Dialogue
requires listening to other points of view. It involves collaboration and the
commitment of all parties involved to be prepared to suspend their own
assumptions and to listen genuinely to different perspectives. It means a
commitment to trying to understand why people might hold very different
opinions.
From my
perspective, Jeremy Corbyn has consistently tried to be dialogical. It could
have been one of his greatest strengths but has sadly proved to be a fatal flaw,
given the current political context.
The UK
political system is adversarial - based
on one side scoring points over the other and trying to win an argument and persuade
through arguments. It is not dialogical or collaborative.
Part of the UK context also includes newspapers that are primarily owned by a wealthy elite
who have a vested interest in retaining and maximising the wealth of the owners.
Interestingly, in the recent election, Liverpool, where ’The Sun’ (owned by
Rupert Murdoch) is shunned, overwhelmingly voted Labour. The predominantly
right-wing media has shaped popular perceptions of Corbyn as weak, a terrorist
sympathiser and not to be trusted.
Dialogue works. It works in peace processes. It works in therapy. It helps heal divisions. But only where there is a will to engage.
Corbyn’s has
attempted to be dialogical and collaborative both within the Labour Party
(which, to be fair, has lots of divisions within it) and in his broader
approach. His attempt to be inclusive led to the perception of him not dealing
with the issue of antisemitism within the Labour Party. His appreciation that
the UK has been divided over Brexit again has led to his even-handed position appearing
to ‘sit on the fence’, leading to the perception of him being weak and
undecided.
The UK is not
yet ready for Corbyn’s style of leadership – unlike some Nordic countries,
where his politics would seem reasonable, and certainly not extreme.
We now face at
least five years of what may prove to be a repressive right-wing government
that will do more to look after the wealthy than the poor, increase inequality
and possibly lead us dangerously towards intolerance.
The Labour
Party must find a way forward, in the face of a biased media an adversarial parliament
and voting system that is weighed heavily against it. It may be even more unbalanced
going forward, so progress for the party will not be an easy task.
