Comment: Cultural War Mongering is a Sinister Political Tool

Cultural war-mongering is a sinister political tool used by the left and right, ignore for your benefit

Rory Beveridge critiques cultural debates for facilitating division within British politics.

By Rory Beveridge Page Design by Chiara Crompton

There are many issues that divide British society and none more so than ‘cultural’ issues. In some ways, cultural divisions - or at least perceived cultural divisions - seem to be widening. Culture wars, however, are stoked by politicians and public figures and tend to have a more sinister political purpose. Are they a true reflection of what the British public believe? It seems unlikely.

Last year, the BBC announced that the patriotic song Rule Britannia! would not be sung at the Last Night of the Proms, quickly prompting condemnation from many. The debates and arguments surrounding this decision epitomise the culture wars that are occurring in our society. The fundamental question raised by the BBC’s decision – later reversed – is this: Why should the largest broadcasting corporation in Britain bow down to a small, yet vocal, minority of critics who took issue with the song’s imperial connotations?

In my eyes, the decision was clearly a mistake on the BBC’s part. In reality, many people clearly don’t see the song in the same way as this rowdy minority and, instead, see the song as part of a longheld tradition of togetherness and patriotism.

These cultural debates are rooted in an elitist, but often very public, discourse. All they do is give people, who seem to be incapable of listening past their own echo-chamber, a platform, while the rest of us are ignored. Although, to many it looks as if this is what people actually think. Twitter users do not define the national conversation – and we’d do well to remember that.

When going back to the Rule Britannia! debate, we see a pattern emerging, where a culture war is almost always fabricated for political purposes. In being so public in their condemnation, right-wing politicians were fueling divisions in society that weren’t necessarily there before. It’s also clear that they want this to happen; it validates their agenda of contending that true ‘British culture’ is being wiped out by the anti-tradition left. I might also add that the vast amount of time right-wing politicians took to condemn and discuss the issue was also unhelpful. We simply don’t need Boris Johnson’s opinion on every single cultural matter.

The blame, however, cannot be placed solely at the feet of the right, for the left is just as guilty. The attempted erasure of British traditions which are unproblematic to many - such as Rule Britannia! – was spearheaded by a subsection of the political left, and such an action has helped to create the culture wars we see today. These critics do not provide an honest or reasoned approach to Britain’s past. Instead, they engage in dogmatic and aggressive arguments, labelling any who disagrees with them as either racist or damagingly unpatriotic.

Culture wars are ultimately a distraction from the very real issues that many people face – issues that won’t be solved by simply banning a song.