‘Havering politics is full of bullying, but can we change it?’

Romford Councillor David Taylor today shares his ‘Taylor Talks’ column.

“Politics is a full contact sport”, that’s what my mentor told me. But, in my short experience, I’ve found that Havering politics is some of the most vile and toxic I’ve come across. 

We can, and must, change that if we’re going to restore hope to our borough. 

Over my time in politics, I have campaigned across the UK. I’ve been involved in campaigning from Labour heartlands through to Conservative safe seats, from inner city estates to rural constituencies where sheep outnumber people. There’s hardly a campaign I haven’t seen, until I got to Havering. 

Politics here is quite unique, in that it seems to revolve around a small number of individuals. Many of them seem fluid in their political allegiance and those in positions of authority seem to come with absolute control. That is, mostly, OK, but it has created an environment where people seem to carry personal vendettas around with them. Our politicians and political activists seem burdened by painful past relationships. 

My first encounter of this was before the last local elections, where political campaigners lined the pathway to the Town Hall with particularly nasty messaging targeting then Leader Damian White. Had it just been members of the public, then one could dismiss it. However, it was seasoned political activists who also intended to stand themselves. It wasn’t politics, it was personal. 

This week, with the election being called, such politics has again reared its ugly head. 

Over on a particularly toxic Facebook group, a prominent party campaigner unleashed a tirade of personal attacks on a young activist, mocking him for his age and his ability to “flip burgers in McDonalds”. The post that set off the comments was written as “[Conservatives] are in Collier Row… in case anyone was wondering what the bad smell was”. 

Follow up remarks commented on personal relationships and even extended as far as homophobia, describing another young activist as “A rent boy”. 

That’s not political activism, it’s pathetic bullying, and that was just the start. Yes, politicians need to have thick skin, but this was from a prominent campaigner of a local political party. Political parties need to distance themselves from these individuals and make it clear to them that, in Havering, we value decent debate and policy discussion over childish name calling. 

One could go on for weeks about what we see here in Havering, and it is tempting to suggest that we all need to just “get over it” and that I’m likely just having a whinge. But there is an important point to make here. 

No-one is above being hurt by bullying. No matter the individual’s wealth, status, perceived privilege or otherwise, there is a limit to what one can and should accept. I read with sadness our MP’s experience of being harassed in the streets, and his newfound boldness to confront this. I applaud this boldness, but it shouldn’t be needed. 

We have just come out of Mental Health awareness week, and I recently joined Havering Samaritans as they celebrated their 60th anniversary. What is increasingly clear is that issues such as depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety and loneliness are very real and very common. 

I have lost close friends to suicide, I have family members who battle with mental health concerns and I, myself, have had to receive support. The world of politics amplifies every emotion in almost everyone. I can tell you that it certainly does this with mental health issues. 

Havering’s unique political makeup, the close ties between candidates and campaigners of all parties, puts Havering in a unique position. It makes us very susceptible to nasty, bitter, childish bullying. But it also gives us a chance to build a much better way of doing politics. 

The fact that our politicians can be seen switching between parties isn’t great, but it can mean that cross-party dialogue is easier as there are existing relationships. The fact that our local parties seem to operate around a few strong individuals could mean that they easily become places of dominance and control, but this could also mean that this individual’s authority can be used to stamp out bullying and used to offer a strong steer towards better campaigning. 

Over the next few weeks we will, no doubt, see more and more political discourse online. 

We will see personal attacks, the spreading of rumours and gossip, slander and just downright nastiness. We will see fervent ‘believers’ with sharp tongues. 

But our political leaders can set a better tone. We can disagree well and demonstrate respect for one another. 

I hope to see campaigns that focus on policies not personalities, that we see hope cast out fear and that people set out a positive vision for where Romford and Havering is going. 

Political parties cannot be held responsible for all the actions of their members, who are free to live their personal lives within the law. But, I think it would be productive for local parties to ‘weed out’ these toxic individuals. All the main parties, such as Labour and the Conservatives, have membership guidelines which address bullying and these guidelines need to be rolled out by local party chiefs to rid local politics of bullying and harassment. 

No party, no candidate, no elected official should want to be seen with someone who engages in homophobia, age-discrimination, racism or stereotyping. 

I urge all Havering MPs, Councillors, party board members, and prominent activists to sign up to the Jo Cox civility pledge. A pledge which comes with 3 simple asks. 

1) Use a civil and constructive tone in political debate

2) Act with integrity, honesty and compassion

3) Behave respectfully towards others, including those I disagree with

 The pledge can be found on Google, by searching “Jo Cox pledge”. 

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