As a Londoner and a-life-long-labour-voting-leftie-and-passionate-remainer, it’s safe to say we live in a bubble. Be it elections, leadership contests, or referendums; I have literally never had a single thing I vote for win. Not even once. And before every crushing defeat, we have the same god damn deluded conversations every time. The same electrified chatter, the hearty chortles, and mocking gibes. The same self congratulatory back patting, and the same hopes and dreams blabbered away. We gaze out of windows, and dream of better times to come. A room of optimistic lefties ringing with excitement; a few firing off the party poppers, others prematurity cracking open the Champagne. And then the vote count begins. Mere hours later and the party is over; collapsed into a ruckus of whines and wails, drowned in tears and tantrums, or lost in utter bewilderment. Oh dear. And so our dreams lay smashed beside the confetti, as our latest prognosticator gets stomped into the dirt, to be washed away by the ridicule of tomorrow’s newspaper headlines. Again. And again. And again. It’s happened enough times now for me to safely say we are deluded. And I’ve seen enough loafs of sourdough angrily hurled through windows, to finally question - what the hell is going on? Most importantly I want to ask, how do we win next time? Is there a new left wing out there? More progressive, more inclusive, more consistent, and braver. So I wonder – as much as the political landscape of the last hundred years has been moulded by the advocacy and plight of women, perhaps the next tide of progress might be shaped by our men and boys? The men and boys for who nobody advocates. Those who wander the wilderness of the politically homeless, and whose votes are the low hanging fruit for whoever dares to pick them. So can lessons finally be learnt? Can the left win back men? ~ Images by Gradienta, Jukka Aalho, Damon Iam, Ambreen Hasan and Kiwi Hug. #mensissues #mensmentalhealth #leftwing

2023-04-05