Walking the Walk (24/06/15)

Dan Hodges normally writes for The Telegraph, but in this piece for Total Politics he points out that while Labour members have more choice over the people standing for election in senior positions these days, the Party collectively never seems quite able to 'walk the walk'. 

So it will be interesting to see if the bookies favourites Andy Burnham and Tom Watson end up being elected as Labour's new leader and deputy leader, because it doesn't exactly have the ring of a 'dream ticket'    

Labour can shut up about diversity if it elects Andy Burnham and Tom Watson

By Dan Hodges - Total Politics

Two white heterosexual men are shaping up as the people to beat in the fights for Labour leader and deputy leader



So after the madness of the past fortnight, the Labour leadership campaign finally seems to be settling into some sort of rhythm. According to the bookies two clear favorites have now emerged. At the time of writing Andy Burnham is 5/6 on with Ladbrokes to secure the top job. Meanwhile Tom Watson is 6/4 favorite to top the poll for deputy leader.

And there are few surprises there. Burnham is popular with his PLP colleagues and the wider Labour movement. So is Watson. To the Labour party they would represent – if not quite a dream ticket – then a solid and reassuring one.

But there’s one small problem. Andy Burnham is white. Tom Watson is white. Andy Burnham is male. Tom Watson is male. Andy Burnham is hetrosexual. Tom Watson is hetrosexual. Andy Burnham represents a northern constituency. Tom Watson represents a midlands constituency.

Actually, I say it’s a problem, but it’s OK with me. I’m pretty white and male and hetrosexual myself. I’ve even ventured north of Watford a few times.

And it may not be a problem for the Labour party. The elections for the two positions are being run concurrently. An open and transparent contest. A genuine one member one vote election. May the best man or woman win.

Fine. Just so long as Labour is prepared, fully prepared, for the consequences.

And the consequences are this. If Labour does elect two white, male, hetrosexuals to its two most senior leadership positions then in it will have relinquished any claim to lecture anyone about issues of diversity ever again. Well, maybe not ever again. But certainly until it finally has the courage to put its money where its mouth is and pick someone who isn’t white and male and hetrosexual.

It’s now over 40 years since the Conservative party elected a women leader. The best part of half a century. And in that time the closest a woman has got to being leader of the Labour party is when someone has died, or someone has been given a thumbs down by the electorate.

Now, to be fair to Labour, some progress has been made. At least there are two women from the shadow cabinet running for leader this time. And a black member of the shadow cabinet also ran, for all of 72 hours. So there is choice. As there is in the race for deputy leader. That’s a veritable potpourri of diversity. Female candidates, gay candidates, black candidates.

So as I say, the issue is not choice. The issue is will. The Labour party likes to talk the talk about being a party that looks like the country it aspires to lead. But is it, finally, prepared to walk the walk?

If the bookies are to be believed, the answer is no. Of course, we have to be wary of the bookies. At one minute to ten on Thursday May 7 they had Ed Miliband as favourite to be Labour leader. A long contest stretches ahead of us. There will be many twists and turns on the way. But at the moment, speaking to Labour MPs, most think Andy Burnham and Tom Watson are the people to beat.

So if nobody does beat either of them, I’d like to make this personal plea. Please, not a peep out of the Labour party on the issue of diversity for the duration of their tenure of office. No more talk about all women short lists. Or special women’s conferences. Or 50/50 shadow cabinet representation. No more rounds of applause and gushing speeches about Harriet Harman and all she has done for the cause of women in politics. And certainly no more pink mini-buses.

If, in 2015, you genuinely think the only people fit to lead your party are two white, northern, blokes, fair play to you. But don’t embarrass yourselves, or the rest of us, with pious lectures about a rainbow party that has a rainbow vision for a rainbow Britain.

Now is the time for Labour party to finally show it’s serious about equality. If I’m honest, I’ve never for a moment thought the Labour party really was. It always seemed to me diversity was something that was trotted out every now and then to keep Labour activists and back-bench women and BAME MPs happy.

But this September I’m prepared to hold up my hand and admit I was wrong. Just so long as the Labour party doesn’t elect Andy Burnham and Tom Watson, and then try to pretend this is a serious 21st century modernising party.

This is it now. No more excuses. No more deflections. If Labour can’t elect someone who looks a little bit different from the 15 white men it’s clung to as leader during its 107 year history, or even manage to balance yet another man out with someone who looks a bit different as deputy leader, then Labour needs to just shut up. Shut up about diversity. Shut up about equality. Shut up about all of it.

Both Andy Burnham and Tom Watson can talk the talk. But together they can’t walk the walk.