The ‘Sleight of Vote’

One of the most deviously potent lines in politics is “That’s what the people voted for” – which seems to silence even seasoned interviewers, as though nothing more can be said if the ‘people’s vote’ card has been played.

But let’s rewind and watch carefully how we have gone from the casting of votes to what is actually being done thereafter. There are three types of trick which might be at work here.

[1] The Blank Cheque trick:

‘Populist’ dictators would claim that a single electoral victory is enough to instigate arbitrary rule. But in a real democracy, election results only ever confer strictly limited powers to carry out legitimate policy commitments. There is no blank cheque. For example, those who have obtained public office cannot go on to imprison people on the basis of their ethnicity, collaborate with tax evaders to leave citizens to die from hunger and disease, torture people for the way they pray, cancel all future elections, or close all schools and media except for those that will praise the new leader. Only fascists pretend that winning an election means they can do whatever they want thereafter. Democracy only works if people are assured that whoever wins power through the vote, their own basic wellbeing would not be capriciously violated.

[2] The Deceived Offer trick:

Another trick is to entice voters with one set of promise, knowing that victory will enable them to do something quite different. Famously, Brexit advocates insisted in many public forums that leaving the EU would NOT mean leaving the Single Market, that millions saved would be handed to the NHS, and the economy would thrive from the overall increase in trade. When the Brexit vote was won, these same advocates claimed that voters had given them the mandate to pull the UK out of the Single Market, resulting in the country losing out in trade and revenue, with nothing diverted to help the NHS which many of the most vocal Brexiters actually plotted to end through privatisation. To try to push through what was not actually promised is not having a democratic mandate at all.

[3] The Manipulated Vote trick

Last but not least, the voting process itself might not be valid if it has been undermined by partisan manipulation. Consider the following tactics: make it more difficult for those likely to vote against one to register to vote, or target them with contrived barriers (like ID cards, or distorted checking arrangements) to stop them voting on the day; redraw boundaries so unfavourable votes are pulled away to minimise their impact; send out false information about when or what vote is taking place; tamper with electronic voting machines; ensure one’s plutocratic backers can spend immeasurably more than one’s opponents to distract voters from the issues being voted on. Outcomes of manipulated votes are not representative of what citizens – informed and unhindered – would have supported, and therefore lack real legitimacy.

By a ‘sleight of vote’, contemporary authoritarians seek to emulate their forerunners in the 1930s and win by all dubious means enough votes to claim electoral victory. Thereafter, their plan is to brush aside the rule of law, rescind any promise of moderation they might have previously made, and plough ahead with their ruthless seizure of wealth and power. It is a plan that must be exposed and halted.

Speak Truth to the People

[Will our political leaders speak truth to the people? They’d be welcome to use this outline I’ve prepared earlier …]

We all want things to get better.

And they can get better, if we face up to what the real challenges are, and focus on tackling them.

But if we allow those who only think about enriching themselves and their wealthy backers to deceive us on every major issue, things will just get worse.

When they tell you that deregulation is good, that’s because their profiteering friends want to get rid of basic standards that protect you and your family. What they don’t tell you is that you’d not only be worse off as workers and consumers, but when the financial markets are so deregulated that banks can take totally irresponsible risks, we get hit by financial crises like the one in 2008, and everyone’s in jeopardy until banks get bailed out.

When they tell you that leaving the EU is good, that’s because they can deregulate even more and lower standards even further. What they don’t tell you is that it would hurt our economy, our trade, our businesses, so much that our country now has billions of pound less for everything you care about.

When they tell you to blame immigrants for everything, that’s because they want you to vent your frustration against people who make easy targets. What they don’t tell you is that these people are hard workers, carers, problem-solvers, who pay taxes, and without them our country would be poorer in countless ways.

& they tell us to dismiss Net Zero and reject policies to cut carbon emissions, that’s because they are on very good terms with fossil fuel producers. What they don’t tell you is that pollutions and climate fluctuations are causing severe damages, and renewable energy offers the only real alternative to get us to a healthy and sustainable future.

Instead of listening to these people who attack everything that is actually valuable to you, and who offer nothing to improve your lives, look at what we are working on.

We are investing in expanding social housing so that people have somewhere decent they can afford to rent, and in building more homes that you don’t have to have above-average income to buy.

We are investing in the training, recruitment and retention of nurses, carers, teachers, doctors and other vital public servants, so that people can always rely on the support of good public services.

We are investing in our green industrial revolution so that there will be more quality jobs, healthier environments, and more dependable sources of renewable energy. 

We are investing in comprehensive security for everyone so that protection is strengthened against military and terrorist threats, criminal violations, the spread of infectious disease, and the impact of poverty.

And we are investing in building relations with countries we can count on so that when those trying to isolate or harm us, we are able to work with genuinely trusted allies to achieve what we alone would not be able to do.

Despite all that, you will no doubt be told to brush aside what we say. You will be urged to keep blaming the scapegoats they daily remind you to blame. But remember this – what they strive to achieve is what hurts you; what you really need for a better life is what they condemn; and what we are doing is what will bring about lasting improvement.