How do we approach the ugly events seen on the streets of the UK last summer? If we are to learn and understand the causes of the riots an inquiry is crucial. Although there is no guarantee that its recommendations will be implemented, this would be the best way of highlighting the important issues and limiting future trouble.
However important the lessons from an inquiry, its proceedings are necessarily slow if it is to delve fully into the failings that led to the unrest. Nevertheless, most reports and articles on the riots, and the role of the far-right in nurturing them, at some point emphasize the need for equality and empowerment – the 2 Es. The direction of travel is clear even before the conclusions of an inquiry are announced.
Proportional Representation (PR)
A first step is a voting system that uses PR. With a majority of the population now in favour of PR, its introduction would reset the way people view and feel about politics and politicians in the UK. This would help to engender a feeling of empowerment, and as such it would be crucial as a protection against the far-right.
Under the present first past the post (FPTP) voting system, Labour won a landslide majority in Parliament with 33.7% of the vote (just 20.1% of the registered electorate).
In a worst-case scenario, in which Labour lost the next election without introducing PR, Reform UK could win a similar landslide with Farage becoming Prime Minister. This is a real possibility if the Conservatives continue to implode and either cease to be the main opposition or join with Reform UK.
By contrast, with PR it is necessary to obtain more than 50% of the votes to gain an overall majority or have the support of coalition partners. In the Netherlands, such lack of support led Geert Wilders to abandon his 2024 attempt to become the Dutch prime minister despite his Freedom Party’s (PVV) dramatic win of a majority, but not 50% of votes.
PR has majority support, is democratic, and is essential to limit the dangers of the far-right. It is not a magic bullet that will set everything right. Far from it: it is a first step which will, for better or worse, give the smaller parties such as the Greens and Reform UK a higher profile.
However, the oft-repeated concern of PR leading to instability needs to be set against the inefficiency and the longer-term instability of the swings of the political pendulum back and forth from left to right and back again. In her recent article, Claire Jones highlights the main problems and uncertainties that will accompany the introduction of PR. Perhaps one of the most important gains, however, is to force the political parties to work together. Even the idea of UK politicians cooperating gives pause for thought.
A positive development is the formation of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Fair Elections, which had its inaugural meeting in September 2024 and now has more than 100 members with other MPs supporting its aims. The group is pushing for PR, ending secretive funding (the so-called ‘dark money’), and combating disinformation, all of which would lead to an increase in trust and involvement.
The Labour government
Hopefully, the Labour leadership – who, together with the Tories, are the last bastions of FPTP – will realize that for Labour to have a second term, it is likely that they will need PR. Compare their 20.1% vote share in 2024 with the combined right-wing Tory / Reform UK vote of 22.6%.
So far, Labour have made a number of poor judgements and are still having difficulty in communicating a clear vision. Although they inherited a divided, broken, and broke Britain, their first months have been underwhelming.
Keir Starmer rightly points out that Labour has done more in 11 weeks than the Tories did in 11 years, although that does set the bar rather low. Sadly, whatever Rachel Reeves did in her autumn budget was bound to cause discontent in some quarters. How could it have been otherwise, given the financial situation she inherited? Not surprisingly, she was heavily criticized by the rabid right who have had nothing useful to say as to how to deal with the mess they created. The UK has had the lowest level of investment in the G7 for 24 of the last 30 years with a cumulative shortfall of £1.9tn compared with if the level of investment had been merely average.
Reeves’ budget was certainly a step in the right direction, but given the shameful poverty being experienced in our rich country, and hemmed in as it was by pre-election promises, did it go far enough? As with previous governments, everything will supposedly come right with the growth of the economy. Perhaps we now have the opportunity to go beyond this mirage of infinite growth and ask some fundamental questions as to what the economy should aim to achieve and how to reach those goals. As Kate Raworth suggests in her book Doughnut Economics, “a secure living and jobs for all in a mutually thriving community” sounds like a good start.
Anti-establishment vote
One plausible factor contributing to Trump’s win in the US is that although the economy under Biden and Harris had improved, this was not felt by the “man in the street”. As in many other countries, it was the elite who benefitted most, with the perception among the electorate of increasing inequality. Curiously, the voters were prepared to trust Trump to do more for them, although at the same time accepting that he lies to them. Let’s hope that they will not be too disappointed.
Here, Reform UK is becoming more popular. Perhaps it is no surprise that the constituencies that elected Reform MPs were those blighted by poor roads. What clearer sign is there that you have been abandoned than if every time you drive from your home you are having to dodge holes in the road? And this is before you even try to see your GP or dentist.
If someone who you would quite happily meet in the local for a pint promises to do more for you why not give them a chance? It can hardly be worse. Never mind the lies: the nonsense of climate change being due to volcanoes which have been a constant since the formation of the earth; that an unprecedented population explosion has pushed Britain to “breaking point”; that net zero has sent energy costs soaring; that it is all the fault of record mass immigration and of the Tories and of Labour, despite Labour only just returning to power after 14 years in opposition.
How do we move forward from here? Part 2 of Equality and empowerment will explore this question.
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