Culture War Shift
Image credits: Suki Dhanda/The Observer
Ash Sarkar's book Minority Rule delivers a Marxist critique of left-liberal politics with punch and panache, arguing that the British left has lost its way in the culture wars. The concept of the working class has an almost retro feel, with trade union membership plummeting and expressions of collective solidarity vanishing. Instead, disaffection manifests in petty crime and race riots. Sarkar blames the rightwing press for this shift, claiming that they have manipulated the lower orders into abandoning class war for the culture wars.
Sarkar's thesis is that fears of minority rule serve to legitimate minority rule by the wealthy elite. She argues that the present-day left has pitted minorities and the proletariat against one another in an Olympics of victimhood, rather than uniting them in a common cause. Her critique of left-liberals seduced by identity politics is scathing, and she reserves some of her snarkiest comments for those who prioritize individual claims of oppression over collective action. The working class has been redefined as the "white working class", with Google's Ngram viewer showing the inversion in their lexical fortunes since 2000.
Sarkar's counsel is that the left ought to quit whingeing and get its act together, but her implicit assumption that an alliance between minorities and the left is the natural state of things is questionable. British Indians, Pakistanis, and Nigerians can be reactionary conservatives, and to pretend that they never hold to casteism, misogyny, or homophobia is foolish. The left needs to recognize the complexity of these issues and develop a more nuanced approach to building alliances and promoting social change.
The rightwing press has repurposed class politics with a racial tinge, and the hard right has won the argument by courting the white working class. The Tories have imposed a hostile environment towards migrants and extended the same treatment to poor British people, resulting in 120,000 excess deaths directly attributable to austerity. Sarkar's book is a call to action, urging the left to unite and fight against the hard right's divisive tactics. However, her own obsession with the media and her image as a sassy social commentator may undermine her message, and it is essential to recognize the role of impersonal, structural forces in shaping the country's politics.
In conclusion, Minority Rule is a thought-provoking critique of left-liberal politics and the culture wars. While Sarkar's thesis is not earth-shattering, her hyper-caffeinated prose and acid observations make for a compelling read. The left needs to take a hard look at its own assumptions and tactics, and develop a more effective strategy for uniting the working class and promoting social change. This will require a nuanced understanding of the complex issues at play, including the role of identity politics, the media, and structural forces in shaping the country's politics.
war clas sarkar ash culture rightw pres politic minority liberal
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