Identity Politics: Rabbit Holes, Conspiracy and Paranoia
FIRST MINISTER Vaughan Gething has not got off to the best of starts, writes Jonathan Edwards MP.
It must be very difficult emotionally for someone who has spent their whole life, like Mr Gething, climbing the greasy political pole to the top only to find everything falling apart at the summit.
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss went through a similar situation, famously being outlasted by the Daily Star’s lettuce.
With a ‘ Vote of No Confidence’ on the horizon and one scandal following another, the big question is, can the First Minister outlast his own metaphoric lettuce.
The key players in this drama probably aren’t Labour Senedd Members, the Welsh Media, opposition parties or even the people of Wales.
Mr Gething will be safe for as long as he retains the confidence of Labour Leader Keir Starmer.
Starmer calculates that he would prefer a loyalist as First Minister as long as the saga doesn’t start to impact Labour’s General Election campaign in Wales and especially contaminate the wider UK campaign.
There is little evidence of that on both counts as of yet, so while Welsh social media goes into meltdown, my personal prediction is that Mr Gething might well hang on.
Of course, whether he should or not is a different question from whether he will.
I will resist revisiting all the troubles that have befallen our new First Minister.
I have long argued that big money and politics don’t mix. Major political donors don’t give money out of the goodness of their own hearts; it’s a transaction with strings attached.
Mr Gething is clearly being briefed against by his own side.
The continuous drip of new revelations can only be an internal job. To some degree, this is not surprising; most Labour Senedd Members supported Jeremy Miles in the recent Leadership contest.
When a political party has been dominant for such a long time as Labour in Wales, internal personality rivalries dominate within the establishment group. Mr Gething was always going to face difficulty controlling Labour’s Senedd team.
The sacking of Minister Hannah Blythyn was probably meant to be a signal of strength by Mr Gething but backfired. Instead of stamping his authority, he trampled his own feet.
Plaid Cymru then announced that they were ending the Co-operation Agreement, undoubtedly an act of political expediency by Rhun ap Iorwerth with a General Election on the horizon. It also fuelled the narrative that the First Minister was losing control.
At a point of meltdown, Welsh Government sources over the weekend began briefing that the attacks against Mr Gething were racially motivated.
I have no ill-feelings toward Mr Gething and think every new Leader should be given a chance. However, I held my head in my hands, watching the defensive strategies employed on his behalf.
What we are seeing is the government of our country descending into the political rabbit holes of paranoia and conspiracy.
It is not just the First Minister.
One of the best-known female political figures in our country denounces anyone who disagrees with her as a misogynist.
Has Mr Gething experienced racially motivated actions against him during his political career?
Abso lu te ly undoubtedly.
The Daily Mail article last week about his troubles was a disgrace.
Do female politicians suffer from misogynism? Without a doubt.
For evidence of the experience of women actively involved in politics, we need only read the Plaid Cymru’ Project Pawb’ report.
Do gay politicians suffer from attacks based on their sexual orientation? Of course.
We still have a lot of work to do to build a more tolerant political culture and society.
However, that is a world away from the accusations that some minority groups use to deflect legitimate criticism of their political decisions.
The emergence of identity politics over recent decades has transformed our politics.
It’s a type of politics that has blossomed as social media platforms have come to dominate political discourse.
It has an energy and a purpose that traditional politics lacks. It is far more alluring for politically active young people.
Activists, who would have once been more interested in pressure groups, have found an avenue into elected politics.
Political parties of the left have deliberately gone out to capture these issues as a means of renewing their own rationale.
The culture wars of the right are the inevitable reaction, completing the damaging cycle that has befallen our politics.
Identity politics deliberately polarise, whereas good politics is the art of compromise.
Identity politics becomes a self-fulfilling narrative where the ends justify the means - and to hell with proper processes and natural justice.
Social media echo chambers mean that those who shout loudest invariably win.
The world is seen as black or white, which is disconcerting for those of us who see shades of grey instead.
Politicians who have developed their personal brand based on identity issues often find themselves in trouble in government when faced with the complexities of responsibility and the myriad of conflicting challenges.
Identity politics is important in highlighting injustices, but when it consumes traditional broad-based party politics, it becomes a danger to our democracy.
For the sake of our country, I would hope that Mr Gething will draw back from the accusation that anyone who disagrees with him or scrutinises his actions must be, by definition, a racist.