Time to Rediscover Real Republicanism

The proposed flag of an English Republic by William James Linton.

This weekend the eyes of the world are on London for the Coronation of King Charles III. The Coronation has shown that Britain as a nation excels at delivering pomp and ceremony. This is despite the fact that the ancient tradition of coronating a King, steeped in feudal symbolism and the Protestant religion, looks increasingly out of place in a modern, secular and multicultural liberal democracy. It is also an important moment to reflect upon the republican political tradition, as dozens of republican protesters have been arrested for protesting against the Coronation and for exercising their democratic rights and freedoms.

 

What is most striking at first glance is the great poverty of republicanism in today’s Britain. By this, I do not mean that only 27% in a survey last year would support Britain becoming a republic. I mean that real republicanism has largely been forgotten. Today, republicanism is seen by most, including by most republicans, as simply meaning support for an elected head of state. This is a great philosophical injustice. This is republicanism at its most banal, its most vapid and its most politically vacuous.

 

Republicanism as a political theory is not solely, or even mostly, about having an elected head of state. In fact, throughout history many republics have not had direct elections for the head of state. A contemporary example of this is that of Germany. In Germany, the President is elected by a national Federal Convention. The Convention is comprised of elected members of the German Parliament, the Bundestag, as well as elected delegates from each of the German states. Even the American President is, strictly speaking, not directly elected. Voters in America do not vote directly to elect the President, they vote to elect delegates to the Electoral College. It is the Electoral College that elects the President, not the American people directly.

 

For most republics throughout history, having an elected head of state has merely just been the cherry on top of the republican cake. Republicanism is about much more than the political nature of the head of state, it is about the political nature of the structure of government, its elected representatives and the citizens who vote for them. It is about the values, the principles, the attitudes and the political culture that informs a political society as a whole. Real republicanism is not just about a head of state, it is about the whole nature of government, citizenship and political society.

 

Republicanism as a political theory centres upon building a political society that values citizenship, virtue, democratic participation and the common good. These principles inform all the political actors (citizens, voters, activists and politicians) and all the political institutions (councils, devolved assemblies, the national parliament and the head of state) of a society. It should recognise the common citizenship of all within society, as well as believing that all citizens have a right to democratically participate in the running of the society, and that in all things, the common good must be advanced. Activists and politicians must be driven by a sense of virtue and responsibility to the people. They must recognise what is in the common good of society and always defend the principles of democratic participation for all, while respecting their political opponents and treating them with virtue.

 

Liberty is also of great importance to republicans. In his 1997 work Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and Government, the Irish political philosopher Philip Pettit revived the concept of republican liberty. This being liberty as non-domination. The freedom of citizens to be free of the arbitrary interference of another to make certain decisions on their behalf. In other words, the liberty that comes from not being deprived of the agency and autonomy to make important decisions, that you are able to make for yourself, without your prior consent.

 

Pettit contrasts republican freedom with negative liberty, the freedom from physical restraint and coercion. However, I would argue that republican liberty is the truest expression of classical liberal negative liberty. You cannot have true freedom from coercion, unless you have liberty in the absence of domination. Not to mention, that there are aspects of republican liberty that can be identified in the works of great liberals, such as John Locke, Thomas Paine and John Stuart Mill.

 

Today, excellent examples of republican political societies can be seen in modern republics, such as Ireland, Germany, Portugal, Finland, Iceland and Taiwan. However, I would argue that Norway, Sweden and Denmark are more republican in terms of their political societies than the modern United States. This may seem like a controversial statement considering that Norway, Sweden and Denmark are constitutional monarchies and not republics. These Scandinavian countries with strong political traditions centred around community and social democracy are far more in keeping with the values and principles of a republican political society than the US. Especially those parts of modern America that are gripped by divisive right-wing politics, conspiracy theories, the rejection of democratic principles and the post-truth fascistic politics of Donald Trump. The modern US Republican Party is far removed from advocating for real republicanism. It truly is “Republican” in name only.

 

The first step towards Britain becoming a Republic is to build a republican political society. Individual republicans can start to do this right now by embodying the republican principles of public service, virtue, mutual citizenship and the common good in all of their actions. Republics are built by citizens, not just by political institutions and national titles. Regardless of Britain’s constitutional monarchy, there is nothing to stop republican principles from being advanced throughout British society and British politics. We can start to lay the foundations for a future British Republic by embodying republican principles in our personal political conduct. In time, if practiced widely enough, this would foster a political society that centres around a richly republican political culture of citizenship, virtue, democratic participation, republican freedom and the common good.

 

It would help in the development of a popular republican imaginary, if republicans in Britain today had a symbol behind which they could rally behind. Republican movements throughout the ages have used flags to symbolise the republican rebirth of their nations. The best example of this is the blue–white-red vertical striped French tricolour that originated in the first French Revolution of 1789. In The English Republic, published in 1851, William James Linton proposed a blue–white–green horizontal striped tricolour (see above) to be the flag of his English Republic. British republicans previously used a red-white-green horizontal tricolour from the early 19^th century until the early 20^th century. However, this flag is identical to the modern flag of Hungary. Therefore, it is imperative that British republicans create a modern flag to represent the republican movement and the republican political society and government they hope to build.

 

This Coronation weekend, we must remember that republicanism is a deep and rich political philosophy that amounts to far more than just the nature of a country’s head of state. To build a Republic without republicanism is a fruitless task. If Britain was today to start having an elected head of state, without the formation of a republican political society, it would be a “Republic” in name only. Let us begin to build a liberal democratic Commonwealth by fostering a new republican form of politics in our society. The time has come for British republicans to rediscover real republicanism.

10 Ways for Progressives to Win Over Red Wall Voters

Since Labour lost a swathe of seats to the Conservatives at the last general election, there has been a lot of discussion about the Red Wall. The Red Wall is those Labour heartland seats in the North of England, the Midlands and North Wales with higher than average levels of deprivation and which mostly voted for Brexit in the 2016 EU Referendum. Progressives of all political outlooks are scrambling to try and win back Red Wall voters lost to the Tories since 2019. Contrary to popular belief, Labour was still the most popular party in the Red Wall at the local elections and a handful of gains were made by both the Lib Dems and the Greens in Red Wall areas. 

So, these are 10 ways for progressives to win over Red Wall voters. These are developed from both my personal insights having lived in the Red Wall seat of Blackpool South for most of my life, as well as the insights of Deborah Mattinson as outlined in her 2020 book, Beyond the Red Wall (see especially pages 234-235).

1. Take Pride in Local Identities

People in the Red Wall are proud of where they come from. They take great pride in their local communities and in their local identities. Pride of place is paramount for people within Red Wall communities. Progressives need to recognise this and embrace local identities. Also, they should not be afraid of progressive patriotism. Who cares if an odd house wants to fly an England Flag or a Union Flag? Most people in the Red Wall, do not want national flags to be shoved down their throats, but equally they are proud of their communities and their country. Progressives should avoid being dragged into the so-called "flag wars" between the hard left and the Conservatives. Equally, they should avoid the dichotomy of the citizens of nowhere versus citizens of somewhere discourse. Progressives in the Red Wall need to be citizens of everywhere, but proudly rooted in somewhere.

2. Don't be Afraid to Use the C-Word - Class

Progressives today seem too often to be afraid of their own shadows. Nowhere is this more clear than discussions around class. Communities in the Red Wall, like communities in parts of London, face structural class inequalities. Progressives need to proudly champion working class people and lower middle class people in the Red Wall. They should seek to address the inequalities of wealth and status which fuel class inequalities and be prepared to take on the vested class interests of the wealthiest in society. Class matters and structural classism has no place in a progressive society. Embrace class identities and give a voice to injustice.

3. Denounce the Injustices of Contemporary Capitalism

That brings me to the third point, that being to denounce the injustices of contemporary capitalism. Call it neoliberalism or Thatcherism, but contemporary capitalism is at the root of the injustices which Red Wall communities face. From insecure employment, to welfare cuts, to rent seeking destroying high streets, to the loss of public services, to food poverty and low wages; these injustices continue to blight Red Wall areas. They have only been amplified in recent years by austerity and the pandemic. Progressives need to call out these injustices and develop the radical policies necessary to remedy them. Progressives need to end social injustices, but first they must never tire of denouncing them as fundamentally immoral at every opportunity.

4. Address Regional Inequalities

There are structural regional inequalities of wealth and power which pervade the United Kingdom. Nowhere is this more true than in the Red Wall. Regional inequalities, like austerity, were a root cause of many people in the Red Wall voting for Brexit in 2016. Progressives need to support the radical redistribution of wealth and power to all regions of the UK. This means supporting either a regional Green New Deal or a Regional Investment Bank. The aim would be to funnel infrastructure spending to the most deprived parts of the country and with it create tens of thousands of well-paid jobs and much needed growth and development for left-behind communities. There also needs to be a structure of federalism and decentralisation to bring political power closer to the poorest communities and regions.

5. Give NHS Staff a 15% Pay Rise

While cynicism is rife in contemporary politics, there is one institution which the vast majority of the public still have faith in. That is the National Health Service. Especially following the pandemic, people recognise the great sacrifices which doctors, nurses and other NHS staff have had to make over the last 18 months. Solidarity and community are at the core of Red Wall ethics. Progressives must take this energy and champion a just pay rise for all NHS staff. This means promising to give all NHS staff a 15% pay rise. This is the debt of thanks which we owe to all those NHS workers who have been making incredible sacrifices not only to fight the pandemic but to keep everyone else safe. We owe it to them and the vast majority of people in the Red Wall would support it and be proud of it.

6. Champion Racial Justice via the England Team

Many cultural conservatives argue that communities in the Red Wall do not care about racial injustice. Actually, they care a lot about injustice, but never underestimate the importance of building bridges. That is exactly what the England team did in the Euros last month when before every game they took a knee in solidarity with the victims of racism. They spoke volumes to people across the country and believe me when I say that most people in the Red Wall would have been appalled at the racism of a small minority of England fans. Players such as Marcus Rashford and their actions both on and off the pitch has shown the importance of racial justice to millions of people across the country. Build bridges and champion racial justice.

7. Don't be Afraid to be Green

Green issues are often branded as "woke" by the cultural right. However, polling and election data evidence has shown a different picture of the Red Wall entirely. The vast majority of Red Wall residents support action to address climate change and believe that climate change is man-made. There is a growing environmental consciousness in the Red Wall and it is vital therefore that progressives develop it and champion green causes. After all, it is working class communities, such as those in the Red Wall, which will be facing the brunt of man-made climate change. There can be no social justice for the poor or the working class without climate justice.

8. Be Anti-Establishment

Don't underestimate the dissatisfaction which exists across the Red Wall towards Westminster establishment politics. This anti-establishment zeal fuelled Brexit. But there is absolutely no reason why a party on the progressive left could not harness the same anti-establishment energy. One clear way to do this is by denouncing the corruption which is present in the current British political system. Nowhere is this more clear than with the House of Lords. An anti-establishment campaign to reform and democratise the House of Lords has the potential to get great traction in the Red Wall, if progressives have the courage to rediscover their anti-establishment convictions.

9. Be Honest

As Deborah Mattinson points out in Beyond the Red Wall, people in the Red Wall appreciate honesty from politicians. What they don't like is deflection and lies. If a party is proposing a big spending policy, it is not unreasonable to explain to people how that would be paid for. Also, people would respect a politician for being honest and truthful and for discussing difficult issues, even if they may not be particularly popular issues, rather than presenting a false image or trying to deflect and gaslight voters. Honesty, trust and political reputation matters to people in the Red Wall. Beyond everything else, honesty may be the best policy.

10. Don't Believe the Lazy Cultural Conservative Stereotypes

Finally, progressives should avoid the lazy cultural conservative stereotypes which right-wing populists like to advance about Red Wall areas. Yes, the majority of the Red Wall proudly voted for Brexit, but on a range of other cultural issues, the Red Wall are no more conservative than the national average. As YouGov reported in May, "the Red Wall is no more socially conservative than Britain as a whole, and characterisation of voters in these areas as predominantly "small c" conservatives concerned about social liberalisation or culture wars is not supported by polling evidence." All the cultural conservative stereotype does is to reinforce the Tory narrative, which is largely fictitious and which undermines progressive parties. There is a growing body of young Red Wall voters who are anything but conservative. Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens must not buy into the Tory Red Wall narrative and to do so would undermine the progressive cause. You cannot out-conservative the Conservatives and most of the Red Wall would not want progressives to try and do that either.

There can be no Progressive Future without Proportional Representation

The United Kingdom is not a true democracy. While everyone over the age of 18 may have the right to vote, those votes are not of equal weight. They also only apply to the lower house of Parliament, the House of Commons. The House of Lords has not seen a single national election in its 700 year history. Alongside the necessity to deliver social justice and end the climate crisis, progressives have another great challenge, to build a British liberal democracy worthy of the name.

 

If you do not vote for the party that wins in your local constituency at a general election, your vote has had no impact on the final result. This means that the vote of people in marginal constituencies (assuming they vote for the parties which are in contention for the seat) carry a much larger electoral weight, than the votes of people in safe seats. Under the First Past The Post voting system, smaller parties, such as the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats are structurally disadvantaged under the system. Whereas establishment parties, such as the Conservatives, Labour and in Scotland, the Scottish National Party, hold a structural political advantage. This means that First Past The Post rarely reflects how people actually vote.

 

If we are to build a progressive country, we need to challenge the political establishment that allows for a corrupt voting system which effectively disenfranchises millions of people. This is a sham of democracy. It also undermines any potential for building a strong progressive consensus. First Past The Post leads to institutional conservatism as the parties which best preserve the status quo can cement their positions as parties of government, while smaller parties are unjustly denied fair representation. It also leads to tribalism between competing parties, petty point-scoring and ideological factionalism within parties. A system of Proportional Representation (PR) on the other hand would lead to the development of a more collegial, consensus-based politics.

 

The two best models of Proportional Representation are the Single Transferable Vote (STV) and the Additional Member System (AMS). STV is a form of Proportional Representation which supports preferential voting (the ranking of preferred candidates on the ballot paper) and would elect MPs in multi-member constituencies. This system is currently used for the devolved and local elections in Northern Ireland. It is used in the Scottish local elections and is used to elect the national Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. AMS is a hybrid voting system which combines First Past The Post constituencies with pure PR party lists. It is currently used to elect the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments, as well as the London Assembly. Internationally, it is used to elect the Federal Parliament of Germany.

 

However, there is one significant roadblock which prevents the establishment of a more progressive and democratic society here in the UK. That is the opposition of the Labour Party to Proportional Representation. This position is unhelpful and harms the prospects of forging bonds of solidarity between fellow progressives. It is utterly shameful for the Labour Party to prioritise its own power and privilege above the interests of the people and of democracy. The Green Party and the Liberal Democrats must never tire of denouncing Labour's shameless defence of a voting system which continually facilitates the election of single party majority Tory governments on a minority of the popular vote.

 

Labour is the only social democratic party in the developed world which supports First Past The Post. Labour more often than not, would rather preserve a voting system which benefits them disproportionately and allows for unfettered Tory governments, than support a voting system which would allow for fairer representation for smaller progressive parties. In this respect there is a corrupt bargain between Labour and the Conservatives to deny power and representation to the smaller parties of the progressive left. Labour must realise that the voting system is at the heart of our broken political system and the social injustices it so often creates.

 

How can Labour with an easy conscience support a voting system which almost entirely disenfranchises its own electorate in the rural south of England, let alone the vast majority of Scotland? If Labour is to truly live up to its principles of equality, democracy and solidarity, it must embrace Proportional Representation. Those brave electoral reformers within the Labour Party are the true custodians of Labour's principles today. Most Labour members, 83%, back Proportional Representation. It is time for Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour Leadership to follow suit.

 

The major progressive parties, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Greens need to work together like never before in order to achieve electoral reform. At the very least, the progressive parties must vocally support anti-Tory tactical voting and embrace a common platform which amongst other issues would commit all the progressive parties to introducing Proportional Representation. Electoral pacts between progressive parties in a limited number of marginal Tory constituencies, should also be an option where appropriate.

 

There is a corruption at the heart of British politics. Its name is First Past The Post. Those parties who support this voting system do so against the real wishes of the people. Power and privilege in all its forms must be challenged. The political classes in both the Tories and Labour who continue to support this voting system must be called out for the corrupt sham of democracy which they support. The hypocrisy of so-called progressive Labour politicians who prevent Proportional Representation must be denounced.

 

The Greens, the Liberal Democrats and pro-PR Labour politicians must be in the vanguard of a reforming political movement to bring down the political corruption at the heart of the British establishment and to achieve real democracy. The feudalistic relic which is the House of Lords must be swept away and replaced with a democratic second chamber. The vote must be handed to all 16 and 17 year olds. But above all the life blood of our political institutional inequalities and political injustices, First Past The Post, must be abolished and replaced with a voting system worthy of the name. If you believe in democracy, support real democracy. Support Proportional Representation! Make Votes Matter!