Philip McGarry: Trump’s election is reflective of growing global trend in identity politics
There can be few among us who do not view the next four years with Donald Trump in the White House with a large degree of trepidation.
His frequently wild and often absurd statements - such as considering invading Greenland - and his total unpredictability are far removed from what we have traditionally expected from the most powerful leader in the democratic world.
To be fair, in his first presidency he was absolutely correct in criticising European NATO nations for freeloading on the US for their own defence, while also presciently calling out their overreliance on Russian energy. The German diplomats who openly sneered at him when he made these comments at the UN in 2018 disgraced themselves.
It is obvious that Donald Trump’s election was no aberration; rather he reflects a worldwide trend in democracies of an increasing sense of national identity, partly as a consequence of the attenuation of politics based upon class/economic status.
It would have astonished us 40 years ago if we had been told that in 2024 the Conservative Party and the Republican Party were increasingly the first electoral choice for less well off voters. How did this come about?
Paul Embery, a former official with the Fire Brigades Union and Labour Party member, wrote a book ‘Despised: Why the Modern Left Loathes the Working Class’.
He notes that the left has become increasingly dominated by comfortably off professionals, whose main preoccupations are far removed from the practical experiences of the lower paid. Even more importantly, he describes a complete lack of respect for them, and a sense of moral superiority.
One classic example was in the 2010 election when Gordon Brown referred to a life-long Labour voter, Gillian Duffy, as ‘a bigoted woman’. In 2016 Hilary Clinton damaged herself disastrously by describing half of Mr Trump’s supporters as ‘a basket of deplorables, racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic’.
In 2023 Nicola Sturgeon described some of her critics as ‘using women’s rights as a cloak for transphobia, misogyny, homophobia and racism’. And shortly before the US election president Biden referred to Trump supporters as ‘garbage’.
And given the recent debate about the ‘grooming gangs’ in England, it is worth noting that Ann Cryer, the Labour MP who first raised the topic in 2002, was accused of ‘racism’, whilst strenuous efforts were made to have her expelled from the party.
Ian Parsley, a prominent local commentator, has said: ‘We (ie liberals/remainers) need to end identity politics. It only pits groups against other groups. We don’t need to label people; indeed we should be moving away from group labels. It is not right to approach issues in such a hectoring manner’.
Jason Cowley, editor of the left leaning New Statesman from 2008 to 2024, recently wrote: ‘The Democrats campaigned as if they had learnt nothing from Hilary Clinton’s 2016 failure… Trump will force Labour to give up its old pretences and get real about the challenges Britain faces’.
This article was written days before the prime minister described politicians wanting a public inquiry into the ‘grooming gangs’ as ‘jumping on a far right bandwagon’. So is Andy Burnham ‘far right’? Surely not.
In Germany the (very definitely far right!) AFD seem set to do well in the forthcoming election, in France Marine Le Pen’s National Rally is the biggest party, in the Netherlands Geert Wilders’ PVV is the largest, while in Sweden the government has recently adopted very strong policies on immigration. Meanwhile the Conservatives seem certain to come into power in previously liberal Canada.
What can liberals and the left do in the face of this resurgence of the right?
A good start would be to end identity politics, the labelling of people and forcing them into arbitrary groups (including the two so called ‘communities’ in Northern Ireland), beginning to judge people by the content of their character rather than the colour of their skin/religion etc, working for real integration rather than perpetuating segregation, and applying universal human values rather than accepting cultural relativism.
Crucially, there should be a primary focus on tackling economic inequalities, helping people into employment, and a fair taxation system which would ensure that the multinational corporations contribute an appropriate amount to the countries where they actually earn their money.
To be fair to Labour, chancellor Rachel Reeves should be commended for increasing the national minimum wage by a decent amount.
In the meantime, we can only wait and hope that Donald Trump doesn’t head the world into a major disaster. However, it is fair to say that he has started well with the ceasefire in Gaza.
It was particularly encouraging that his ‘definitely not a traditional diplomat’ Steve Witkoff gave Benjamin Netanyahu short shrift when he demanded that he didn’t arrive until after the Sabbath, saying ‘I know Benjamin keeps the lights on’!
l Dr Philip McGarry is a consultant psychiatrist based in Belfast