In England it’s often considered polite to avoid discussing the dinner-party trinity of terror – politics, religion, and money. So, when James Cartlidge, Conservative MP for South Suffolk, advertised his evening of ‘Pint & Politics’ at the Swan, the village pub in Lawshall, I wasn’t actually that interested. Lucky for me, a friend wanted to go, and the result was an hour and forty minutes of pure entertainment.
It’s been argued that it’s systems, not people that are the problem. After an evening where people shared their thoughts on defence, education, benefits and immigration, I’d counter that and say people are definitely the problem.
What was billed as an opportunity to discuss ‘issues affecting your local community’ turned into an evening of pearl clutching, condescension and a reminder of just how divided generations of people can be.
The politics of envy
Two topics that cropped up early on were VAT on private school fees, and inheritance tax (IHT) on farms. As the discussion went on, ‘They’re envy taxes’ was muttered somewhere in the back corner and greeted by some approving murmurs.
Benefits drew out the most emphatic chatter. Examples were freely shared as people described neighbours who were at home all day and never appeared to do a day’s work, ‘What sort of example was that for the children’, someone roared.
A brave individual mentioned the pension triple lock, but this was of tepid interest for the mainly older-skewing audience. Although benefits and state pensions weren’t part of the same conversation, the problem and answer for both was that they were complicated, according to Cartlidge, which seemed to underline the end of those particular discussions. Politics-lite in action.
Back in our day
Figures show that people tend to vote Conservative as they age; Lawshall also has an ageing population. So, when someone highlighted that young people feel they have very little to look forward to thanks to job insecurity, climate change, high cost of living and unaffordable housing, I was curious to see how age and politics would translate into discussion.
It became evident that facts and empathy would play little part in this particular conversation. A lady, perched on the edge of her seat, ready to pounce with her notebook and pen, hollered across the room ‘Do your children have mobile phones?’ much to our bemusement and concern that she might burst a blood vessel.
Teenagers were, in her opinion mostly awful because they spent almost all their time on screens – except for the one that came to help in her garden, he was different – polite, entrepreneurial and clearly an exception. That any other teenager or young person could be like that didn’t seem to cross her mind (nothing like a stereotype to fulfil your assumptions, after all).
Human nature is always interesting…
“And it’s curious to see how certain types always tend to act in exactly the same way,” said Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple.
I like to imagine that Miss Marple would have had several pert opinions about human nature had she been to an evening of pints and politics with James Cartlidge. For starters, regardless of political persuasion, I was in awe of how one person could talk so much without really saying anything meaningful.
What I did see was history repeating itself. How similar might these conversations have been 50, 75, 100 years ago? The disaffected youth, criticised and looked down on by older generations; scorn for those who are considered idle; the militarisation of fear and perceptions of threat. These conversations are likely as old as the formation of societies, and here was just the latest example in a small village pub in the middle of Suffolk.
What struck me was the stagnation. Same questions, same arguments: VAT on private school fees; vocalising the seething resentment of benefits claimants; cussing the scourge of mobile phones.
How about real change?
Perhaps the questions that should’ve been asked are, why do we have a private school system in the first place? Shouldn’t education be equal and equitable for every child? Shouldn’t we try to understand and address the reasons behind long-term benefits claims? And shouldn’t we create systems and infrastructures that encourage children to engage in their communities rather than devices?
But herein lies the problem. Because asking ourselves what real change really needs us to do is – to reiterate Cartlidge’s words – complicated.
Real change needs us to do the work. It is complicated. But isn’t that why we elect politicians – to do the complicated work? It also means we need to ask ourselves hard questions about the type of society we want to live in, and what we’re actually willing to do to achieve that.
If the evening proved anything, it’s that division and dissatisfaction are aspects of human nature that fuel the hamster-wheel of short-termism, preventing us from making real and meaningful change.
I also learned that ultimately Pint & Politics evenings are not for me. I’m well aware that we can all be blinkered, biased and selfish. What I wasn’t prepared for was the display of entitlement by a vocal minority, hoarding their privilege and refusing to see that the world has changed and that we must too.
More from East Anglia Bylines
Friends of Bylines Network
There has never been a greater need for grassroots journalism that investigates the stories that really matter, holds power to account and champions the voices of everyday citizens. We are proudly powered by volunteers but what we do isn’t free.
STAND WITH US for independent, citizen-led journalism that makes democracy stronger, and you will even get some exclusive benefits.
