Inside The Lords: Trump and the revenge of the ‘garbage’ voters

Claire Fox gives an update from inside the Lords and looks at what the response to Trump's win tells us about the ruling class on both sides of the pond.

So - is this the revenge of the ‘garbage’ voters? While so many of our own media and commentariat class are still reeling in disbelief at President Donald Trump’s win, it’s clear that many US voters kept their cards close to their chests throughout the election campaign. With echoes of the recent upsets in voting predictions - from Brexit to Trump’s first win as president - it looks like the Democrats have failed again to learn the lesson that treating people with contempt doesn’t win you votes.

And you don’t need to be a Trump fan (many of us aren’t) to note that, for all the hyperbole about a Republican victory representing a threat to democracy, transatlantic Kamala Harris supporters here and across the pond are the real democracy deniers. Arch social-media Remainiac Otto English sums up the illiberal, anti-voter mood: ‘We have to accept that millions of Americans are misogynistic, climate-change denying, racist fucking lunatics who don't give a single fuck about anything apart from the price of gas in their tanks.’

To quote Bertolt Brecht:

‘Would it not be simpler,

If the government simply dissolve the people

And elected another’.

There will be more to say about this monumental moment in US and indeed world history, but we recorded Inside The Lords before today’s drama. And so let me return to our own government for a moment. The Labour Party has just announced that it will hike tuition fees - a complete reversal of their promises not to. But what’s worse is the manner in which this decision has been taken, leaked to the press before being discussed in parliament among democratically elected politicians. It says everything about this government, who aren’t very good at governing. They seem to have little belief or interest in proper procedure when it comes to respecting democracy. I made an exasperated point on a debate on pre-Budget leaks here:

One really dangerous thing that is happening this month is a private members’ bill on assisted dying - which has been given special status and the prime minister has voiced his support for. Whatever your position - I am strongly against - the vote is on Friday 29 November - and we’ve still seen no sign of the bill. After LOTS of lobbying, it looks as though it will at last be published, but it has been galling to be told by its proponents that it’s humane legislation that must be supported, all while never producing details of a law that will profoundly alter the relationship between the state and ill/dying citizens.

Time is running out, and worse, only five hours has been allocated to debate and vote on the issue in the Commons, despite this piece of legislation quite literally being about life and death. The idea that something so consequential and morally tricky could be rushed through is unthinkable. Well, where the government is failing to debate, the Academy of Ideas will not. We are holding an online public event on Tuesday 26 November at 7pm to discuss the issue of assisted dying - welcoming all sides and opinions to think about the ramifications of legislative change. Full details to follow, but you can register here, free of charge. And, of course, in my peer’s role, I will be one of those involved in carefully scrutinising every word, clause and nuance in the bill when it arrives in the House of Lords in the coming weeks. 

Elsewhere, I’m involving myself in the Football Governance Bill, which isn’t exactly my area of expertise. I usually rely on my colleagues Alastair Donald and Geoff Kidder to fill me in on what’s going on in the world of football. But the reason I’m doing it is that the Labour government has inserted a new section of the Bill demanding that the state should be involved in football teams’ EDI governance. This is political overreach plain and simple, and I’ve got something to say about it.

With all that’s going on, you might have missed that Kemi Badenoch won the Conservative Party leadership race. And while I still think the Conservative’s decline is terminal, it’s great to have someone in opposition who is part of the awkward squad, and will put Starmer under some much-needed pressure. There’s little to say on this apart from her victory has revealed the foulest parts of identity politics on all fronts - both from the disgusting comments about her being the ‘blackface’ of white supremacy from liberals to the old-fashioned racists on the right getting upset that a black Nigerian might be influential in politics. Identity politics is divisive whatever side of the culture wars you’re on.

Speaking of culture wars, I asked a question on the dangers of ideology distorting accurate NHS data earlier this week. As biological sex influences everything from diagnosis to treatment, accurate sex data is essential for safe and appropriate healthcare. But - guess what - not everyone agrees. In fact, a few even resorted to suggesting that I was trying to stir a culture-wars diversion. It was a bit of a tense exchange, but I'm glad to have kickstarted a debate on the issue - here is the full 10 minutes of debate in the chamber:

Later on that day, at a short debate on the threat Hezbollah poses to the UK, I focused on the need to win the battle of ideas against a normalising of Islamist ideology on our streets and campuses. But I also asked why the government, so keen to clamp down on some it labels extremist, seems hesitant in calling out and taking on those spouting pro-Hamas/Hezbollah anti-Jewish propaganda.

Finishing on the US election - I can’t stop thinking about the ‘garbage’ comment from Biden, and how it reveals an undercurrent of condescension and mistrust for ordinary working people both in the US and the UK. Keir Starmer might not be so daft as to say it out loud, but when the Labour Party talks about what they’re doing ‘for working people’, that pitying, patronising tone is there. They don’t understand the frustration people feel at being ignored or talked down to when they raise issues that matter to them - from concerns about the budget to immigration, the gender wars to the riots. This is something I’m going to return to in my contributions and discussions within the Lords. But for now, I hope you’ll join us for our public debate on Tuesday 26 November at 7pm to show what real democratic exchange looks like. See you there.