With 22 per cent of councillors and only four per cent of MPs coming from a skilled or unskilled background compared to the 57 per cent of us that consider ourselves to be working class* is the lack of representation in government a reflection of the lack of social mobility in our society? Through organisations like the Local Government Association, I would like to find ways to improve representation and encourage candidates to come forward from a wider range of socioeconomic backgrounds.
After successfully defeating the BNP in May I was elected as a Labour councillor in Barking and Dagenham. As former prison officer from a working-class background during the campaign I went door to door listening to frustrated and disillusioned working class families questioning whether the Labour party was in touch with our values and aspirations. The BNP had hoped to capitalise on the void, but in May the community, despite their concerns, sent a clear message rejecting the BNP, who lost all their council seats. Now that we have won will the voice of the working class once again be forgotten by the mainstream political parties?
I don’t think that it is the failure of ‘state multiculturalism’, as Cameron suggests, that has led to far right extremism, but a failure to give a voice for too many people through mainstream political parties. From the outside it looks like we have a parliament that is dominated by narrow elites that are setting policy for a complex and diverse British society. Maybe Labour’s passive social housing policy and a poorly communicated message on immigration during its years in government, and now socially divisive cuts from the coalition government such as the education maintenance allowance, are a direct consequence of a lack of socioeconomic diversity among our elected representatives both at local and national level. As the gap between the law makers and citizens becomes wider, I believe the further we set back the goal of social equality in our society.
Pitifully slow improvements have been made by both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats with regards to race and gender representation in their own parties. I doubt that class is going to be a priority for a while. The Labour Party is taking the lead on increasing representation by taking action to ensure that women and black and Asian groups are represented at all levels within the party. However, as a black woman it is not gender or race, but a glass ceiling of class that now needs to be broken for us to continue to move forward.
With the aid of the LGA Labour group, I will be moving forward with a campaign that hopes to increase the level of socioeconomic diversity at local level. The launchpad to this was the spring conference on the 5 March. Discussions are taking place to consider how Labour might work with the unions and other organisations to deliver training and increase awareness.
There is a pool of experience, talent and skills that we can draw on to shape our country’s future. I believe that the selection process should be reviewed to ensure that local parties consider candidates from a wider range of socioeconomic backgrounds. We also need to address the barriers that prevent candidates from standing like negative stereotyping.
Laughing at the thought a close friend of mine, Viva Abrams, a registration support officer on an apprentice scheme, bluntly pointed out that ‘they don’t want to see any working-class MPs! Working-class people don’t know how to behave. Do you think any of them middle-class MPs would beat-up a member of the public in the middle of an election campaign’ She was referring to John Prescott’s infamous punching incident in 2001. My friend had touched on some of the negative perceptions fuelled by the rightwing press that working-class people themselves have internalised. She felt, at best, football players or ditsy reality TV stars are working-class heroes. At worst, we are state-dependent, crude and inept. There are also financial barriers: the process to become an MP can mean that a prospective candidate has to stand for a number of seats before becoming successful and personally investment can often run into thousands of pounds. This includes campaigns they are unsure of winning.
Starting the discussion and acknowledging that we have a problem is the first step in what will hopefully contribute to progress. I would like to see our council chambers and parliament be a reflection of the diverse society we have and the one that we would hope build.
* British Social Attitudes survey
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