Scottish Greens’ co-convener Maggie Chapman writes ahead of the European Green Party Council meeting in Glasgow on Friday, the first time the event has been held in Scotland
THE election of Donald Trump as US president earlier this month devastated us. His victory is the culmination of years of a political system that has worked to support an economic system that marginalises, that alienates, that excludes.
These two systems have worked together, have collaborated, to cause people to act against their own interests; to give the majority of people little hope that their lives can be better; and to treat people like they don’t matter, as if they are expendable.
This is devastating, and in many ways, we are in mourning: mourning for what might have been; mourning for the destruction that is to come. Destruction of people’s lives, of communities, of democracy, of our climate.
Grief is a funny thing: we learn to live with it in so many different ways, and it is how we learn to live with it that matters: how we go on, together, to grow from it.
But grief is a funny thing: we learn to live with it in so many different ways, and it is how we learn to live with it that matters: how we go on, together, to grow from it.
We must remember, as we come to terms with what has happened, that change is always inevitable. If we stop believing that, all hope is lost. So it is about working to make sure the changes that happen are for good, not bad. Let’s hold on to that, in the face of all that is awful around us.
Part of this process is remembering the horrors that have been: remembering just how abhorrent Trump really is. During his campaign over the last couple of years, Trump did lots of horrific things: He:
– Promised to create a system of surveillance targeted specifically at muslims
– Promised to deport millions of people
– Promised to build a wall between the US and Mexico
– Advocated war crimes and endorsed torture
– Threatened women generally, and his opponents specifically
– Showed himself to be a chronic liar, a sexual predator, a tax avoider, a climate denier
This is a man who is not worthy of our cooperation, our diplomacy, our understanding, our silence.
It is about working to make sure the changes that happen are for good, not bad. Let’s hold on to that, in the face of all that is awful around us.
We must not allow ourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security by the seeming normality of politics as usual, or his failure to act, immediately, on the promises he made during his campaign, of the accommodating noises being made by the establishment, of the blundering policy U-turns that seem to be an almost daily occurrence.
We can see his intent in the appointment of Steve Bannon – who is, in my view, a white supremacist – as his chief of staff. Some people were surprised – but it should come as no shock that. The voices claiming Trump would turn into a cuddly liberal once elected were wrong and will continue to be wrong.
It is not going to be alright.
We must be extra vigilant, extra aware, extra willing to condemn fear, hate and bigotry.
We are going to have to work very hard, with friends across the world, to prevent the institutions of democracy and justice being dragged into Trumpian dystopia. We are going to have to resist the normalisation of his hate, his bigotry, his fear, in the media, in our places of work, in our schools, colleges and universities.
We are going to have to work very hard, with friends across the world, to prevent the institutions of democracy and justice being dragged into Trumpian dystopia.
And let us remember that we do not fight alone, even in the United States: Trump did not win the popular vote. The majority of Americans did not vote for his hate, his bigotry, his fear.
So, we will not be silent. We will not maintain a diplomatic politeness in the face of racism, sexism, misogyny, intolerance.
We will not lose our ability to notice, be shocked at, and show our outrage when muslims, immigrants, women, people of colour, disabled people, poor people or anyone is targeted.
We will not compromise our values of tolerance, respect for diversity, love of difference, compassion, justice and equality.
Instead, we will come together, as women, muslims, people of colour, disabled people, poor people … as human beings,
Let us remember that we do not fight alone, even in the United States: Trump did not win the popular vote. The majority of Americans did not vote for his hate, his bigotry, his fear.
And we’ve got our work cut out for us.
We know that demagogues like Trump, those who will allow fascism to take a hold of our societies, exist closer to home too. We see it in France, with the Front National. We see it in Austria with the Freedom Party, and we see it in the UK with Ukip and Theresa May’s Tory government.
We must organise. We must stand firm. We must be clear that we will not be silent bystanders and let fear and hate take hold in our lives.
We must win the argument for an enlightened society. We need to develop an exciting vision of the future that defeats the racist, sexist, bigoted future that Trump and others herald.
And the way we do that needs to be through actions that reject the politics of division by gender, race and nationality. We must act to unify just as Trump acts to divide.
The antidote to Trump and his ilk, to their vile-ness, to the strategy of dividing us by race, by gender, by religion, by ability, is to come together. To fight inequality and injustice in all of its forms.
We must organise. We must stand firm. We must be clear that we will not be silent bystanders and let fear and hate take hold in our lives.
That is an important point. Where economic inequality thrives, so do other forms of injustice and prejudice. So, as I said earlier, we have to look at our economic system, too, if we are to fix all of this mess.
We know that the economic system we have is unjust – much like the political structures we have. Worse than that, they are destructive. Our economic model has destroyed people's lives, and devastated our environments.
The ways in which these systems present themselves may have changed – Europe in the 1990s was very different to Europe in the 1980s. But, while the politics of the 1990s was more polite, more palatable, the underlying flaws in the systems were not tackled.
And the monsters we see around us now (xenophobia, victim-blaming, alienation, and so much more) have grown out of the 1990s politeness.
So we need to continue to work to change that – to make sure we highlight what is wrong with them, and to present better alternatives. It is not enough just to say what is wrong: presenting meaningful possibilities is important.
We must win the argument for an enlightened society. We need to develop an exciting vision of the future that defeats the racist, sexist, bigoted future that Trump and others herald.
Indeed, the job of the radical is to make hope possible. And then to turn those possibilities into realities.
It is not easy. It is hard work. It often feels dispiriting and soul destroying – futile, even.
But we can, we must, get motivation, inspiration and determination from the experiences, successes and failures, from those who have fought battles before us, the Rosa Parks and Mary Barbours of the world.
And we must stand side-by-side our friends who are fighting and struggling alongside us. Solidarity is something that we forget at our peril.
And it’s in this spirit of cooperation that European Green parties across the continent will come together in Glasgow on Friday to discuss how we can keep Scotland’s place in the European Union.
Where economic inequality thrives, so do other forms of injustice and prejudice. We have to look at our economic system, too, if we are to fix all of this mess.
As Greens, we’re fortunate that we have an extensive network of politicians and campaigners across the continent who share our goals, including staying in Europe, that we can tap into
Scottish Greens recognise the need to work with other political parties, campaign groups and individuals who want the referendum result in Scotland, where an overwhelming number of people voted to Remain, to be respected.
That’s why we’re looking forward to welcoming the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, who will address our event.
So, together, we must act. We must act, daily, to create the positive change we need to see. We must support our local women’s shelters, our LGBT campaigns, our refugee support groups.
We must join causes that promote equality, at home or anywhere in the world. We must get involved with friends across the continent, in a social movement to challenge injustice wherever we see it.
We must remember: at the time of struggle, change often seems impossible. Afterwards, with hindsight, it seems like it was always inevitable.
We must use what privilege and resources we have to change the debate about race, gender, class, ability, the environment, and so much more. And our actions, our struggle, must be intersectional, understanding the overlapping nature of prejudices and inequalities.
And we must remember: at the time of struggle, change often seems impossible. Afterwards, with hindsight, it seems like it was always inevitable.
And it always is.
Picture courtesy of Digi Tailwag
Check out what people are saying about how important CommonSpace is. Pledge your support today.
