Brexit – Ben’s Blog

This was a short piece I wrote in November last year.

The two biggest challenges facing Parliament are its lack of diversity and its own processes.

Most would want a truly diverse Parliament drawn from a wide cross-section of society. But at present, this is not the case. The working practices of Parliament, with its long-hours culture and late-night debates and votes, seem to be deterring some groups from entering Parliament or driving them away. This is particularly true in the House of Commons where many groups, such as working mothers, are under-represented. This problem is exacerbated by social media, where an aggressive, bullying culture has led many women to leave the Commons in recent months.

Parliament could set up a review of its processes to make it more accessible. It could have a set length of working day along with clearer boundaries on when debates are held and their length. Large companies do not hold board meetings, or shareholder votes at 10 o’clock at night. Why does Parliament? The review could also include stricter controls on social media, so that representatives are not subjected to abuse.

Parliament also faces challenges surrounding its own processes. This has been highlighted by the Brexit saga. While Parliament has been doing its job in the process, subjecting the issue to rigorous review and analysis, the public have been left confused by the workings of the chambers. Brexit has given the public a crash course in the inner workings of Britain’s constitution. From the role of referendums in our democracy to the Irish Backstop and prorogation, the public has been left confused and angry by their country’s seemingly arcane processes.

This represents a fundamental challenge to the legitimacy of Parliament as trust in politics falls lower and lower. Parliament must rise to this challenge through better communication and better processes. Parliament needs to communicate its crucial role as a check on the executive. But Parliament needs at look to itself too. Brexit has shone a light on parts of the constitution that are no longer in keeping with modern Britain. Parliament must respond to this.

I wrote this report shortly after the December election. Most of it still holds up and a lot of it has already been enacted. There are also a few ideas that are yet to be announced that I still think are likely.

The Conservative Party face a unique and challenging 5 years in government. They won the election with a massive 80-seat majority having won constituencies previously thought unwinnable in Labour’s traditional heartlands. The scale and nature of their victory, as well as the changing political climate, means that they will need a carefully considered strategic communications approach. There are three parts to this approach; they need to get Brexit done, deliver for their new voters and to start working for young people.

Brexit

‘Get Brexit Done’ was the three-word mantra that was repeated endlessly to obvious success during the election, playing well with a public frustrated with Brexit delay. The communications approach should be minimal. It should be clear that Brexit is ‘getting done’ but the government should avoid triumphalist rhetoric. Middle-England is not proud of Brexit, Big Ben should not chime on ‘Brexit Day’.

New Voters

The Conservatives need to deliver for their new voters in the Midlands, the North and those ‘left behind’. There is a recognition that many traditional Labour voters ‘lent’ the Conservatives their vote for this election only. As Boris Johnson said upon re-entering Number 10, he needs to “reward the trust” of his unlikely voters. The Conservatives will need to communicate that they care about the whole country, not just London, and ironically for the many, not the few.

Policy:

High-profile investment – projects focused on helping these areas should be the focus of the Budget in March.
Devolution – would show the government cared about the whole country and not just London. James Cleverly was shrewd when he said the House of Lords could be moved to York. Even if it doesn’t happen, it shows how this government is thinking.
Euros – is being jointly hosted by England. The FA’s headquarters could be relocated to the Midlands near the St George’s training facility.
World Design Capital of the year – is currently Lille with Valencia following in 2022, why not Manchester or Birmingham in 2024?

Communication:

MPs – should be encouraged to be more visible in their constituencies with more emphasis on local campaigns so people feel represented.
#rorywalks – was the standout communications success from the Conservative leadership election. The public respected a politician getting out of London to talk to people. MPs in marginal seats could follow suit, broadcasting it on Facebook and Twitter.
Mainstream media – is a must for a populist government. The boycott of Today could continue while popular, non-news related programmes like A Question of Sport could be explored.

Young People

However, the election did not bring up all the communications challenges that the Conservatives will face in the next 5 years. So far, the Conservatives have ridden the wave of New Populism to appeal to those who want to ‘take back control’. However, younger generations have never felt like they were in control, instead they have their own problems and feel ignored. As the Fourth Industrial Revolution affects our lives more and more, the pressure for change from younger generations will increase. The Conservatives cannot ignore them. If another party cracks the politics of the Fourth Industrial Revolution first the Conservatives will struggle after 2030.

Policy:

Housing – extend the Right to Buy ISA and introduce policies to encourage house building and protect private rental tenants.
Student loans – reduce the interest rate.
Environment – introduce symbolical policies in Parliament, such as announcing a pledge to go carbon neutral by 2030 at CP26 held in Glasgow this year.

Communication:

MPs – could visit sixth-form centres and universities in their constituencies on a regular basis. By talking to young people in small groups they would hear what issues young people care about.
Government dynamism – will be key if the government is to handle the coming technological change. Dominic Cumming’s blog advertising jobs for “weirdos and misfits” signals an appreciation of this.
New media – channels will need to be explored if the government wants to reach young people. MPs could appear in videos with popular YouTubers or even launch their own channels, perhaps vlogging ‘a day in the life’ style.

Overall, the Conservatives face a tough 5 years given the unusual circumstances in which they came into government. However, with the right strategic communications they could secure a time in office unprecedented in modern times. If they get it right, they could be the government that solved Brexit, healed the wounds of a divided nation and prepared Britain for a turbulent future.