Political Storytelling in the Age of Performative Politics

It often seems that the next general election is a matter of months away, with seemingly no escape from Nigel Farage’s 24/7 media coverage and gleeful references to Keir Starmer and Labour’s abysmal polling. Elon Musk continues to interfere with UK politics, most recently by appearing via video link at the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march and proclaiming that parliament must be dissolved.

Meanwhile, Starmer's government endured a late-summer of internal crises and the Prime Minister is repeatedly accused of not standing for anything. Ever since he rode to victory in the contest for the Labour Leadership showing support for taking back public utilities into government ownership, before changing his position, commentators and voters alike have been puzzled by what is most important to Labour under Starmer. This is never an accusation you see thrown at Nigel Farage, Zack Polanski or even Robert Jenrick in his new incarnation as a Farage tribute act.

Despite the contradictory positions these political figures often take, there is a clear overriding philosophy for each. Farage is anti-immigration, anti-EU and wants to leave the ECHR. Polanski is pro-environment and believes wealth taxes are needed to tackle poverty and inequality. For Jenrick, see Farage. Each presents a story as to what is wrong with the country and who or what is to blame. 

The writer Will Storr has written extensively about how humans’ brains are wired for storytelling. We all inhabit our own story world in which we are the main character, and interpret events and people around us as characters in this story. This is why, particularly in the age of social media, populist politics has such an intoxicating appeal. Populism ignores the detail and nuance in favour of simple answers delivered with bluster and certainty. It selects a scapegoat to focus the electorate’s anger at and frames them as an existential threat to their way of life; as an antagonist that must be overcome to save society.

This is the fundamental issue that Labour and, more pressingly, the centre ground need to address - they need to tell a better story. The populist right has surged across Europe and the U.S. on a wave of discontent against immigration, net-zero targets and “wokeism.” The story is simple, migrants are coming over to disrupt your way of life, the climate crisis is an elite-created hoax to make you poorer, and progressive values are poisoning the minds of your children.

In the eyes of the populist right and their supporters, they are fighting an existential battle against a shadowy cabal of elites who aim to impose progressive policies on them. The irony, of course, is that billionaires like Trump and Musk are presented as heroes in this story.

For the far-left, the ires of their discontent might be different, but a similar story has always been told. The wealthy capitalist class is working against you, to extract the profits of your hard work to enrich themselves. If we were to do away with them, by taking their profits and redistributing them, then society’s ills would be solved. By no means am I equating Polanski to Farage on a moral standpoint, but parallels can be drawn with the simplicity of the answer the self-described “eco-populist” provides to the country’s woes. A wealth tax might well be necessary, although opinion on its effectiveness even on the left is mixed, but the idea that it would solve the majority of the country’s problems is naive. 

Both these stories are seductive, because they place supporters of each cause in a grand struggle, attempting to save the world against evil forces. They provide an easily understandable narrative, with a hurdle to overcome in the form of a group working against them.

This is where the centre ground, and Keir Starmer, has a problem. The centre stands for balance and moderation. It looks to take the best ideas from right and left and, in a technocratic way, find a middle ground that leads to the best results. It shuns ideology and simplification in favour of political realism. It isn’t afraid to be boring and take the slow path to progress.

For the centre, there is no epic struggle, there is no conspiratorial plot against you, there is simply reality. The climate crisis, a struggling economy, faltering public services, crime; these are all societal problems that must be solved through careful consideration, debate and intelligent policy making.

But where is the story in that? It is no surprise so many have said they struggle to connect with Starmer’s vision, when there has been a lack of the storytelling and performance that populism is so effective at in the digital age.

During the run-up to the 2024 General Election, Labour’s seemingly one and only line was that the Conservatives had screwed up the country so you should vote Labour to fix it. The villains were the Conservative party and voters were so fed up with them that this had some effect. But the second the election was won this story was over. What next?

Starmer made some progress to finding another story at the recent Labour conference, where he attacked Farage (rather than attempting to emulate him) and the far-right and claimed the next four years will be a “fight for the soul of our country.” But he must also articulate what Labour themselves stand for, outside of attacks on his rivals. 

The centre should stand for sensible, calm government that invests in the long-term future of the country by improving public services and building homes, focusing on things which have a tangible effect on people’s everyday lives. This must be articulated with positivity, avoiding scapegoating members of society, but instead focusing on how business and innovation can create jobs and improve the overall standard of living, while promoting inclusivity and tolerance in society through a culture of respect. 

Surely, we want to live in a society that reflects kindness over anger and distrust? Far-right populism takes a dim view of human nature as that which responds to incendiary rhetoric, taking every opportunity to whip people up in a frenzy. The centre must contest this by appealing to our better nature. There can still be a grand story, but with a call to positive action.

Labour and the political centre across the West stand at a key inflection point. The populist right is on the up, with the populist left also perhaps re-emerging. The centre must reconnect with voters by telling their own story. They have the disadvantage that their narrative cannot be simplistic and ideological, but with effective communication of a clear, positive vision, effective and decisive policy making, and a focus on long-term results, there is still time to recover the electorate’s trust. And with close to four years left until the next election, UK Labour are best-placed to lead the centre’s charge.

Image: Flickr/No 10 Downing Street (Simon Dawson)

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