What unites us now? Baroness Stowell reviews "Values, Voice and Virtue: The New British Politics" by Matthew Goodwin
6 min read
Matt Goodwin concludes his new book by describing two competing views of today’s politics in Britain.
Those who see Brexit and all the turbulence that has followed as an aberration and see the upcoming electoral contest between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer as a thankful return to business as usual. And those who believe that the voter revolts of the last few years represent the beginning, not the end, of a profound political realignment – not least because the political class, so rocked by the referendum result in 2016, turned in on itself instead of understanding how it happened and putting right where we’d gone wrong.
Like Matt Goodwin, I’m in the latter camp and not surprisingly his book provides more evidence to support that view than those who want to breathe more easily. But Goodwin’s unforgiving criticism of who he describes as the ‘new elite’, and the absence of hope or route to building a better and less divisive way forward, makes for a bleak read.
Both what and who Goodwin believes qualify for ‘new elite’ status have caused a bitter Twitter row. That’s great for publicity, and the unwillingness to accept any responsibility for the democratic disruption amongst those who dislike it the most is frustrating to say the least. But if we are to build bridges, there are lessons to be learned from both sides of the divide in how not to make a bad situation worse (jibes like “citizens of nowhere” come to mind). Moreover, we can’t ignore the cohort of younger voters who, also desperate for things to change, didn’t use Brexit but Jeremy Corbyn to make their case.
The group of voters on whom Goodwin focuses are what he describes a ‘cross-class coalition’ of non-graduates, the working-class, and older people who voted Leave and/or for Boris Johnson. What unites them is their lack of social status. He tells a compelling story of how and why, over the last 45 years, they have come to feel disliked and disrespected by politicians and the people who have morphed into the ‘new elite’. It’s not just because the latter have stopped sharing the values that once connected everyone. We’re kicking sand in their eyes, if not rubbing salt in their wounds, when we claim to speak for ‘people who play by the rules’ whilst promoting new moral virtues to signal a superior status that deliberately sets us apart.
All members of both Houses of Parliament have always been part of the ‘elite’ – new or otherwise. But much has changed since I arrived to work in Whitehall as a non-graduate secretary from an industrial town in the East Midlands over 35 years ago. I had no pretensions to power but did possess a sense of self-worth, because of the attitude I brought to my work – learned from working-class parents dedicated to doing their best in any job. The social backgrounds, forms and level of educational attainment of those I went to work for were different to mine, but we shared standards that mattered whatever our roles or position: punctuality, responsiveness, reliability, commitment, and a smart appearance. These, and other social norms which require some self-discipline or sacrifice, manifest in behaviours that generate mutual respect, build trust and bridge divides. Crucially, these types of behaviour put our characters on display. They allow us to have confidence in complex solutions to important challenges that most of us can’t possibly understand – because they provide a way of judging the motives of leaders and experts we’re asked to trust.
University degrees didn’t matter as much in the 80s, but even so, status was achievable for everyone – because the credentials of character were not beyond nor beneath anyone and were essential to all forms of success.
As university education expanded, the shared standards and character credentials that allowed me to progress beyond what my formal education suggested possible began to diminish in value. Although the elite I gradually became a member of has become more egalitarian in terms of social-class and is becoming ethnically more diverse, it is far more homogenous in its educational qualifications and perspectives of the world. At some point, the only definition of success that came to matter was ‘people like us’, and the confidence to debate and express opinions gained from higher education the only route and most important measure of someone’s worth.
Whilst I was unsuccessful in becoming an MP in 2010, it was giving a voice to the world I’d originally come from and all that it stood for, that influenced my decision to try. When I was made a peer by David Cameron soon after the General Election, I vowed to do what I could from the House of Lords in speaking for them. It is my biggest regret that, when I was at my most powerful and a member of the Cabinet, I lacked the courage to use my voice as effectively as I should have done. It also explains my relief and excitement when Leave voters won the referendum in 2016 (I had mistakenly focused on politicians instead of the voters I claimed to speak for by choosing to vote Remain), and my devastation when Theresa May dispensed with my services the following month. But that gave me plenty of time to assess the mistakes I had made.
Matt Goodwin ends by saying that, even after the referendum and all that’s followed, “a large swathe of the electorate appears disgruntled and disillusioned with a new elite that does not reflect their values, represent their voice, or treat them with the same degree of respect and dignity as other groups in society.” I agree, and this book is a valuable read for understanding better the cause of our recent democratic upheavals. But our real challenge is how to build a bridge that connects the ‘cross-class coalition’ with the graduates, younger voters and their contemporary intellect. My own experience was possible because of the shared standards and credentials that gave me status on both sides of the divide. Without them, what unites us now? For as long as we struggle to answer, the polarisation will continue and divisions between us grow yet more wide.
Baroness Stowell of Beeston is Chair of the Communications & Digital Select Committee. She was Leader of the House and Lord Privy Seal from 2014-2016
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