The elections circus and realpolitik

At a time when surveys confirm that wider British public trust in UK politicians and its political system has sunk to a record low, British Muslims are being energised to vote in the coming UK general election. The aims of the movement to get ‘independents’ elected in the next election are understandable given recent global events, the Islamophobic comments expressed by mainstream politicians and the desire to ‘do something.’

The ostensible reasons include the need to influence parliamentary decision making on Palestine, the need to ‘punish’ the Labour party led by Keir Starmer and the desire to show that the mainstream political parties should respect British Muslims.

Despite the laudable aims, there are a number of problems with the strategy. Firstly, it reveals a flawed understanding of how the political system works and will lead to disappointment. Secondly, it is tactical targeting a short term effect that lacks longevity. Thirdly, it distracts from other strategies whose results may take time but are sustainable.

As a community we have engaged in tactical voting in the last three elections trying to improve our condition and that of fellow Muslims worldwide. The end result has been a negligible shift in UK policy. It is vital to learn the lessons of repeated failed election cycles.

Read: From Labour leader to independent, Jeremy Corbyn vows to work in the UK and Europe for a ceasefire in Gaza

UK elections give us a choice between two competing factions of the same ruling establishment. Real power resides with the Establishment, which includes big business, the military and intelligence leadership and lobby groups, who define, determine, and set out the key direction and parameters of policy. Changes to core policies are debated in policy setting forums such as think tanks and special parliamentary committees and refined by experts in the Civil Service, Military, and Intelligence departments. The mainstream media guides and shapes public opinion to internalise these core principles for a political party to be considered mainstream. The political system debates the details of implementation of these policies within the agreed framework set by the Elites, without questioning the core axioms. Political parties and politicians only truly become electable when there is compliance with the core agenda.

That explains why in Britain’s two party system, the Conservative Party has been in government most of the time. Contrast the Labour Party’s Blair and Starmer versus Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn’s wealth redistribution agenda was deemed unacceptable and a public campaign was orchestrated, directed, and used to discredit him. In the US , Bernie Sanders despite considerable support and funding has met a similar fate. This is not a conspiracy theory but a historical fact based on hard evidence. Momentum, the British left-wing political organisation after many years of planning and infiltration, took over the Labour Party via its open membership programme. However, the parliamentary party remained opposed to this faction and fought to exclude and expel left wing supporters of Corbyn. The Muslim vote lobby is amateurish compared to the experienced, committed and well organised members of Momentum, so how could it be possible for such a lobby to dent the trajectory of the state? The progressive democrats in the US are marginalised and ignored.

Moreover, to be considered electable, Starmer has restructured Labour by purging the Corbynite Left. The speed with which the SNP, champions of Scottish independence, has imploded is instructive and informative. This illustrates that the political system has pre-set goals that constrains even the mainstream parties and offers no real solutions that are opposed by the deep state. The last time the Left was in ascendancy and allowed to make significant economic and social changes was during the rivalry with the Communist bloc. Such a compromise was required to assuage the poorer sections of society and prevent any revolutionary zeal taking root in Europe. With the demise of the Soviet Union such an external threat is no longer pressing and notwithstanding record wealth inequalities, a wealth redistribution programme is no longer acceptable. The neo liberal agenda was adopted by the so called left wing oppositions throughout the western world. This illustrates that nation states respond to external threats and opportunities by adjusting the sphere of influence of elected governments.

Watch: Voters in North Ealing are guided by their backing of a Gaza ceasefire, Sameh Habeeb says

For those who have the best of intentions, will rallying the ‘Muslim vote’ save Gaza? How effective will independent candidates be in advocating for Palestine within a system that makes decisions in the ‘national interest’ with cross party consensus because it is based on information that cannot be revealed to the public. We are made to believe that voting will free Palestine and end the Genocide, but are we being misled? As the ‘voting lobby’ has a vested interest in harvesting Muslim votes irrespective of context, we need to be more discerning of their strategy. The movement to mobilise the Muslim vote into a bloc, is at best a futile attempt to influence the main political parties to shape their policies in accordance with Muslim priorities. At worst, it is a cynical attempt to elevate the leaders of tactical voting into positions of power with the political establishment. Is their track record one of unapologetic support of Palestine or are they opportunistic/have been party political apparatchiks. We have seen how the system is able to absorb selected individuals into the system so as to neutralise any threat. The civil rights movement in the US and the ANC absorption into the political system are but two stark examples. The radical agendas are eliminated by significant compromises so as to maintain the status quo.

Even the ANC in a desperate attempt to cling to power and privilege, has allied with the Democratic Alliance, an Israel-supporting right wing party in South Africa. The sad fact is that apartheid continues all but in name. The eloquent analysis by Professor Cornell West of how the US civil rights movement was neutralised in his acclaimed “The Betrayal of the Black Elites” is a sobering lesson on how the system is vastly more powerful than a tribe of outliers. The establishment will co-opt all those who are prepared to maintain the status quo but discredit all those who oppose it. The Obama regime dropped bombs and destroyed the economies of weak nations more than any President before or since. Are we blind to the fact that the US veto in the UN security council is wielded by Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a Black woman, who is unmoved by her support for a genocidal war in Palestine, and that the principal arms supplier is Lloyd James Austin III, a Black man who is the secretary of defence.

The UK has its own equivalents in David Lammy, Khalid Mahmood, and a coterie of ethnic minority politicians who back and support Starmer even when he refused to oppose bombing, the blockade of energy , food and water in Gaza. There are many Muslims who will gladly “whitewash” the crimes of the Labour Party. Many of us were subjected to a nauseating PR video pumped out by the Labour propaganda team showing Starmer celebrating Eid. We are also led to believe the Palestinian state recognition will be part of the Labour Party manifesto, which does not mean it will become UK state policy, as this will be determined more by the need to maintain the ‘special relationship’ with the US than the views of the British public.

Read: From Newham to Palestine: UK general election 2024

It is fanciful in the extreme to imagine that Labour will feel ‘punished’ by losing some seats to ‘independents’, particularly as Starmer has probably gained many more seats by distancing the party from policies associated with British Muslims. The calculations have been done and a few noisy but ineffectual independents, even if they get elected, are easily marginalised .

It is tragic to note that we have been down this road before. In the aftermath of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, The Respect Party grew out of the Stop the War Coalition and exploited significant public opposition to the UK’s role in the Iraq War. Uniting a range of leftist and anti-war groups. The ‘Muslim Vote’ was used by the left as its platform to influence the election outcome with representation at Westminster being at the heart of the campaign. The ‘lesser of two evils’ led to further disaster and had no impact on British domestic and foreign policy. It seems we will be bitten from the same hole twice.

A more effective strategy is to leverage the latent powers of the Muslim community in the UK outside of Westminster politics. This involves strengthening cohesion within the Muslim community and its ability to act independently using its economic, social and political strengths at a grassroots level. Real power resides outside Westminster and is driven primarily by economic interests. Experience teaches us that voting in a rigged system lends legitimacy to corruption. It is more effective to invest, build, and support Muslim institutes, think tanks, and campaign networks/alliances to influence public opinion and expose the exploitation of the political elites. The alternative to Westminster-based politics is the politics of community organising and movement building.

We have seen the impact of the BDS movement on global business. The direct action taken by Palestine Action has closed down arms exporting businesses and raised public awareness to extraordinary levels. Can there be any doubt that these achievements far outweigh the influence of any elected politician? Instead of doubling down on these positive outcomes we are once again being urged to put our faith in Westminster. The political naivety is stunning as much as it is heartbreaking , especially for the younger generation, who have sacrificed more than the self-appointed leaders of the repurposed election strategy.

Cage International will launch its Conscious Muslim Toolkit outlining a set of principles that could form a blueprint that can guide us in the future once the circus leaves town, and the clowns return to Westminster.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.