“Whilst the outbreak of COVID saw increased physical distance, it was a time which, in many ways, cut through a generation of messaging designed to reinforce the idea that “there is no such thing as society” and “greed is good”.”
In this week’s Red Weekly Column, Ben Hayes looks at the national and global instability witnessed in the last five years, and why it’s vital that socialists reconnect with mass politics.
Seeing references to this year marking the 5th anniversary of the first COVID-related measures in Britain has been somewhat surreal: bringing back memories of a period which in some senses feels like a different lifetime altogether, yet also seems like at most half as long ago as it actually was.
Coming after a protracted battle over Britain’s departure from the European Union, the mood of crisis and entering uncharted territory in many ways set the tone for the first half of the 2020s. As well as the handling of the pandemic itself (and the subsequent revelations about government conduct, which triggered a virtually unprecedented collapse in support for a Conservative Party which had looked close to invincible not so long before), the last few years have seen a series of events with serious ramifications at home and abroad. The Truss government’s “mini-budget” and spectacular implosion; price hikes which have squeezed already depleted living standards even further; the war in Ukraine and the most severe military assault on Gaza yet; and the departure and return of Donald Trump to name a few; to say the decade has gotten off to rocky start would be something of an understatement.
Of course, this has hardly come out of nowhere – instability and discontent have been a fairly consistent theme across much of the world since the financial crash of 2007. Here in Britain, it is certainly the case that the traditional paths to a relatively secure existence have been increasingly closed off. Occupations in sectors such as health, education and law which were once sufficient to secure a decent home in a region of your choice simply do not offer the same stability, with increasing numbers of workers finding themselves repeatedly moving from one cramped rented accommodation to another and, in some cases, reliant on food banks for meals. It is little wonder that the last few years have seen industrial disputes amongst sections of the workforce who have had little to no history of strike action. For millions, crisis conditions have effectively become the new normal.
It is unsurprising that this state of affairs has led to a widespread sense of alienation and anger. Any hopes of a ‘honeymoon period’ after the government of Keir Starmer came into office last summer already seem a distant memory: virtually every opinion poll released over the last few weeks has shown Reform enjoying a minimum of 20% support (and often in the lead). Even at the last general election, before the new government took over and was met with a strong backlash over policies such as cuts to the provision of Winter Fuel Allowance payments and support for disabled people, Ipsos found that turnout amongst 18-24 year-olds had dropped 10% compared to 2019.
How should the labour movement approach a society being consciously shaken? Amongst those aligned with Labour’s current leadership, there are seemingly two broad approaches (this is not to say that there are no overlaps between the two- they are, after all, products of the same political project). One is to enter into an alliance to defend the status quo from an insurgent ‘populism’, the other is to respond to the rise of Reform by attempting to combine the branding of ‘Old Labourism’ with elements of rhetoric from the reactionary right.
Naturally, there are times when it is entirely legitimate (and indeed strategically vital) for people from a range of different political traditions to work together on an issue where there is shared support or opposition. For organisations founded to represent the needs of organised labour to effectively liquidate themselves to protect a system which has spectacularly failed to preserve, let alone improve, the quality of life for millions is a road to disaster, however. Not only does such an approach fail to address the urgent need for serious change, it is worse than useless when it comes to defeating national populist projects on the right. In fact, the roots of the rise of such forces across Europe can directly be traced back to the complete failure of social democratic and centre-left parties to capitalise on what should have been a golden opportunity after 2007-08. When the disastrous effects of years of letting the market run riot became apparent, all too many of them had enthusiastically signed up to these policies rather than championing a meaningful alternative.
Just over a decade after first making its name, the Blue Labour brand has enjoyed something of a resurgence of late- with ties to key figure in Starmer’s office Morgan McSweeney and a group of supportive MPs forming. Whilst these friends in high places indicate increasing influence, they also expose the limits of the supposed break with neoliberalism the tendency claims to represent. All of them backed the cuts to Winter Fuel Allowance provision, which have proved hugely damaging to Labour’s support (especially amongst sections of the population which this school of thought is supposed to appeal most strongly to). Sending out figures responsible for policies like this to pose with some England memorabilia and a portion of fish & chips is unlikely to meet the scale of the challenge.
For socialists, meanwhile, there is a need to reconnect with mass politics after a bruising period following the 2019 general election. In contrast to a tendency (seen in some online circles especially) of attempting to complain new projects into existence, this should be a time to build unity on the right side of key questions. This does not mean anyone has to abandon their existing affiliations, but rather recognise the reality of the situation we are in and craft the most effective tools we can with what we have. Class politics cannot be reduced to competing sets of caricatures, but the basis to mobilise the majority on the basis of their shared interests.
Whilst the outbreak of COVID saw increased physical distance, it was a time which, in many ways, cut through a generation of messaging designed to reinforce the idea that “there is no such thing as society” and “greed is good”. From symbolic mass displays of gratitude for the role of essential workers, to the local networks formed to help ensure access to groceries, and even a bucking of the long-term decline in trade union membership: the popular mood illustrated how crisis can be met with a positive collective response, rather than turning against each other in a fight for ever-decreasing scraps. It is essential that we show a path based on these values can be forged in the here and now.
- The Red Weekly Column will appear each Monday on Labour Outlook from one of our regular socialist contributors.
- Ben Hayes is a regular contributor to Labour Outlook and a volunteer organiser at Arise Festival.
- You can follow Arise Festival on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, Spotify and YouTube – and see all upcoming events here.
