@RoseBearx
I think another issue with Labour is that all of their so-called ‘Northern Spokespeople’ seem to be concentrated in Manchester, and lesser so Liverpool. The North East can fuck off as far as anybody is concerned. No wonder they lost Hartlepool.
Actually the issue is that politics is split along the lines of metropolitan areas with large student populations and young people and provincial towns and more rural areas. So when Labour put up a northern representative from Manchester (or even Liverpool) they are missing that point.
Its not surprising a Labour representative from any metropolitan area running an election campaign in Hartlepool has completely missed the point for that reason. Just because both are north of Watford doesn't mean they are culturally the same. Hartlepool is the epitome of the Northern Provincial Town whereas Manchester whilst its Northern is still a Metropolitan area.
People tend to paint it as ignorance driven. Its not that simple. For example if you want to get the bus anywhere around HHartlepool or out of Hartlepool I'm willing to bet you will find it a lot harder than if you live in Ashton-under-Lyne. This means your opportunities in life and in work differ. If you have the means to, then leaving tends to be your only choice in life. If you don't have the means or you are somehow unable to move due to family commitments etc, you are stuffed.
Lo and behold Johnson this morning has announced he is going to try and stop the braindrain to cities. It pains me to admit that the Conservatives are far more on the ball than Labour on this. It is the fundamental divide in our country at the moment. Places like Hartlepool were the bread and butter of Labour. It was Peter Mandelsons constituency I believe. It isn't a coincidence that Labour were in power during his tenure.
Instead the move to educating so many young people at University level has created this problem. I think education is good and that we should be getting as much education as possible. However the problem lies when its the be all and end all and there isn't an alternative path of education to opportunity for all. A non university education just isn't valued. You have a ceiling to opportunity unless you get one. Often even if you are exceptional in your field. You won't even get an interview because your CV doesn't tick the right boxes.
So there's the irony of Angela Rayner. Yes she got pregnant at 16. However she was able to get a degree which would have been helped because of where she grew up and lived. It was possible for her to do that despite having a baby. Would it be the same for a woman living in Hartlepool? I strongly question whether Stockport has the same structural issues as Hartlepool. Even with the trade unions. Rayner got lucky and remains the exception rather than the rule. Why? is the big question that no one recognises and Rayner herself doesn't seem to realise. She is held up as the example thats amazing and should be encouraged without much thought as to why her trailblazing isn't replicated across the country.
Once upon a time Labour looked at economically based structurial problems. They became well off and more middle class and forgot this. Instead they've decided to look at identity alone without the thought process of structurial issues. It works to an extent with race, but in the words of former Equality and Human Rights Commission Chair Trevor Phillips (a black man) this approach has often missed that its leading to opportunities for middle class ethnic groups (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) but this isn't affecting the White Middle Class. Instead these new opportunities are often at the expense of poor white working class, especially boys.
Far from improving social mobility we have become blind to where some problems exist because we have priortised certain groups and actively told other disadvantaged groups to shut up and stop being bigotted. If you lack an education you are often not as articulate at phrasing an issue but it does not mean there isn't a point and problem that should be being recognised. The same pattern is true with the transwomen thing. There is prejudice but you don't solve social issues by deciding that one group is worthy of being listened to and recognised at the expense of another group who lacks opportunity/adequate representation.
Labour has fallen into the trap of the hierarchy of identity rather than opening opportunities for all to achieve what they are capable of on merit. Its lost track of what barriers actually are in focusing only on identity.
Its sad and frustrating and a million miles from Labour ideals. It frustrating because its framed as these former Labour heartlands moving away from Labour rather than Labour forgetting the principles that underpinned its ideals. Instead it presents itself as being equal opportunities without understanding what enables social mobility and breaks down barriers.
People in areas where there's 'stuff' going on - be it jobs, transport, good networking, access to education - don't get places where this doesn't exist.
Johnson just nailed it this morning. Labour are once again caught with their dicks hanging out in the wind with wide eyed shock. They aren't leading the charge on this because they don't even see what the problem is. That pisses me off enormously because I don't like Johnson nor Conservative ideals but I am being forced to admit that he's got this right.
Meanwhile Labour are on social media whinging and trying to ban everyone for not agreeing with them. They need to get their heads out of the sand.