THREAD: The old cliché goes that a week is a long time in politics. This is part of the reason why history rarely gets a look in when assessing the challenges we face in the modern day (1/11)
But I thoroughly recommend this (long) lecture by Professor Roy Foster from 2015. In which he talks about the dangers of letting loose “a new emotional force in politics that makes the old give and take seem irrelevant” (2/11)
Hatred, as Foster puts it, is part of the motor that drives revolutions and can cause traumatic moments that we only see in hindsight (3/11)
Don’t misinterpret me. Britain is a long way away from the events that Foster’s work covers. Long may it be so. A lot of people just want politicians to stop talking - so they can get on with their daily lives away from politics. This is often true at important moments (4/11)
But we should always be careful in our discourse not to let words lead to a spiral and ratchet of hatred starting at the polarised ends (5/11)
Whether Leave, Remain or on the fence – all politicians and commentators have a duty to lead and set an example. We can disagree but we don’t have to impugn the patriotism and values of those who take a different view (6/11)
These are the years for which exam questions will be set in the future. It’s an important moment to get right for our country. We are only going to get through it if we understand the values divide in Britain today, are tolerant of it and are prepared to compromise (7/11)
So much of the above comes down to leadership. A successful Brexit is not simply one where we deliver on the will of the people, however you define delivering on a question that is not entirely binary without constitutional precedent (8/11)
No, a successful Brexit is one where we leave the European Union but can look back and say it was done in a way that kept our country broadly united and generally tolerant in its outlook (9/11)
It’s just words you say. But, to paraphrase from a former Prime Minister of a different time, at important moments in history words are deeds. This is one of the lessons the political class would do well to draw from the past (10/11)
And now on with the wedding prep (11/11)
Postscript. It is wrong when politicians insult members of the public for their appearance. But they are usually doing it for a reason (1/2)
The best response is a classy light hearted put down or a dismissive shake of the head – not pumped up anger or ultimatums that give the story oxygen for another 24 hours (2/2)
