That’s just my belief.
Radio host: But what do you base it on?
Dean: Well I haven’t got any hard, scientific facts in front of me.
Radio host: Give me some soft, unscientific facts then.
Dean: Well, we used to own three thirds of the world.
Radio host: Three thirds?
Dean: Sorry, two thirds thirds of the world, and we are, you know a massive trading country.
Now, I know the Remain vote lost, and there are several factors to look at as to why the Labour Party massively failed to cut through and what happened in Parliament in the months and years leading up to this election to turn voters off, but when you have members of the electorate who are quite clearly ignorant on such important issues like the EU, or austerity or government policy, or immigration, and are then for the most part not even challenged or put right on their misguided opinions…whose fault is that?
Do we blame voters for failing to educate themselves on these matters or do we blame successive governments for not putting that education in place at the earliest opportunity? Maybe both?
A lot of voters based on what is portrayed in the media, are depressed and angry at how meagre their lives have become over the decades, not having stable work, enough money or a decent quality of life to enjoy with their families. This seems a fair assessment to make given the nine years of unforgiving Tory rule, making cuts to public services, benefits and vital community outreach centres which can no longer help bring people together or make their towns happier, brighter places to live. However, if these “left behind” people are constantly swayed by insidious campaign leaders who appear to make wonderful promises about sunlit uplands, “taking back control” and “getting Brexit done” when facts and evidence clearly do not bear that out, it is then beholden upon voters to get savvy themselves. Unpick fact from fiction, question politicians approaches, why are they saying what they’re saying and how reliable is it? In a world of 24 hour rolling news, alternative facts and conspiracies running rampant, this is often hard to do, but it is not impossible. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, “a well informed electorate is a pre-requisite for democracy to function,” perhaps these words should now be heeded with more seriousness, given how much our precious democratic institutions are in danger of being exploited and crushed by those who rely on simplicity to win votes.
Musings of a Middleton... 