In pursuit of egalitarianism

By Rebecca Hickman

Self or other? This dilemma is at the heart of so much political decision-making and yet politicians continue to pretend that we can have it all – unfettered individualism and huge income disparities alongside good social outcomes and a strong society. My new report for Compass argues that the evidence shows otherwise and that we urgently need a new social ethic that goes far beyond self-realisation, which appeals to people’s moral sense and concern for others. The good news is that we will all be the beneficiaries.

The political spotlight is once again on the question of whether or not egalitarianism is the right goal for Labour and social mobility a useful policy vehicle and aim. Recently, John Denham’s speech to the Fabian Society, James Purnell’s Open Left project and Alan Milburn’s report on fair access to the professions have all fuelled a sometimes acrimonious debate that goes to the very heart of what Labour seeks to stand for.

‘In Pursuit of Egalitarianism’ argues that Labour should be bold and proud in championing an egalitarianism fit for our times. It points out that equality and freedom are two sides of the same coin. To be sufficiently free we must be sufficiently equal, but too many people simply do not have the resources to make free choices, realise their full potential and make up for the brute bad luck of birth – the condition of their body and mind, and the economic circumstances of their parents. Society therefore has a moral duty to intervene through measures that bring about sufficient equality to ensure that everyone’s freedom is maximised.

In their second term, New Labour co-opted the notion of social mobility as the measure and goal of a fair society, generating a certain amount of dismay among those who maintain that as social mobility is about meritocracy, it offers the narrowest possible definition of fairness. Meritocracy fails to create a more just society because at best it is about removing obstacles from the paths of those who have the energy and luck to be able to make the most of their talents, and at worst it is about social Darwinism, the survival of the fittest and the demise of the rest.

In a meritocracy the strategies and resources, self-belief and social capital available to the better-off mean that the social ladder will never operate justly. What is more, even if the ladder could be made to ‘work’ properly, it fails to provide us with the right moral template for our social and economic relationships. The Compass report argues that the meritocratic principle:

* As a distributive mechanism, undermines equal worth.

* Promotes a hegemony of middle-class living and values.

* Damages community by a dogmatic focus on individual advancement.

* Is not concerned with happiness and emotional wellbeing.

* Requires and legitimises a level of inequality that harms us all.

Social justice must go so much deeper than simply clearing the way for those who are able and tenacious. It is above all about how we look after those who may have less to contribute, who encounter bad luck or who simply make mistakes – factors that public policy can seek to mitigate but will never eliminate. They may be teenage mothers, care leavers, repeat offenders or refugees; they may have long-term health problems, learning difficulties or drug-related problems; they may be homeless or in abusive relationships. Or they may quite simply have fewer inherited abilities, having to work ten or twenty times harder at things that come easily to others. These groups have become increasingly neglected and neither coercion and exhortation nor a social mobility narrative that turns on equal opportunity will help them. For an approach that focuses on opportunities and not on the human condition cannot speak to those for whom lack of opportunity is not in fact the chief problem.

The Compass report proposes equality of freedom as a rallying point for all social democrats. The freedom talked about in this context goes beyond traditional notions of liberty and embraces all aspects of the material and emotional wellbeing of the individual. In other words, it is about the freedom to flourish, to be unique, and to be happy, as well as the freedom to use all your talents to achieve your potential. Among other things, this notion of equality of freedom helps to illuminate the importance of diversity in equality, of individual paths alongside shared responsibility, and, significantly, to make clear that equality is about raising not lowering the common denominators. It suggests that inequality works against positive freedoms by creating a hierarchical society that encourages competition and individualism, and that prejudices life chances, stifles diversity, and undermines healthy human relationships.

Equality of freedom compels us to think not only about why some freedoms are beyond the reach of so many from the day they come into this world when for others they are received as a birthright, but also about why a sense of freedom eludes many on higher incomes despite material security. Above all, it points to the good society we all seek and provides a distinct, far-reaching and hope-filled expression of Labour’s core values – equality, solidarity, democracy and inclusion.

We have become dangerously unaware of the fact that the destinies of the weakest are inextricably bound up with our own. The ‘them’ is unavoidably part of the ‘us’. It is not only that the mortification of the poor diminishes us, as individuals and as a society, but also that it materially affects us – contributing to alienation and a whole host of poor social outcomes. Redistribution and collective responsibility are therefore not zero-sum games where the more we share with others the less we have for ourselves. They are ways of living and of being that mean we are all better off.

Patience will be required. After the war, it took 30 years of progressive social and economic policies to produce a significantly more equal society in Britain. Since 1979, it has taken a further 30 years to see that progress undone and inequalities reach new heights. We should therefore expect it to take at least another 30 years of cultural and political battle, innovative policy ideas and coalition-building to set our society on a radically different and better course.

Dowload the Compass report In Pursuit of Egalitarianism here.

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1. Private schools and the pursuit of privilege