Labour voters, come away from the darkness into the light!

I wonder if it’s occurred to Tim Farron and co (I’m sure it has) that the current existential crisis the Labour Party is going through is a key moment for the Liberal Democrats to invite the left of centre, centre and right wing of the Labour Party to join the LDs. Labour could very well become an outlier, may be split from within, and remain as a hard left protest group, with a few hundred thousand members. There’d be many disaffected traditional Labour supporters the LibDems could invite over to their side, particularly in the eventuality of a General Election later this year, and particularly if true (left of centre)/ centrist policies can be the cornerstone of the LibDem manifesto. Just a thought…

Some thoughts on the UK EU referendum

As a strong advocate for Remain I am of course hugely disappointed with the outcome of the referendum. But despite the grief of those that backed Remain - as well as regret from some who voted Leave - the electoral map looks, and is, hugely divided. I am going to say "I told you so" (not you personally, mind!!), but this referendum should never have been called. It was David Cameron's attempt to placate some in his party, and counter the threat from UKIP, but he failed monumentally. And unfortunately that will be his legacy (like Iraq was Blair's).

You could also point the blame at the Labour Party (or specifically Corbyn) for his tepid campaigning but again that deflects somewhat from what generally people who voted for Brexit in the heartlands really feel. 

Some have said it was a protest vote against the establishment, some have regretted their actions, others have blamed older people for screwing the younger generation; it's also probably true that the Out vote may not even be constitutional (as also, would a narrow In vote have been!!). But I don't think the genie can be put back in the bottle (despite me having signed all the petitions circulating currently). 

Regarding the toxic nature of the campaign (and I look at both sides as neither were bathed in glory) yes people were lied to; but as an informed person I made an informed decision as best I could. By the nature of democracy we allow uninformed people to vote, and as much as my liberalism demands I respect that, it's a failure of the Remain side, and by extension a failure of liberalism, to provide not only coherent arguments in campaigning, but also real solutions to peoples genuine concerns and fears. 

There may be attempts to roll this one back - to put the genie back in the bottle - but I doubt it'll work. I think there are some good suggestions of how we can make this decision work for everyone, but fundamentally politics needs to start addressing how the inequalities people genuinely feel, whether it's about immigration or economics.

It may not "feel" like we are prosperous or secure, but over the course of human history we have never been more prosperous or more secure. Globalisation may not have benefitted everyone and people have genuine gripes about that, but we are a globalised world, connected by a shared humanity. Our politics genuinely needs to continue with that in mind, whether it's on climate change, migration of peoples, or economic wellbeing. 

So yes, write an email, debate with colleagues and engage with those that hold different views, and try and effect change on a local level, national level or international level. There are tectonic shifts taking place and what seems to many like darker forces on the fringes of politics (left and right, but mostly on the right) are rearing their ugly heads (in Europe as well as USA). But extremism breeds from poverty, fear its host, so deeper questions need to provide answers to deeper problems. Canada, for what's it's worth, is a good exemplar of the roadmap to creating a just society, of how a liberal polity can address inequalities. It may sound idealistic but despite the decimation of liberalism across the world, we have never been in more need of it. 

Breaking with historical precedence: why I (kind of) voted for London's Labour mayoral candidate

I've never voted Labour, I've always stuck to my principles of following a liberal ideology, even if it has meant voting for a party, and an ideology, that has got a drubbing recently, not just in the UK but throughout the world. In the recent local elections in the UK, I cast my vote for the Liberal Democrat candidate in London (she got a whopping 4% of the vote in the end!), but as we also get a second preference vote, I cast mine for the Labour candidate Sadiq Khan. Two reasons I broke with my personal historical precedence: first, I closely follow what is going on in politics and look at the numbers, look at facts and make decisions based on the best outcome I believe not only for myself (though sometimes even that may not be a factor) but what is best for the wider constituency, the wider community or the country as a whole; and second. very specifically in this election, I was horrified at the racist, negative campaigning that Zac Goldsmith ran, despite what his sister may have said afterwards about him being an 'eco-friendly, independent-minded politician with integrity.'

Even before the terrorist sympathiser bashing against Khan had begun, Zac Goldsmith lost my respect when I received a personalised flyer from David Cameron and the Conservative Party lobbying for him. This leaflet began pretty well (I was overjoyed that the Prime Minister had written to me personally), talking about the values of London, how it's a great city etc etc. But then something weird happened. The leaflet went on to identify me as a Hindu (I'll give them this much, I was born into a Hindu family - we do eat steak though!!) and assumed I was a Narendra Modi supporter (I'm not) and claimed that voting for Khan would put my heirlooms at jeopardy (err...no it won't!) My immediate reaction was to place the leaflet in the recycling bin. Then I saw the reaction on the news and social media to this campaigning, and realised I was not alone in my disgust.

I saw what the Conservatives were really about. They had just won a (small) majority national election the previous year, and here they were running a politics of fear campaign.

And when Goldsmith went nuclear with the terrorist sympathiser campaign against Khan, that was it for me. It pointed to the worst of politicians and politics, a power play for the top prize without any consideration for what leadership really entails. This was reminiscent to me of the Trump campaign in the USA, and it brings out the worst in people. We need leaders who have the ability to represent all of us, together as a community, against the negative forces that are genuinely out there. The Conservative London mayoral campaign highlighted nothing positive, nothing optimistic, nothing about what they would do for London. And I had to take a stand in my own small way.

I had read many years ago about Lynton Crosby and how he had advised the Conservatives over a number of years on how to win elections through preying on peoples fears, finding that one single issue about the opposition and hammering it home until nothing else is even spoken about. But I could tell that the climate had changed this time round. That the politics of fear would not work, but that it would take for me to adapt, to put aside my political principles for the greater good.

I could have cast my second preference vote for the Liberal Democrat candidate as well, but I needed to ensure that my vote counted not only for the best candidate, but for the candidate that was running a positive, optimistic campaign (I also needed to punish the Conservative candidate in my own small way). So I cast my second preference vote for the Labour candidate, knowing that when the count went to second preference votes, my vote would truly matter. And it did. It was fantastic to see Khan win a landslide mandate and the politics of fear was outright rejected by "the greatest city in the world" (and there I thought "Qarth" was the greatest city that ever was or ever will be).

I once heard the former chairman of Cobra Beer, Lord Karan Bilimoria, speak at a black-tie dinner when he said that he was confident that he would see an Asian Prime Minister in his lifetime. The USA had just voted its first black president, and I was truly inspired by this notion. Today, we have seen the first British Asian Mayor elected to office in London, and I think Bilimoria's (and my) hope is a step closer to realisation. It's got nothing to do with the colour of his skin, rather it's because it fits into my liberal ideals that the world is a better place when we embrace differences, when we aren't afraid for the sake of being afraid, and we don't succumb to the politics of fear. Black, white, pink or blue, we are all one human race and we must not fall prey to the worst of our demons, because it is up to all of us to carry the torch for the next generation, and teach them what is good and right.

Obama said that he sees his role as President as a relay racer. He is just playing his part in a race, carrying the baton for his stint, and when it's time, he will pass that baton on to the next person. You can only hope that you do your best during your part of the race, that you make the right decisions along the way, and sometimes you will fail, but never give up, never falter, because as long as you're heading in the right direction, as long as you are doing the right thing, the arc may be long but it bends towards justice - and we have to continue to strive to bend it further in our favour.

I am one of those eternal optimists, and today I am optimistic more than ever, that despite negative forces in play, we can unite as a human race and overcome all our challenges. That's why in my small way I've been campaigning for the "In" vote in the upcoming EU referendum, and have hope that the country will not fall prey, once again, to the politics of fear.

Some thoughts on the US primaries

On Super Tuesday today in the US, I can't help but watch what's happening across the pond as if I'm witnessing a car crash and can't take my eyes off it in disbelief! I was amongst the many from across the world who laughed at Donald J Trump as a buffoon when he continuously came out with all the horseshit about building walls and banning Muslims, but now, like many others, I’m amazed at his popularity (amongst the Republicans anyway). Digging slightly deeper into the American psyche, it’s not difficult to see why the Donald is so popular. All across the world, as in America, the nature of politics is changing in front of our eyes, and liberal ideals haven't worked, and global economic woes have created the need for scapegoats. Politicians of all colours have not provided solutions to real societal problems, whether that be migrants fleeing from war torn countries and abject poverty, to a decline in real wages and employment at home.  

What Trump has done so effectively is to tap into the two dominant emotions human beings feel: fear and greed. I saw Trump being compared to Hitler in some circles, and you don’t have to be an historian to know that it is these two emotions that Hitler used to gain power, so that comparison is not necessarily that far from the truth. And in times of uncertainty, dominant emotions come out to play. 

In attempting to look at the situation with some rationality and logic, I look at the numbers behind the Donald’s run for the presidency. His nomination as the Republican candidate looks very probable, if not for any other reason then the Republicans don’t have anyone else who can challenge him at this stage (Trump has around 49% of the votes, which is more than all the other Republican candidates combined). But 49% of the Republican base isn’t a majority in a General. If Trump wins the nomination, and goes on to challenge, say, Clinton for the presidency, I reckon Clinton will win by a massive landslide or Trump might win narrowly! (It, of course, will depend on how the numbers play out). There it is folks, the US’s modern-day Hitler at the helm with one hand closer to the nuclear button! 

As an economist, I used to be of the Friedman school of thought, possibly because I was young and naive and believed markets were best placed to correct anomalies. That assumes a sense of rationality amongst decision-makers (whether individuals or organisations). But I think that’s a narrow point of view, to be honest (sorry Milton!) Translate that notion to politics, and we all have a role to play in society, including governments, and because of fear and greed we need effective oversight and effective regulation, to ensure society is protected from….well, everything and everyone. Rationality goes out of the window when our individual fears are stoked, and in times of existential crises, rational thought is a naive expectation. 

Whatever happens in the US today, we are going to witness massive negative campaigning in the coming months, tapping into the fears of individuals, and ultimately democracy will be the worse for it. In these times of uncertainty, I can’t help but think we always get the leaders we deserve. 

We are failing as a human race. We need morality at the front and centre of our politics, driven not by fear and greed but by the notion that we all occupy the one space on this planet Earth, and if we do that, I believe we will get the leaders we need, and not just the ones we deserve.

Justice

''The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.'' 




- Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

What matters to me

Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.


- Steve Jobs

Quote from Steve Job' Stanford commencement speech

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. 
Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results
of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions 
drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to 
follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you 
truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Puddle thinking

Imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, “This is an interesting world I find myself in, an interesting hole I find myself in, fits me rather neatly, doesn’t it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!”

This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, it’s still frantically hanging on to the notion that everything’s going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise. I think this may be something we need to be on the watch out for.

-Douglas Adams