On The Establishment

Gaining the “anti-establishment vote” is increasingly important in politics. But I think the concept of the establishment has been badly misunderstood. It is too often characterised as a single group of people with united interests. In reality, there are different versions of the establishment which all generate different types of anti-establishment voting. 

Here are three different versions of the establishment and how they are evoked.

The Economic Elite

These are rich people who want to preserve their wealth, and push for policies which defend those interests. The economic elite control large swathes of the media, lobby politicians to support their interests, and are often elected to Parliament themselves. This is the version of the establishment which is frequently evoked by Corbyn supporters, and is often associated with the Conservatives and right wing interests. 

The Liberal Elite

I see the Liberal Elite as a group which have significant influence over the rules of acceptable discourse. They are particularly powerful around identity issues like race and gender, and influence what is and isn’t acceptable to say. It’s hard to pin down who are members of the Liberal Elite, but they tend to be wealthy liberal people who have social or cultural capital. The BBC is often accused of being part of the Liberal Elite, as are many celebrities and politicians who are both liberal and seen of as “out of touch”. People who are angry at the Liberal Elite often complain about political correctness, and an idea that wealthy lefties feel they know the answers better than “ordinary people”, whose concerns aren’t appreciated or understood.

I don’t tend to agree with these criticisms, and welcome political correctness (perhaps I am a member of the Liberal Elite myself). But I think it is important to recognise it as a form of the establishment which many people want to rebel against.

The Political Establishment

Our political system is rigged towards the two main parties, and both Labour and Conservatives are part of the political establishment which keeps it this way. The political establishment reinforces itself by keeping First Past the Post in place, by disparaging the idea of coalitions or consensus politics, and by dismissing votes for other parties as wasted votes. The political establishment have done an excellent job of permeating the psyche of British voters. Note how Labour won 40% of the popular vote in 2017, while the Greens achieved 4% in 2015 on an extremely similar platform. The political establishment do a good job of persuading voters that the only serious options to choose between are Labour and the Conservatives. 

Know the difference!

Gaining the anti-establishment vote is a huge asset in politics, but this vote is not coming from one direction. Corbyn harnessed anger against the economic elite in 2017. But this is different to the anger harnessed against the Liberal Elite by Trump and Brexit campaigners in 2016. And the sadly short-lived wave of Cleggmania in 2010 was driven by people who were angry at the political establishment, wanting political reform and a clear third party voice. 

When people don’t recognise these differences, they are bemused by the behaviour of anti-establishment voters. “How can people say Trump is anti-establishment?” many people scoff, “he’s a super rich white businessman.” But they’re missing the point. Trump doesn’t appeal to people’s rage against the Economic Elite. He appeals to their rage against the Liberal Elite. He appeals to people who are angry at things like feminism, immigration and political correctness. It is a completely different anger.

This nuance matters. The Lib Dems, for instance, can harness anti-establishment feeling about political reform and breaking the two party system. Most Lib Dems are also anti-establishment in terms of the economic elite, but we are often overlooked in favour of Labour on this issue. In terms of the “Liberal Elite” – we are usually inside the perceived establishment. Recognising these differences can allow us to tap into the most relevant anti-establishment sentiments for our voters.