The nice and cozy tributes paid to John Prescott, the previous deputy prime minister who has died aged 86, mirror a memorable politician of a seemingly bygone period. Whereas his achievements over an extended profession had been huge, the enduring picture for most individuals is of Prescott punching a voter throughout the 2001 basic election marketing campaign.
On a go to to Rhyl in north Wales, Prescott was hit by an egg thrown by an area man and responded with a left hook. The altercation descended in to a full-blown brawl on the street, all caught on digicam. Prescott later joked that he instructed Tony Blair he had been “connecting with the general public” that day.
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New Labour election campaigns had been tightly choreographed affairs. The media was managed assiduously and politicians had been ruthlessly saved on-message. You’d have thought that thumping a voter within the face on dwell tv might need derailed the marketing campaign, however Blair was capable of brush it off the following day with a easy, “Properly, John is John”. Prescott confronted no felony or political repercussions. He didn’t even come near dropping his job.
Humorous because it appears now, the levity with which the incident was handled on the time is unimaginable. The concept say, former deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden might have knocked a member of the general public to the ground throughout July’s election marketing campaign is unimaginable. And even in case you can think about it, the concept it might have occurred with out political or authorized consequence is incredulous.
Politics has in fact modified prior to now twenty years. Blair promoted a “huge tent” method after the division of the Eighties. The place Margaret Thatcher’s perspective was to classify these even in her personal celebration as “certainly one of us” (or not)– Blair’s pitch was extra “in case you’re not in opposition to us, you’re for us”. This method delivered an unbeatable voter coalition in 1997 and 2001 (and into 2005).
At this time, politics is way more polarised, particularly given the electoral cleavage fashioned within the wake of Brexit, which pitted remainers in opposition to leavers and spawned a interval of populist politics during which simple solutions are supplied to deal with complicated issues. Which means a divisiveness fairly totally different from the ideological nature of the Eighties. It’s a lot nastier and will be harmful for politicians that step out of line. Simply think about the column inches and Westminster discourse dedicated to prime minister Keir Starmer’s spectacles, given to him by a celebration donor.
So this teaches us that politics is a unique place and that immediately Prescott wouldn’t get away with that left hook, proper?
Properly, no. The very fact is that there has by no means been a time when a nationwide politician might anticipate to smack a voter throughout an election marketing campaign with out consequence. Prescott acquired away with it in 2001 partly due to his authenticity – he was the “Heineken” determine who might attain elements of the voters Blair couldn’t. He was a working-class traditionalist whose background and attitudes mirrored the lives of voters way more resonantly than his polished boss.
However there was another excuse. Most individuals watching the incident thought, nicely, the man deserved it. In spite of everything, he assaulted Prescott, unprovoked, as he went about his day. Odd folks mirrored that their very own response can be a lot the identical.
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Ronald Reagan as soon as remarked of politics: “in case you’re explaining, you’re dropping”. Starmer discovered himself explaining far an excessive amount of about simply the place he acquired his new glasses, however not solely due to the altering political local weather. Maybe Prescott didn’t want to clarify as a result of, like him or not, there was a really relatable, unreconstructed human on present. And that’s the reason he’s being remembered fondly on his loss of life.
So, removed from a bygone age when candidates might act with impunity, maybe there are alternatives immediately for politicians to extra cynically take benefit.
As prime minister, Boris Johnson’s behaviour was in a unique league to Prescott’s. He acquired away (for a time) with breaking his personal legal guidelines, repeatedly mendacity to Parliament, treating the structure and public life as his plaything and allotting dozens of profitable public contracts to supporters – amongst many different sins. He was ready to do that as a result of he constructed a particular “genuine” picture that marked him out as totally different from his contemporaries. However he additionally exploited the populism and divisiveness of immediately’s politics, utilizing it as a defend in opposition to criticism.
Prescott, like Johnson, represented a form of authenticity that meant his actions could possibly be brushed apart – they every acquired away with issues different politicians by no means might. However whereas Prescott will all the time be related to that punch, Johnson left a legacy that historical past received’t deal with kindly. And so, it stays to be seen, when Boris Johnson ultimately dies, whether or not his behaviour and persona is remembered fairly so fondly.
