Working class communities are on everyone’s mind in this election. For all the major parties – Labour, SNP, Conservative, Green – the question is: where are the working class voters?
A fundamental disconnect
My community, and communities like mine, are talked about too often but rarely spoken to. There is a sense in our community of being on the fringes of the UK political conversation and of being completely politically disconnected.
The definition of “working class” that I use in this article is not an occupational class concept, or a social group made up of people who do primarily unskilled or semi-skilled manual or industrial work. From my own experience as someone from a working-class background, and from the experience of communities like mine, this definition just isn’t true.
Instead, I use a broader definition of class: “At mealtimes, do you put slices of buttered white bread on the table for everyone to share, regardless of what they’re eating? If so, you’re working class.”
Like many people in this country, I am “poor” and “political.” We share a common culture, class, an unmistakably “vulgar” accent, and a lack of generational wealth. Our life stories and backgrounds are unique, but our access to the political arena remains limited and nearly nonexistent. why?
Poverty and politics
Being ‘poor’ means facing economic barriers that affect access to the wider political dialogue. In the UK there are significant barriers that impede the ability of working class people to take part in political debate and political decision-making.
“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world,” Nelson Mandela once said. In the UK, a lack of political education is not the only part of the education system that affects young people. A general lack of good quality education leads to failure and low qualifications. Children and young people from working class communities are more likely than other groups to go to school hungry, tired or without basic necessities such as pen and paper. Such things put their education and their futures at risk.
The Child Poverty Commission report highlights the reality for many UK children: why does the educational gap within the class system create systemic inequality? Put simply, without a good education, they have limited opportunities to participate in society.
Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are often funneled into schools with limited resources, while more affluent children attend better-equipped educational facilities in more affluent areas. Many are “lucky” to win the postcode lottery and are born into the more affluent families and areas of the UK. This disparity typically continues throughout a child’s education and into adulthood: one group of children aspire to higher education and better-paid jobs, while the other group do not achieve the grades needed to succeed in their UCAS application.
Voice of Silence
This not only impacts individuals’ private lives, but also the democratic process: when social barriers such as education exclude a significant proportion of the population from political participation, voices are silenced and concerns go unheeded.
The saying “time is money” has never been more true. The job is demanding and the political climate is challenging. To participate in the political dialogue, working-class communities must first come to the negotiating table, but “low wages, inflation and wage freezes are making second jobs a necessity for an ever-increasing number of employees.”
Many working-class people have little free time to attend political meetings, vote in elections, or participate in community activities. They need “quick” political information, which many find on social media or in the tabloids (often free to read while riding the bus). This, combined with a traditional lack of comprehensive political education and limited understanding of political issues, can make it easy to absorb misinformation and feel isolated because they don’t “get” what’s going on.
Structural inequalities shaped by layers of marginalization based on factors such as race, gender, ethnicity and religion have in turn created structural inequalities within the UK and across the political system. The complex web created by political and oppression systems has amplified the struggles marginalized communities face in political spaces. As highlighted in the Broken Ladder report, women experience gender and ethnic discrimination and racism in spaces such as the workplace, with 75% of women of color encountering racism in the workplace.
One aspect of structural inequality is the intersectionality of identities it concerns. Working-class people often experience multiple layers of marginalization that make it difficult to access political spaces or exercise influence. Racial and ethnic minorities within working-class communities face systemic discrimination and prejudice, both in society at large and in political institutions. This discrimination manifests itself in many ways, including racial profiling, unequal access to resources and opportunities, and barriers to accessing political networks.
None of us
The Colour of Money report reveals the levels of economic and racial inequality in the UK, with black African and Bangladeshi households having just one-tenth the wealth of white British households. This normalised discrimination extends beyond the workplace into economic structures where racial inequality is deeply entrenched.
Barriers within society prevent working-class people from participating in politics. These barriers have influenced political marginalization and cultural factors that have shaped attitudes and behaviors towards politics overall. There are both historical roots and community norms that can affect everything within a community, from voter turnout to engagement to trust in political institutions.
What is working-class culture? As our identities become blurred by traditional class definitions that fail to keep up with changing social conditions, people who once identified as working class now identify as middle class by traditional occupation-based definitions.
But despite shifts in ideology and shifts in class values, one thing remains constant: a distrust of the political system in most communities. “Many working-class people see politicians as naive elites who don’t understand or care about their everyday struggles.” Is this because we don’t see ourselves in Parliament?
When politicians talk about our hardships like hunger and low wages, they often speak in accents we don’t recognize. Traditionally, the people sitting in parliament in our postcode don’t come from the same backgrounds as us. We rarely see people from public housing or public schools. So how can communities trust that policymakers will make the right decisions if they’re not from the same communities as us?
A history of broken promises
Surveys show that working-class voters increasingly view politicians as out of touch with reality. Historical context gives depth to this scepticism. “For years, working-class communities have heard numerous political promises that have not been fulfilled.” Broken promises or perceived neglect by leaders have eroded that trust over time. Events such as industrial decline, economic recession and austerity have further deepened this distrust. Austerity measures following the 2008 financial crash disproportionately affected working-class communities. All this has led to lower voter turnout. How can people who feel that politicians do not represent their interests trust that their vote will make a difference on the issues they care about? In the 2019 UK general election, voter turnout was significantly lower in constituencies with higher levels of poverty.
Britain’s working-class communities have emerged as a key voting group in this year’s election, yet their voices, shaped by their diverse experiences and identities, are largely left unheard and unrepresented.
Barriers such as education, structural inequality and an ever-changing environment prevent the majority of British people from participating in the country’s political system. Limited opportunities and lack of access to quality education impede the democratisation process. There is little space for politics for many people when poverty, racism and social prejudice are everyday obstacles.
There is an urgent need for political activism that is inclusive, responsive and representative of the diverse voices within working-class communities. Politicians need to fill the gap by understanding and addressing the unique challenges facing these communities, not just for the sake of votes, but to ensure that the democratic process works as designed.
Only through genuine dialogue, empathy and a commitment to change can we rebuild trust, empower working-class voices and create a more inclusive political environment that truly reflects the richness and diversity of our society.
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