Less of the 'rebel' and more of the 'cause'

By Gabe Trodd

re·bel
intr.v. re·belled, re·bel·ling, re·bels
1. To refuse allegiance to and oppose by force an established government or ruling authority.
2. To resist or defy an authority or a generally accepted convention.
3. To feel or express strong unwillingness or repugnance: She rebelled at the unwelcome suggestion.

I have issues with the word ‘rebel’. Because being a ‘rebel’, in UK politics tends to denote one of two things. Firstly, the word is glibly and routinely used by British political correspondents, with vested interest, in reference to the seminal James Dean film, Rebel Without a Cause. Recently, for an interview with Nick Clegg about his particular plans to clean up the expenses system, the Independent asked, seemingly without a hint of irony: ‘Can a Cambridge-educated ex-public schoolboy be the James Dean of the Commons?’. Unfortunately, the answer to that specific question might be quite brief (and blunt), although to give the article some credit, it did manage to refrain from excitedly and gushingly comparing Lembit Opik to Jimi Hendrix.

But more significantly, the UK has sculpted a political system in which our elected MPs are automatically dubbed ‘rebels’ whenever campaigns, beliefs and votes on the basis of principle and ideology conflict with the expectations of the Whips and the lobby. And in this context, the word is cheap, belittling and synthetic – like we’re describing errant, bad-tempered and troubled children, during a somewhat negative Parents’ Evening report.

Yesterday, the proposals to compensate all the people that lost out from the mistaken decision to abolish the 10p starting rate of income tax was a ‘revolt’ led by ‘rebels’. Those elected MPs who planned to oppose the sell-off of Royal Mail were a ‘backbench rebellion’. The late Robin Cook, in opposing the invasion of Iraq by stunningly resigning from Government, delivering the most brilliant, glittering and memorable speech in modern British politics and inspiring an entire generation of activists to become involved with politics, was also a rebel.

If debating and voting in a democratic political system on the basis of political ideology, vision and principle defines you as a rebel, then being a rebel should surely be an unflinching, cast-iron prerequisite for being a British MP. Let’s just accept that in a healthy, modern democracy, there will be debates, conflict and differences of opinion and let’s invest in alternative ways to engage and marvel at Westminster’s grandiosity and theatricality.

At a time when trust in politicians is at an all-time low, our politics is drenched with apathy and disregard, and the UK is faced with the bleak prospect of the alleged treachery, deep cynicism and duplicity of Andy Coulson, David Cameron and George Osbourne, it will be politicians with clear visions and the courage to turn their principles into policy that will re-ignite British politics.