POVERTY & CLASS
WORKING TORIES AND CHAMPAGNE SOCIALISTS - IS THERE CLASS DEALIGNMENT OR HAS POLITICS MOVED ON? WORDS BY THOMAS COLLYER IMAGE BY TILLY ROBERTS In the aftermath of the 2019 General Election, the issue of class dealignment has been put back on the table. With the loss of much of Labour’s ‘red wall’, the historically red constituencies in the Midlands and North of England, combined with the high proportion of the metropolitan middle-class rallying in favour of a shift to the left, it certainly looks as though class and party endorsement have never been more confused. While this may seem compelling, we might be framing it wrong. Have we moved into a new era of single-issue politics? Have Brexit and social convictions usurped traditional economic divisions or has the fundamental nature of the classes changed? Let’s start by looking at Labour. It’s been no secret that for the last few years at least, running Labour has been an awkward balancing act between satisfying the traditional core of working-class, urban, Northern voters and the more recent addition of a progressive, middle-class cohort. This divide has been further stretched by Brexit, an issue the two groups voted oppositely on. The red wall ranged from 60.3% to 71.4% in favour of Brexit. Meanwhile, Momentum, the flagship pressure group of the progressive side of Labour- campaigned avidly against it. This exposes another key difference between the two. There is still a strong nationalist sentiment within the traditional section of the Labour party, much like there was in the early to the mid-20th century when the strongholds were forged. On the other hand, there is advocacy for cosmopolitanism and a ‘global citizen’ attitude at the other end of Labour. So, maybe despite the party going back to the left, it is on social issues that the traditional base feels turfed out.
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On the other side of Parliament is the very inviting endorsement of Brexit to those who feel ignored by Labour. Despite the inner turmoil of the Tories, the party’s strong stance on this issue is thought by many to be what swung so many workingclass voters to their side. But was it simply just an issue of ruling out a second referendum? No. The Conservatives have framed the debate as between the people against the chattering ‘metropolitan elite’, somehow managing to make people overlook the presence of Etonians and Harrovians in their own party. This is interesting because of how differently the Tories have worked to convince the working class compared to recent history. While an appeal to aspirational voters has been common since Thatcher, the Conservatives may now be winning due to two identities. First, of solidarity with the word of the people, a fair enough argument given their sticking to the vote, whatever the motivations. Second, a more traditional and patriotic appearance without trying to appear ‘woke’ and cosmopolitan like much of the Labour party may have helped pull voters across. So, what does this mean for class and its alignment with party affiliation? Looking at economics, despite the Conservatives being dragged a bit over to the left, it is quite clear that to shift such a huge swathe of the Labour core is a historic change. However, on the social side it can be argued that the people have not moved but the parties, and to a greater extent Labour, have shifted instead. While class-based inequality is still, of course, of the utmost importance to the Labour party, a shift to a more intersectional view of inequality may have left people feeling alienated. Moreover, the reluctance of much of the Labour party to accept Brexit looks at best opinionated
POVERTY
