After successfully defeating the BNP in May I was elected as a Labour councillor in Barking and Dagenham. As a former prison officer from a working-class background I came from a similar place to the people I sought to represent. 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 their values and aspirations. The BNP had hoped to capitalise on this but, in May, the community, despite underlying concerns, sent a clear message rejecting the BNP, who lost all their council seats. One year on I find myself thinking 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 to 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 lawmakers and citizens becomes wider, I believe we set ourselves 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, but 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. 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.
The rightwing press has perpetuated negative perceptions about working-class people, perceptions that some working-class people have internalised. At best, working-class heroes are entertainers, not decision makers. Starting the discussion and acknowledging that we have a problem is the first steps in what will hopefully contribute to progress. I would like to see our council chambers be a reflection of the diverse society we have and the one that we would hope build. If you would like to join me in my campaign please email me on [email protected]
Josie, Well said, additionally if I may say so I might add that what we need to see is a serious re-think about how we create a fairer, more democractic Labour Party that ensures from beginning to end that those who feel they are ready and able to either scrutize legislation in Parliament or represent their communities locally as a voice of those they represent on local authorities get the opportunity to try to do so. Furthermore this is as much about overcoming sweeping generalisations about people from whatever backgrounds and addressing snobbery and the dominance of any political group in a Party that must be a stronger broad church if it intends to challenge the Conservatives and the Lib dems with their cynical regressive coalition of sell-out politics. Labour has to out-pace and rebuild its position as a representative political party at a time when unfairness is more prevailent than ever in our society and where people certainly do not have a chance, even if they fail in the attempt, to play a role in bettering society. Furthermore the greater the distance that exists between the elected elitists and the people, fueled by their fear of democracy the more likely groups like the BNP will become established and a tragic reality of everyday political life, it is not just happening here, but across the Western World, where the majority are now looking elsewhere than to a political group who consider themselves elite, but who in most walks of life would not last two minutes if tested on specific on the ground policy implimentation that addresses the concerns of the unrepresented majority. It is not just the working class people Josie who are not represented, it is the vast majority of society and never was this more clear than after the European, Local and General Election results so far. Well done good to see an article from you!