Vote for the common good!

Ekklesia associate, Virginia Moffatt, welcomes a new post-austerity consensus, where people matter and want to be heard ...

Last September DLT’s commissioning editor, David Moloney, and I had a discussion about the fact that our government no longer seems to work for the common good. We thought it might be worth putting together a selection of essays exploring why this is and how we might bring such thinking back. Reclaiming the Common Good is the collection that arose from that conversation.  It contains 14 essays from a range of writers, thinkers and activists that tackles the meaning of the common good, the changing nature of politics and economics since 1945 and the impact of this on welfare, public services, migration, the environment, peace and security. It concludes with a vision for a better future.

When we had the idea for the book, we hoped that it might provide a framework for people to think about the issues we were raising.   At the time, we imagined the next election would be 2020; it was our hope that the essays might contribute to a national debate about the need for society to change that might influence voters’ thinking in years to come.

As it is, the snap election has changed all that. We are just over a week away from polling day, and I’m glad to say, this campaign has opened up a conversation this country has been desperate for. For the first time in years we are asking what kind of society we want to be.

On the one hand we have a continuation of the neoliberal policies that have dominated for nearly forty years, to the benefit of the rich; on the other, progressive proposals from a range of political parties that benefit the majority.  And. after 7 years of austerity and rising national debt, we are being asked to consider alternative policies.  We have a choice. Do we want the status quo, or something new? Do we want a country where poor, sick and disabled people have enough resources to survive, health and education are properly funded, truly affordable housing is available for all? Do we want environment to be offered protection, the contributions of migrants to be recognised, foreign policy that is used to work for peace?

No-one would be foolish enough to predict the outcome of the election, particularly not after Brexit or Trump, but it seems to me we have a number of potential results, which may make it more or less likely we have a government that works for the common good.

It was widely believed before the election was called, that Theresa May would easily win in a landslide. Her poor performance on the campaign trail, coupled with a chaotic manifesto and an unwillingness to engage with voters has not helped her against a stronger, more confident Jeremy Corbyn and Labour’s generally sensible plan for Britain.  People who want a more progressive government will be heartened by Labour’s improved polling position since the election began.

However, given how far May was ahead (and still is in some polls) and given how poorly Corbyn has been presented by the media, she is still more likely to succeed than not. Particularly, if the rise in Labour support nationally is not being replicated locally. Corbyn needs to win in the Labour marginals where Leave sentiments are high and where many have been turned off by politics. If his messages don’t resonate there, May is a shoo-in.

But, it is possible that the work of campaigns such as the Progressive Alliance, who are calling for tactical voting in key Labour and Conservative marginals, may have an impact. If that were to happen, and the improved polling position were to continue, then May’s majority could dwindle.  In this scenario we might end up with her scraping in; a hung Parliament leading to a coalition between progressive parties; or, even (unlikely as it sounds), a Labour government.

At the last election in May 2015, I stayed up all night blogging for Ekklesia, the Christian think tank, for whom I am an associate. I started that night believing we were heading for another hung parliament and that there was a chance Labour might form a progressive coalition. I watched in horror as the collapse of Scottish Labour and the grabbing of Liberal Democrat seats by the Conservatives, resulted in a result few had predicted – a Conservative majority.  After five years of austerity, I’d hoped to see the beginning of its end. The next morning, I wept when I realised that was not to be.

And yet, the immediate aftermath of that election was to energise many who had not been politically active before.  This resulted in the unexpected election of Jeremy Corbyn to the role of Labour party leader in 2015. Which in turn has caused a dramatic shift in the party’s agenda, resulting in the most progressive manifesto they have produced in years. The rise of the SNP has meant there are voices in parliament that have spoken loud and clear for the poor and marginalised. Even the Liberal Democrats, who had supported the Conservatives’ austerity agenda in government, have begun to shift to their views. Suddenly the progressive views of the Green Party and Plaid Cymru are in the majority: something new has been building.

Which means that, next week, although I fear a Conservative majority, I have a tiny hope that we might actually get a progressive government instead. And if we do, the ideas expressed in Reclaiming the Common Good could become a blue print for how that government might govern, and an opportunity for challenge when they fail us (as they inevitably will).

But, in the more likely event of a Conservative victory, I believe there is cause for optimism. Because one thing this election has done is to expose the Wizard of Austerity as an illusion created by an old man behind a curtain.  People are waking up to the destruction of our society and are beginning to demand something better. In which case, our little book could be a helpful guide as to how to continue this important discussion.

I believe in the long arc of history, and that what we are seeing this election is the end of the neoliberal consensus. A new post-austerity consensus is emerging, one where people matter and want to be heard. Which is why I am voting Labour in my local constituency, supporting the Progressive Alliance campaign for tactical voting for progressive parties in marginal constituencies, and the Ekklesia campaign #vote4commongood.  We may not get the government we deserve on June 8^th, but we should cast our vote for the common good anyway. And if we don’t succeed, all is not lost. Something has shifted this election, there is a new understanding that change is necessary. Whatever happens on June 8^th, we should not despair because it will not be the end of the campaign, it will be the beginning.

Reclaiming the Common Good: How Christians can help rebuild our Broken World is published in July in paperback, priced £14.99. It will be a keynote book at the Greenbelt Festival 2017.