Labour MP: 'There's a xenophobic populism on the march'
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
From Brexit to the shock election of Donald Trump in the US, disillusioned voters are increasingly turning to an isolationist right for solutions. "Therefore, the great task for progressive politics at the next stage is how do you hear that raft of discontents and then respond to it," said Labour MP Jack Dromey.
"Ignore it at our peril, there's a xenophobic populism on the march," Dromey told Business Insider in an interview in his Westminster offices. "Brexit, America, France next year, Geert Wilders in Holland, the emerging far right in Germany. These are dangerous times through which we are living."
It's a problem that has beset Britain's leftwing Labour party. After thirteen years of power, ending in 2010, it is currently out in the wilderness - heavily trailing in the polls, not trusted with the economy, with an unpopular leader (Jeremy Corbyn), and losing heartland voters to the right-wing populist UKIP.
In the US, race undeniably played a part in the election of Donald Trump - a man who has called Mexican immigrants rapists, promised to ban all Muslim immigration, challenged the suitability of a judge to hear a case on the grounds of his race, and picked cabinet members labelled racist by critics.
But there are also deep economic anxieties at play, in an era of globalisation, stagnation, and automation. Labour concerns and workers' rights are traditionally at the heart of leftwing politics - and Bernie Sanders, the failed Democratic primary candidate for president, saw surprising success by putting these issues front-and-center.
Cate Gillon/Getty Images
As shadow minister for labour - and a 68-year-old veteran trade unionist - job security and workers' rights are at the heart of Dromey's diagnosis of the problem, and his answers. "There is growing anger on the part of millions of working people over their lot, over how they're treated ... it is incumbent on a government and society to hear the voice of the precariat and to recognise that we cannot continue to go down this path," he said.
"I think we ignore that growing insecurity at our peril. I think it's bad for the workers concerned, it's bad for their families, it's bad for the economy, but it's also bad for the kind of country we want to be."
You can read Business Insider's full interview with Jack Dromey on Uber, the gig economy, and workers' rights on Monday, November 21.
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- A centenarian who starts her day with gentle exercise and loves walks shares 5 longevity tips, including staying single
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- "To sit and talk in the box...!" Kohli's message to critics as RCB wrecks GT in IPL Match 45
- 7 Nutritious and flavourful tiffin ideas to pack for school
- India's e-commerce market set to skyrocket as the country's digital economy surges to USD 1 Trillion by 2030
- Top 5 places to visit near Rishikesh
- Indian economy remains in bright spot: Ministry of Finance
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market