Street life Leeds Pride 2013 — Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How does Labour end the Culture War?

Common questions on identity politics and how to respond more effectively

I ‘ve become increasingly frustrated with Labour’s inability to address “culture war” issues recently and I think there is a collective burying of heads in the sand when it comes to these discussions. Labour politicians want to ignore them, but the war is here, whether they like it or not. If Labour is ever going to wrestle the narrative away from this right wing government and forge its own vision of a Labour Britain, it is going to need to learn how to respond effectively sooner rather than later.

Below are some of the common questions on identity politics that often get thrown at politicians in an attempt to lampoon or pigeon hole them, followed by my suggestion for positive and effective responses that hopefully puncture the divisive agenda that’s become so prominent in our political discourse since the 2016 EU referendum…

1. On Oxford Students removing the Queen’s photo from their common room — “Of course students can take this photo down if that’s been agreed democratically. We have a strong monarchy that’s lasted for hundreds of years in this country and I’m sure it’s well able to survive not being represented in a few student common rooms. Like most people I expect, I don’t have a single picture of the Queen in my home but that doesn’t mean I’m not patriotic or that I don’t understand the importance of the monarchy to millions of British people across the country. (Here, I am trying to downplay the significance of this debate. It’s irrelevant what students choose to have on the walls of their common room, as long as it’s not offensive to anyone, and by placing it in the context of what I expect is very few people who actually have a portrait of the Queen hanging in their own homes, it makes it appear insignificant and a perfectly reasonable decision. It deliberately flatters the monarchy but also promotes the importance of democracy and choice for everyone).
2. On removal of statues — “We must understand how our environments have always adapted to reflect our beliefs and values. These discussions are not new, their not about rewriting history and they’re not unpatriotic. They are about having thoughtful conversations about our community spaces and democratically deciding what action to take to ensure our spaces reflect our communities, whether that’s agreeing to remove a statue or add context to it. This is about respect and dignity for people. Ultimately, we mustn’t misunderstand, or worse still forget entirely, that we need to ensure inclusivity and belonging for all Britons.” (Again, trying to take the sting out of this debate and appeal to people’s sense of reason and British common sense. Effectively it argues that these conversations do not mean your beliefs and values are under attack, but that we all have a right to ownership of our environments and our local community spaces. Respect, dignity, belonging for all. Nobody could sensibly argue against any of these things).
3. On booing the taking of the knee — “I’m a politician, I want to enact change in Parliament, through our laws. I want to see the recommendations of the Lammy Report acted upon by Government, but of course those who choose to take the knee shouldn’t be admonished, especially when they explain very clearly their apolitical reasons for doing so. The recognising and raising up of one section of society isn’t to the detriment of another and leaders on both sides of the House have a duty to unify all Britons with a true sense of dignity, respect and belonging. Not inflame division and pit people against each other. (Essentially, saying, as a politician, “I believe in our ability to enact change through our institutions” disassociates us from the political agenda of the BLM organisation and focus on the universality of racial equality. Surely that is where one would want a politician focusing their attention? Effectively, we are also saying we know the cause of racial equality to be right and reject opposition to that cause. Again, focus on unity. Those who feel unsettled by this are not under attack. ‘You belong’ whether you are white or black any other ethnic minority. Belonging, Belonging, Belonging).
4. Are you woke? — “This term’s become recognised as a pejorative and I don’t accept that. As a politician, I am for racial equality, I am for gender equality, I am for human rights. I don’t think there’s a single MP who would publicly admit to being against any of those things. This is what I stand for and people can judge me on that basis, whatever term they choose to represent my values and beliefs. (This ‘woke’/non ‘woke’ nonsense is lowest common denominator stuff. Rise above it. Ask what values are supposedly represented by ‘wokeism’ and who would in their right mind be against those things?).
5. Are you in favour of trans rights? — “Absolutely! We know trans people suffer terrible discrimination and we must address this. We also have to reassure cis women their fight for equality isn’t undermined by the empowering of trans people. These two causes are not opposed, they are congruent and there’s a path to equality for all if we show the leadership, consideration and calmness to address concerns sensitively and with compassion. (Once more, show the ‘we know this to be right’ approach to upholding trans rights. Don’t allow yourself to be drawn into the false dichotomy of this debate. We are united by our fight for equality for all Britons).
6. Should school children sing the One Britain One Nation Anthem? — “I think the intentions of the campaign are laudable. No right-minded person would have any argument with its aims of promoting solidarity in a multicultural Britain. Labour absolutely stands for those values and our multiculturalism is something we should rightly be very proud of in this country. Should schools wish to encourage their pupils to sing the anthem that’s perfectly acceptable but I suspect it would be sensible to allow for school leaders to make that decision. They know their staff, pupils and their local communities better than any Government minister could do. (I’m increasingly coming to the realisation that the left has to resist the urge to take umbrage at this kind of thing. We may suspect this is crass jingoism, and possibly even deliberately divisive when coming from Government sources, but as with the right’s unnecessary pearl clutching over students removing a portrait of the Queen, Labour must be careful not to do the same on issues such as this).

I may add to these further as new examples arise… Come on Labour. Be better!