Some colleagues believe that I am obsessed with Ed Miliband. It’s not that I like him (he’s an odd ball!) but I do think about him at least once a day. He is my Roman Empire. But it’s not he who was made a profound impact on my life, it’s his brother, David.
I can’t find any evidence for this now but I remember reading an interview with DM about his time at Oxford (getting in with BBBD…!) when I was preparing to go to uni. Apparently, he joined every political society in the first year to help him decide on his own politics - despite the fact that his dad was a big time Marxist sociologist. So, that’s what I did.
I came to York after two years at art school knowing very little about politics or world events. Sian Berry came to my school while I was in the sixth form and her brilliance, combined with the module I was doing on environmental ethics pushed me towards the Green Party for my first election in 2008. By the time I turned up in York, I sort of knew what I believed in but couldn’t really tell you much about the other parties. So, a la David Miliband, I joined the two main parties on campus.
For three years, I went to Tory balls, supper clubs, Hagueathons (an iconic drinking event inspired by William Hague that always ended badly… for me). I went on a 14-night bender with York Labour and then promptly got very ill. We went to Heaven in the holidays and various club nights in York. I did pop my head into Lib Dem Soc but it was incredibly tragic. One night I’d be hearing some bonkers bloke opine about the divine right of kings (IMO abnormal) while calling me a commie, and the next, I’d be in someone’s dorm listening to D:REAM, looking at their Tony Benn books. It was the perfect introduction to politics and one that has really shaped my worldview since.
I like having friends of different political persuasions and I enjoy being a lone political wolf. My husband is old Labour; one of my best friends is the former social sec of York Tories (now a reformed Lib Dem). One group of friends I think of as mango: someone’s deep red (verging on Stalinist), another mild red (solid Labour), another orange (she’d say Labourite, I think probably edging towards Lib Dem) and I’m the unripe green at the end. I don’t share the same politics with anyone I know. Hell, I don’t really share the same politics as the Green Party anymore (I voted Animal Welfare at the last election).
The problem is that too few people have friendships like this. A Gen Z colleague recently told me that she’d never met a contemporary who’d voted Tory. I’m not entirely sure I believe that, but if it’s true, then I think that says more about her curated world than it does about voter intention. We’re seeing a rise in right wing voting Gen Zs across Europe - including the UK. The Indi predicts that loads of younger votes could be persuaded to vote Reform on Thursday.
I’m not saying here that we should be befriend Putin apologists, racists or extremist nutters - all of whom exist on both ends of the political spectrum. But to avoid being shocked by world events, it’s a good thing to know people either side of you on that spectrum. If you only follow other progressive, liberal types, it’s quite easy to think that most people are like you - and then you end up with bloody Brexit. None of us saw it coming… apart from the 52% who voted for it.
But back to Tories: I’ve dated plenty of them and thoroughly recommend it. They’re funny, often well off and are less bothered about being right all the time. My first serious uni boyfriend was a fanatical Corbynista and definitely less entertaining, but he gave me useful education on the politics and history of Ireland. A friend of mine is a rabid Tory (we’ve had a lot of rows on everything from Thatcher to reparations) but last year, he got married to a dyed in the wool Labour voter. I’d love to be a fly on the wall in their living room.
Fundamentally, I think being with people who don’t agree with you makes you a better communicator, better debater and more rounded political animal. We shouldn’t shy away from talking about politics and our different views either - it’s only impolite if you cuss someone out for their world view.
Saying all of this, of course, I am praying for total and absolute destruction of this Government come Thursday. I can’t wait to see how my Tory friends react.