The pursuit of fame for fame’s sake seems a peculiarly modern phenomenon; and having experienced a degree of notoriety since becoming the lead claimant in the 2016 constitutional case against the UK government over triggering Article 50, I find it harder than ever to comprehend why anyone would actively seek it.
I am aware, however, that in today’s world, especially with social – or as I call it, anti-social – media, if you want to make a difference, you have to be prepared to put your head above the parapet – and that often means accepting a certain level of attention on yourself.
It was my father who first made me understand this. After starting out as a petrol attendant aged 14, with very little schooling, he became a barrister through sheer determination, intelligence and drive, before going on to become Attorney General of Guyana. When he came back from work, my father would talk to me about the cases he had heard that day, not shirking from telling me of those times he felt he had let people down, or had not been able to achieve what he had hoped to. This was particularly emotional for him as a criminal barrister in a country that has the death penalty.
He had considerable weight on his shoulders – among the many cases he took on, he defended a number of political activists who were wrongly accused under the dictatorship of Guyanese President Forbes Burnham – but his belief in what he was doing prevented him from stepping out of the often-harsh limelight. He showed me that you can be in the public eye and maintain your core values – and how one person’s actions can genuinely make a difference.
My parents sent me and my brother to England to escape the increasing civil unrest in Guyana under Burnham, so it is perhaps unsurprising that the erosion of civil liberties has always been something that I have spoken out about, knowing the damage that can be inflicted on a nation as those liberties are destroyed.
There have been other personal experiences throughout my life that have forced me to face up to harsh realities: the ending of two marriages, one of which resulted in me fleeing with my daughter while my violent partner was out of the house; that same, miraculous daughter – Lucy-Ann – having been starved of oxygen at birth, has brain damage, which means she has the reading age of a six-year-old despite being 30 this year; dealing with everyday sexism and racism when working in the City; and the next-level abuse and threats I have experienced since taking the government to court.
There’s no denying that those moments – which I talk about with great honesty in my memoir, Rise, hit me hard. But if they taught me anything, it is that you must care about yourself enough to keep going and speak up for yourself when no one else will. That is something that is often easier said than done, but if you keep using your voice in those difficult moments, like a muscle it will get stronger; you will get stronger.
If I ever need to remind myself to keep speaking up, I just look to Lucy-Ann. Her name means ‘light’, and through my darkest times she has been just that to me. She has a very direct way of thinking: if she sees someone sleeping rough on the street, she wants to invite them home; to her it is that simple. When I was receiving abuse for the legal challenge over triggering Article 50, Lucy-Ann said, ‘But that happens a lot, mummy. Quite a lot of people don’t like you’, which made me laugh. Her straightforward approach is refreshing and helps ground me. It is also thinking about her and my other children’s futures that keeps me going when I start to flag, or question if what I am doing is worth the vitriol aimed at me.
My father showed me how one person standing up for what they believe can achieve remarkable things. But he also taught me that sometimes it simply isn’t possible to do it alone. What I believe in more than anything is individuals who want to do the right thing speaking up and coming together – rising together – for the better good. There is strength in numbers, and the more we can find unity over the issues and worries facing us today, the sooner we will create the brighter future we, our children and grandchildren desire and deserve.
Gina Miller is the author of Rise: Life Lessons in Speaking Out, Standing Tall & Leading the Way (Canongate Books, £12.99 hardback). She joins us here on the bottom of this guest post for a webchat on Thursday 6th September at 9pm. Post your questions here in advance if you can’t make it on the day.