London
as a separate city-state? The capital needs to check its privilege
Suzanne Moore
Wanting
to be rid of those horrible leave voters in the provinces is
unbelievably smug and narcissistic. And remember, snobs: class
contempt works both ways
Build a wall. That’s
what sensible people do when the world is not how they want it to be,
isn’t it? Build a wall around London and declare it independent. If
not a wall, then maybe a moat, because I am not quite sure how this
city-state will work, only that a lot of people have been suggesting
this. What a morbid symptom of the crisis this is.
There is a petition.
There is always a petition. Somehow London will be linked to a free
Scotland. Perhaps with a bridge, perhaps a tunnel – the
technicalities have yet to be sorted out – but you would not want
to step on any of those horrible leave voters in the rest of the
country, would you?
This feeling is
understandable, a form of cocooning after trauma, but it is also
unbelievably smug and narcissistic. The runes were not read correctly
by many before this referendum and they are still not being read
correctly.
The divides that
this vote has caused are wide and complicated. People are complicated
and contain multitudes – except, apparently, leave voters, who are
all thick old racists who have socked it to a still unbelieving
establishment.
I cannot believe
what I am hearing. Absolutely undemocratic sentiment from those who
claim to be progressive
It is now seemingly
permissible to mock anyone who voted the “wrong” way, and for the
“wrong” reasons. They shouldn’t have been allowed to vote in
the first place. They obviously didn’t understand the voting
system. They didn’t think their votes counted (I completely
identify with that, because in elections they often don’t). They
are all self-harming, wrong-headed idiots!
I understand that
people are trying to get these attitudes to leave voters out of their
system, but where do we go with this? One answer that many are opting
for is that we should keep them out of London – which is young,
“vibrant”, multicultural.
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Do you want the rest
of the country to fester in its own stupidity and hatred? Fine, then
do not listen to your own non-negotiable anger and narrow-mindedness.
I am not immune or above any of these feelings, but I need to listen
and find hope.
In my neighbourhood,
the remain posters stuck in the windows have been turned over and are
now displayed with sad faces drawn on them. This is a neighbourhood
in London, because I am part of the metropolitan elite now.
I worked hard to be.
I spent my entire adolescence trying to get to London, I have brought
up my children here. But my God – the arrogance right now of my
chosen home is unbelievable to me.
For a start, not all
of London voted remain, so if you want to live in a morally pure
city-state, I have bad news: 40% of your neighbours voted leave. You
could try asking them why. You don’t need to leave London to hear
utter despair.
The fantasy London,
all good and European, cannot listen to the rest of the country,
because it cannot even see what is on its own doorstep. To live here
you have to avert your eyes a lot of the time to the beggars and
mentally ill people on the streets.
Rich London may be
the centre of the world, but where does the fuel come from that
powers its engines? Has the rest of the country nothing to contribute
but its oafishness? I cannot believe what I am hearing. Absolutely
undemocratic sentiment from those who claim to be progressive, who
claim to know better.
People are
heartbroken at the moment – people who have refused, for many
reasons, to understand the heartache of so many others. Of course,
the media-savvy, educated, Uber-loving loft-dwellers may celebrate
our great diversity and tolerance in London. But get real: we are the
home of some of the worst inequality in the country too.
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The wealthiest of us
live as long as the Japanese, the poorest as long as the Guatemalans.
We had the glorious Olympics and we had the riots, and now we have
the cultured class being defensive when they should be open, suddenly
seeing a culture war that has existed for a long, long time. The
artistic director of the Young Vic is correct that this vote “was
also a vote against London”.
There is anger and
distress across the country. There is lashing out. Maybe that’s
just how it will be for a while. But ultimately, we have to piece the
country together. We can exaggerate the divides or we can seek some
common ground. Choose wisely now: class contempt works both ways, and
it is not hidden by the elites on the left and the right.
All that contempt
has now handed back a broken plate to the entire establishment. The
only question is why it took so long. This is not a revolution. It is
a revolt. Those who thought sovereignty was a ridiculous fantasy
cannot seriously want to cut themselves off more, can they? London.
Check your privilege.
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