Working Class Culture

Or: How Not to "Get" it.

I originally drafted this in 2017, as a response to a Labour politician's pontificating about working class culture. For some reason, I never finished or posted it, but in the light of this week's discourse about what consitutes a middle class/working class living room (with respect to Green candidate Hannah Spencer), it still seems relevant somehow.

This book belonged to my grandfather.

The son of a labourer, orphaned and abandoned in childhood, he served as a stoker in the Royal Navy, saw active service on minesweepers during the Great War and was a prison officer during WWII. I don't think he'd ever claim to be anything but working class, growing up in a world with no NHS or meaningful welfare state.

The few books he possessed and which have been passed down to me include volumes of poetry like this one (he was especially fond of Longfellow) and more Dickens than his university-educated granddaughter has read.

Somehow, I don't think he'd have gone much on (for example) Mrs Brown's Boys.

In terms of 'poverty of aspiration', there's nothing like a politician telling us we have to "get" Mrs Brown's Boys to really understand working class people and their concerns. I've never "got" opera... does that mean I can't hope to "connect" with the middle classes?

It's much the same argument with "people's legitimate concerns about immigration" - this should not simply mean capitulating to ill-informed xenophobia. 

If people's "legitimate concerns" are based on the misinformation they've been fed by a range of sources, they can and should be addressed; reasonable people will be open to discussion. If people are out-and-out-racists, nothing you can say will change their minds and it is fine to call them out for what they are.

Funny how many politicans (including Labour ones) equate "working class" with "low brow" and/or ignorant 

"Bless 'em. They're fundamentally a bit racist. you won't change them, so no point trying" is a terrible attitude but is sadly typical of much of our political class at the moment.

Eve of poll musings

“But Jill, you were a Labour member. You campaigned for them! Why are you now saying Vote Green?”

I grew up in the Home Counties in a Conservative household but several years of working for a Conservative council, along with the miners’ strike, drew me towards Labour in my twenties.

I voted Labour from the mid-1980s until 2024. I continued to vote for them throughout the New Labour years, despite being a socialist; despite Iraq (all senior politicians will embark on a war given half a chance); despite their increasingly authoritarian policies; in 2010, in the hope of keeping the Cameron’s posh boys out of office; in 2015, despite Labour’s godawful manifesto and campaign (we should have known the immigration mug merch was a sign of things to come); enthusiastically in 2017, on a manifesto which promised real hope; in 2019, despite knowing that Starmer’s People’s Vote shenanigans in an election which was entirely about Brexit had already holed Labour below the water.

After the 2010 defeat, I decided to put my money where my mouth was and joined the Labour Party (I am not a natural joiner of things, so this was a big step). I went along to my local branch meetings, expecting to be surrounded by like-minded individuals working to a common purpose. What I quickly discovered was that the CLP and local party was riven with factionalism, underhand tactics and outright cheating. Although I remained a member for ten years, my active involvement ceased after five, as I felt it was detrimental to my wellbeing to carry on (all that I witnessed and experienced was submitted to the Forde inquiry, and the resultant report indicated that I was by no means alone in my experience).

I was still a member when Keir Starmer was elected leader. I didn’t vote for him as I had no doubt that his much-vaunted ‘pledges’ weren’t worth the paper they were written on. I stuck it out for another few months, growing increasingly angry at his inability to challenge Johnson’s mismanagement of Covid or any other policy and finally resigned my membership in November 2020. The relief I felt was palpable, and I looked forward to being free again to say what I liked.

[When I had previously told my father I was applying for selection as a Labour council candidate, his response was “I don’t think that’s a very good idea.” I was expecting a lecture on his vs my politics, but he continued, “You’re far too independent-minded to follow a party whip.” Good call, dad.]

I had been privileged to have Sir Gerald Kaufmann as my MP for many years. After his death, the Manchester Gorton seat remained safely Labour under Afzal Khan in 2017(possibly boosted by the Corbyn-era manifesto?) and even with the subsequent re-drawing of the boundaries to include part of Tameside, it remained comfortably Labour. Throughout the 2024 GE campaign, I (a now-floating left voter) was continually told that I *had* to vote Labour to keep the Tories out, after having previously been told in no uncertain terms to leave if I didn’t like Starmer’s party. In a marginal seat, I’d have maybe been torn but reckoning that Andrew Gwynne was a safe pair of hands (!) I voted Green for the first time ever in a general election. It wasn’t a ‘purity test’ vote – there is a distinct difference between not voting for a party because it doesn’t quite meet 100% of your values and not voting for them when they represent only about 2% of those values. I wouldn’t vote Reform (0%) on that basis so why would I vote Labour?

I have to admit to being wrong about Starmer’s Labour government. I was expecting disappointment, lack of ambition or vision, MPs with little actual politics other than ‘being in power’ but I wasn’t quite prepared for quite how inept and yet actively vindictive they would be. Whenever there was a good and honourable action, they chose the opposite; happy to hound the sick and disabled, gleeful in entrenching  transphobia in law, dismissive of worldwide suffering, beholden to lobbyists and big business donors rather than those who elected them. They are, to be blunt, dreadful, and yet still expect a loyal voter base that they do not deserve.

I hadn’t meant to get involved in campaigning again, but having joined the Green Party last summer, I signed up for a bit of leafleting once the Gorton & Denton by-election was called and over the last couple of weeks have canvassed, addressed envelopes and popped into the campaign HQ to pick up a couple of leafleting routes on a number of occasions. The difference in culture is astonishing. There is no hierarchy of ‘important’ people vs volunteers, people are respectful of each other and the voters. It’s collegiate, organisers are happy to learn from volunteer feedback, and – crucially – everyone is nice to everyone else. They don’t resent the influx of former Labour people as some have suggested they might. It’s been a thoroughly pleasant experience, no matter what the outcome is tomorrow.

All the indications are that it will be a very close race – depending on who you listen to, it’s either a dead heat 3-horse race, Greens slightly ahead of Reform or (according to Labour) a 2-horse Lab/Reform race that removes the Greens entirely from the equation, despite them being level pegging! Despite that, all the tactical voting sites are recommending a Green vote to keep Reform out.

I appreciate that some people will reluctantly be sticking with Labour for fear of a Reform win, but I’d urge those to consider voting Green, which has the double benefit of keeping Reform out AND giving Labour the vote of no confidence they so richly deserve.

So that’s it. I have a number of reasons for not voting Labour, a mix of personal  experience and current policy. They are actively causing harm to those I love and to wider society and I will not vote for that. For many of the same reasons, I will be voting for Hannah Spencer tomorrow, and I hoping you will too.

Democracy Update

 

FULL DISCLOSURE: I am a member of the Green Party, having previously been a Labour voter since the1980s and former Labour Party member and activist. I will try and be as dispassionate as possible, but this summary will inevitably reflect my personal views. I’m not a journalist, just an engaged citizen. I may have missed some candidates’ answers but hope to have captured the main points.

 

Last night I attended the Gorton & Denton by-election hustings hosted by Levenshulme Community Association.

The event was held at St Peters Church in Levenshulme, and even by Leve standards, the attendance was amazing – about 300 people and standing room only.

Ten of the eleven candidates turned up, including the Reform UK candidate who had flounced out of a previous event in Gorton a few days before. Sir Oink a Lot sent his apologies, as he was on holiday.

Each candidate was asked to make a two-minute opening statement before taking questions:

 

Nick Buckley, MBE (Advance UK)

Leaned heavily into being a local, a former council youth worker and founder of a charity. He name-checked some local landmarks which are no longer there (appealing presumably to the nostalgia vote) and mentioning the former swimming baths – “now derelict” – without mentioning the new facility that replaced it. Or that his party is a far-right breakaway from Reform UK with Tommy Robinson as a member.

 

Charlotte Cadden (Conservative)

A former police officer, cited her work on combatting crime and grooming gangs. She also mentioned getting a second high school in Denton and improved train services but did not mention that her current role as a trustee of Sex Matters, a transphobic “charity.”

 

Dan Clarke (Libertarian)

A working class man, a local shopworker on a low wage.

 

Matt Goodwin (Reform UK)

Very slick, as you’d expect from someone with a media career on the right-wing GB News. Still bigging up his local connections and told us again that he is the first person in his family to attend university, which may or may not be accurate. Sadly, he did not divulge which Gorton takeaways he delivered pizzas to as a student.

 

Joseph O’Meachair (Rejoin EU)

Wants to re-join the EU. Passionate about the effects that Brexit has had on the country.

 

Jackie Pearcey (Liberal Democrat)

Veteran councillor in these parts. Lives locally and knows the constituency well.

 

Hannah Spencer (Green Party)

Has lived and worked in the area all her life. Says Labour has blown it locally and the battle is between Reform and the Greens.

 

Angeliki Stogia (Labour)

Manchester City Councillor. Came here 30 years ago and loves the city.

 

 Hugo Wils (Communist League)

Made the case for class struggle to fight against capitalism.

 

The first question to candidates was on antisemitism. All candidates rightly condemned it, but some were more nuanced than others. To some consternation, Nick Buckley said that he wanted “English” (corrected to “British”) integration because “multiculturalism has failed” – to a room full of people from multiple cultures. Advance UK is, after all, a far right party.

A supplementary question asked all candidates if they agreed that the situation in Gaza meets the definition of a genocide. A variety of opinions, including:

• ·       Goodwin thinks it’s a “tragedy” but ignores the term “genocide.”
• ·       Piercey states that despite any legal definition, what is happening there is "as near to genocide as I have seen."
• ·       Spencer echoes this and comes down firmly on it meeting the definition.
• ·       Stogia mentions that she has family in Palestine and has seen lives destroyed. Despite this, she does not think it is up to the Labour government to name it a genocide.
• ·       Buckley states that “our own problems are more important.”
• ·       Wils blames Hamas but stands with the Palestinians opposed to them
• ·       Cadden also lays the blame fully on Hamas.

 

The next question is on road safety, active travel, etc.

• ·       O’Meachair mentions that air quality has been improving due to adherence to better international standards, and this needs to be maintained.
• ·       Pearcey mentions that a pollution monitor on her home consistently shows poor air quality (she added that wood burning stoves add to particulate levels). She would welcome more tram provision in our part of the city, and said that we should design safety into road schemes.
• ·       Spencer mentions that as a Trafford councillor, she was able to get the council to commit to zero road deaths. She also said that more access to public transport is needed.
• ·       Stogia is keen to mention how much she had to do with implementing local traffic reductions schemes, even though the  LTNs in the area are controversial due to poor implementation and massive budget overspends (they have also filtered traffic on to other roads, moving the problem rather than solving it).
• ·       Hugo Wils says that transport is sold as a commodity
• ·       Buckley  says we need better, more linked-up public transport.
• ·       Cadden mentions that in government the Conservatives invested in transport and are not anti-car. She is not in favour of scrapping petrol/diesel cars
• ·       Clarke said that he would work with everyone on this.
• ·       Goodwin said that “levelling up” is hardly mentioned now. He is anti HS2.
• ·       Moore said that local cycle lanes appeared to have been designed by non-cyclists (this was disputed by others who pointed out that one of those consulted was Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman). He said that the LTNs with planters had not been consulted on adequately and were not good.

 

The candidates were then asked if they were members of a trade union:

• ·       Buckley and Cadden think unions should be supporting women workers re: “women’s changing rooms” (transphobic dog whistle). Cadden again fails to mention her role as a trustee of a trans-hostile organisation. This seems to be their sole concern, rather than low wages, poor employment practices, etc.
• ·       Stogia states that she has been a member of Unite for 15 years (about the time she became a council candidate, where it is expected of you to have union affiliation/endorsement?)
• ·       Spencer says that as a self-employed plumber she doesn’t belong to a union but  adds that trades are poorly represented in parliament (a comment from the floor indicates that plumbers can be trade union members).
• ·       Clarke says that he is a member of GMB, as this is the only union recognised by his employer. Union membership seems a bit at odds with libertarian thought, but if I worked for Asda I’d want to be a member of a union.

The next question was on LGBTQ rights and transphobia. Only Spencer and Pearcey express support for trans people. Stogia very weak on this and says that the Labour government cannot change the law after the Supreme Court ruling in April 2025. (They can – they have chosen not to). It sounded as if she may not personally be trans-hostile but was scared not to tow the party line.

A worrying amount of apathy, and trans-hostility from other candidates and members of the audience. This is what a moral panic looks like.

(MORE DISCLOSURE: This was my question, so I was quite invested in the answers)

 

The next question was on services for young people. Solutions, as you’d expect, vary. Goodwin says that we need to give young people aspiration again. Spencer points out his recent statement that young women should be producing more babies…

 

The discussion then moved on to fly-tipping:

• ·       Stogia mentions that the council has received £160m funding from the government and wants that to come to our area.
• ·       Hugo Wils indicates that this was a product of capitalism
• ·       Spencer wants more money for enforcement, and would hold Andy Burnham to account on dodgy landlords and to enforce standards.
• ·       Pearcey added that fines are too low
• ·       O’Meachair noted the difference between national legislation and local enforcement
• ·       Moore said that we should be ashamed of the level of fly-tipping, but that residents have to start looking after areas as well
• ·       Goodwin blew some more dog whistles. I think he means that it’s all the immigrants’ fault.
• ·       Cadden cited “broken window” theory.
• ·       Buckley stated that this is a Labour council problem and it’s “much cleaner in Denton”. Thanks, Nick!  

With the time reaching 9pm, the Chair noted that some of the candidates had to leave for other events and asked them all to give a 2-minute closing speech.

 

• Goodwin wished to address the ‘misinformation’ about him and re-stated his Mancunian credentials. He’s a Manc, speaking for the “silent majority.”
• Stogia says that this is a very important election and to give her our vote.
• Spencer says this we are not a poor country or city, but we are not feeling the benefit of our wealth. She added that we need more ordinary people in politics – voting Green will send a message and result in a good MP.
• Pearcey starts to make her closing speech, only to be drowned out by the loud exit of a number of the audience (possibly Goodwin supporters?). The Chair forcefully reminds those present of the need to be respectful of all candidates and remain in place to hear all their statements. She concludes by saying that we should celebrate this community.
• Cadden reiterates he background in public service and cites ‘Kemi’ (it genuinely took me a few seconds to remember who she was talking about).  
• Clarke speaks honestly, if hesitantly, about his beliefs
• Buckley states that it will make no difference if any of the three main parties win and urges people to vote for the candidate rather than the party.
• Hugo Wils states that the post-WWII order is disintegrating and that while working class people want peace we are driven towards war.
• Moore clearly loves Manchester, although it’s not entirely clear what his policies are.
• O’Meachair starts his closing address by stating that all the major parties’ candidates had left (Pearcey and Cadden take exception  to this) but it is taken in good spirit and O’Meachair gracefully acknowledges his mistake.

 

The meeting then closed. The vicar thanked everyone for attending and asked that we respected to local residents as we left the building.

 

My utterly subjective take on the evening  and the candidates:

The candidates:

Nick Buckley: made Matt Goodwin look reasonable and may therefore take some votes off Reform. Good.

Charlotte Cadden: Wrong on all points, but Conservative, so no chance in this constituency.

Dan Clarke: lovely man, but parliament would eat him alive.

Matt Goodwin: slick (as you'd expect from someone with a media career) and plausible if you haven't read Reform's actual policies.

Sebastian Moore: nice lad but still not sure what he stands for.

Joseph O'Meachair: he's probably right about Europe, but somehow this feels very "detached." A knowledgeable and witty speaker, though.

Jackie Pearcey: an old hand at this. Took it seriously and was strong on the genocide and transphobia questions.

Hannah Spencer: a strong performance and largely well received. Not fazed by Goodwin.

Angeliki Stogia: Oh dear. In such a vital seat, this is the best Labour can offer? I know several Labour councillors who would have made better candidates. No real passion, just the party line.

Hugo Wils: while we know capitalism is the problem, we could do with some practical ideas on how to crush it.

 

Democracy is pretty robust in Levenshulme. We are engaged and vociferous and this may have surprised some of the candidates. The event was well-run, with all candidates being given the opportunity to engage with the local electorate and it was largely respectful to all concerned.

It was great to see so many people there, and thanks to St Peter's for hosting and LCA Secretary Jeremy for chairing very efficiently. It's a Reform/Green contest. I hope after tonight, some Labour supporters will lend Hannah their vote to see off the threat from Reform, who really don't belong here.