Labour People should support each other in tackling our democratic deficit

Avatar

By Anna-Helga HorroxJoined hands

As LabourList returns to business as usual following its brief feminist takeover in honour of International Women’s Day, some points have been raised that are worth responding to, if only because they are made so repeatedly.

As a Labour party member, I believe that class lies at the centre of everything we do – we are fundamentally concerned with trying to reduce material inequalities between people. As an egalitarian I think every voice is equally valid, equally important. So it was distressing to see the eagerness of some contributors to silence certain voices because they were somehow (as individuals) not ‘representative’ enough of the whole country. Not only that, but they were blamed for the demise of political engagement.

Most LabourList contributors come from fairly similar backgrounds, but it is rare to see men dismissed on the basis that they are too white, too middle class. It is harder to be politically active as a woman than a man, so even more likely that the women who stay involved will come from privileged backgrounds – the challenges of participation will deter people who have less time, fewer resources, and less confidence first.

Yet many of the female writers were criticised simply for daring to speak up about certain forms of inequality when they might not have directly experienced other forms of inequality themselves.

This particular critique barely needs rebuttal – just because someone demonstrates a passion for tackling one form of inequality does not mean they don’t care about others. If the suggestion is being made that people who have experienced a type of privilege cannot truly believe in addressing its cause, then presumably men are incapable of being feminists, and white people cannot abhor racism.

But the attacks were not simply directed at the authors: they conflated accounts of declining political engagement with the use of all-women shortlists, in an attempt to discredit the latter. These are two vitally important, but separate topics.

Traditional party political activity is in freefall. All the major parties have been steadily losing members over the last decade and the general trend in voter turnout has been one of decline. This reflects a failure of both the message and the messengers.

On the one hand the government has not made the case for a humane, regulated market – one that puts the needs of society and the environment before profit. The results of this laissez faire approach are only now becoming apparent. As we have drifted from our core values, our supporters have floated away from us. Instead they turn to fear-mongering groups like the BNP who speak to people’s growing sense of insecurity, or express their sense of disempowerment by not voting at all.

On the other hand, politicians are too often afraid to speak in their own voices, instead finding safety in the party line and avoiding difficult questions. This lack of honesty makes voters switch off; they see no point in listening when they are being patronised.

But how is this growing disaffection and apathy linked to all-women shortlists? People argue that female party loyalists have been parachuted into areas they have no connection with. There is undoubtedly some truth to this, just as there is to the statement that loyal men have been placed in unfamiliar seats. This sort of behaviour is deeply undemocratic, and obviously wrong. It points to serious questions of party reform. But just because a system has been abused does not invalidate the principles on which it is based. Women have historically held less power than men, despite making up half the population. If we think it is important that they make up more than one in five MPs, so their particular life experiences and patterns can be properly represented in policy formation and debate, all-women shortlists are a necessity.

On a wider level, if we truly want to revive our democracy from the grassroots up so there are more active, politically experienced local men and women to stand for election, we need to listen to and support one another. As Labour party members, we should judge one another on the strength of our political arguments, not our postcodes. A welcoming and respectful environment for debate will encourage people to participate who might otherwise be intimidated by the party political process or see it as irrelevant to their lives – and this will benefit everyone who cares about democracy, male or female, whatever their background.

More from LabourList

DONATE HERE

We provide our content free, but providing daily Labour news, comment and analysis costs money. Small monthly donations from readers like you keep us going. To those already donating: thank you.

If you can afford it, can you join our supporters giving £10 a month?

And if you’re not already reading the best daily round-up of Labour news, analysis and comment…

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DAILY EMAIL