CommonSpace columnist David Carr reflects on the language of politics and how it shapes the way we do business
STURGEON SLAMS. Davidson attacks. Dugdale hits out. Harvie savages. You’d be forgiven for thinking that our news media were reporting on a surreal mixed martial arts bout rather than the everyday political business of sitting around and talking. It certainly makes it sound more interesting – and 'interesting' counts in the media marketplace. But does it influence our political culture?
We are accustomed to seeing politics as oppositional. Even the way we talk about it falls so easily into the language of the media. Journalese shapes how we – politicians and voters – talk and think about and practice politics.
A recent headline in The Courier: “Liberal Democrats demand rural affairs minister is axed before party will back SNP” caused uproar on my social media – "The Lieberals/Fiberals are in no position to demand!"
Politics is a fight, a battle, a war. You must take sides, wield your weapons and prove your manly vigour. Well – real life is not quite like that.
The piece itself described some fairly quotidien political discussion, though I’d have been worried about the axes if I were the minister. Nobody is, as the piece claimed, "taking scalps", but now I can’t shake a mental image of Willie Rennie in The Revenant. Do read it. It’s a hilarious set piece of chain-jerking journalistic cliché.
The attitudes it reflects are routine. Politics is a fight, a battle, a war. You must take sides, wield your weapons and prove your manly vigour. Well – real life is not quite like that. First Minister’s Questions bears only passing resemblance to Game of Thrones. It’s still just folk sitting around and a couple of them talking – but talking in oppositional language.
This whole adversarial mindset – which permeates from top to bottom – shapes the way we do politics. It gets in the way of having a sensible discussion on how we can figure out our problems.
For example – how do we address the sectarianism, associated with football but which goes beyond football and blights everyday lives? It’s a multi-layered problem. So far, the Scottish Government has enacted the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act as its contribution. There’s a worthwhile debate to be had over whether this doubtless well-intentioned Bill is ineffective and problematic and whether there’s a better approach. So let’s talk about that.
A recent National front page read 'Clash looms over anti-sectarian law'; it risked being "killed", which sounds quite drastic.
This whole adversarial mindset – which permeates from top to bottom – shapes the way we do politics. It gets in the way of having a sensible discussion on how we can figure out our problems.
I’ve had it all explained to me on social media. If the Greens side with the Tories and the 'Red Tories' and the 'Lieberals' it will show that the Greens can’t be trusted. In the bigger battle between independence and Unionism, some fear that the Greens are closet "Yoons".
This isn’t even about independence, but for some their side must always win – even in a minority government. And they have a point. Sections of the mainstream media will scent blood from a wounded government – which will have been "smashed".
In a less bellicose worldview, maybe it just means that MSPs – some SNP MSPs among them – don’t think the legislation is helpful in its current form. But at least we now have a chance to discuss the best ways to handle sectarianism. Maybe the government will offer fresh proposals. But the oppositional vibe still has a real world impact on the parliamentary structure in which this discussion takes place. Whips must whip.
Speaking of Lieberals, Red Tories and Yoons. Harmless nicknames? Perhaps. But no sane person smiled beyond the first time they heard them. They’re hardly even accurate, are they? Sure, Alistair Carmichael lied, but most Lib Dems are honest, decent folk. And there are Labour voters who are as passionately opposed to the Tories as anyone. If you’re serious about winning over voters, does it help to stereotype and 'other' them via the parties they vote for? It’s hardly endearing.
But it isn’t just Lib Dems who fib. It is routine to toss around words like 'liars!' and 'hypocrites!' whenever a policy inconsistency is perceived. Robust language is one thing – certain shouty individuals seem to get off on it – but where do you go if you’ve already gone all the way up to eleven on the outrage scale?
The government – and its supporters – need to be able to engage with ideas and critiques from within and outwith parliament without seeing them as opposition.
This knee-jerk demonisation closes down debate. Oppositional language excludes more nuanced, alternative ways of looking at problems. If your biggest concern is a Yoons v Nats smackdown, then you’re probably not devoting so much space – in the media or in heads – to all the other things we need to do to to make Scotland a better place.
Scottish politics has become polarised around independence. I am being told repeatedly that everything else has to wait: there are no votes on the left; the Greens are treacherous splitters; play safe: appeal to a notional middle Scotland; don’t disturb the status quo too much.
The reality is more nuanced. One hopes that the government knows that we will only become independent if they can convince enough people they are delivering economic and environmental justice for all of us. That will mean engaging with left and green ideas on how to make Scotland a better place. But you wouldn’t know it from the one trick ponies all over my social media.
The Yes movement faces a tricky time over the next parliament. We lack the rainbow 'parliament of all the talents' to put forward all of the ideas and perspectives that we need. It would be all too tempting to slip into a laager mentality. The government – and its supporters – need to be able to engage with ideas and critiques from within and outwith parliament without seeing them as opposition.
Let’s just carry on making Scotland better. Don’t play to the headlines. It’s not a fight.
Picture courtesy of jurek d.
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