EXTRA: Neil Kinnock on the local 'metropolitan elite'

Hi again, sooner than usual - and welcome to the first ever ‘extra’ edition of Camdenist.

We’ve come out every Friday morning for over 5 years, but last week’s interview with Neil Kinnock was more wide-reaching than there was space to include in the usual format, so I thought it warranted expanding, to feature more of his insights in this additional newsletter.

As well as discussing the big topics of social change, populism, A.I., collective action and more, I was particularly keen to find out his views on a subject very close to home.

It’s well documented that Kinnock is one of no less than four former (and current) Labour party leaders who’ve chosen to live in this particular corner of North London, alongside assorted advisors, journalists and strategists-turned-podcast-hosts, too.

There have been accusations in the press for years portraying this cluster as an out of touch ‘metropolitan elite’, despite the fact that many of those sneering commentators themselves also live nearby.

But I’ve always thought that having some of our top politicians living among us is actually a great way to dispel the wilder excesses of conspiratorial them-and-us thinking.

It’s harder to get worked up by fantasies of an untouchable class of elites wielding shadowy power when you’ve bumped into them buying a pint of milk at the local corner shop, right?

So, here we cover what Kinnock thinks about his various successor-neighbours, and his fairly animated frustrations at those who choose to misrepresent what living in this part of the capital truly means.

Kinnock on Starmer’s government

“What today’s government inherited were almost post-war conditions. We are certainly the only country in history to have embarked on a trade war with itself, by leaving the European Union, the single market and the Customs Union. We’d inflicted appalling harm on ourselves with Brexit; the utter incompetence, waste and decadence of 14 years of Conservatism.

I just wish that they'd taken the awful mess that they inherited, not simply as the burden it absolutely is, but as an opportunity. You do not waste a crisis. And this was an accumulated crisis of under investment, under provision and injustice. I wish from the outset they had said that while there are no quick fixes, it's also a chance to make really big changes.

A lot of good things have been done; the biggest ever forward commitment to public sector investment since the 1950s, rail nationalisation, Great British Energy, serious efforts to green the economy and make an industrial revolution out of environmental sustainability, waiting lists coming down – all great stuff.

But I don't think the government has broadcast those realities loud enough or explained their potential. They must not obscure their achievements with distractions, or meaningless proposals that they then have to U-turn on.

With four million children in our country in measurable poverty, if the two-child benefit cap is not removed, then there will be puny efforts to reduce that poverty. Therefore, I strongly believe that the cap should be removed, and that the bill should be paid for by the wealthiest in our society. That investment in the future is a change I’d like to see.

Very importantly, the best weapon to use against the populists is to keep on telling the truth. Remind people what Farage and the others really are, using their own statements, their own history, their associations with Trump and their admiration for Putin. Use all those things against them in the most focused and fastidious way, because eventually the truth will make you free. That's the reality in a democracy, and we must use that weapon of truth alongside accomplishment in government, showing people that having a Labour government makes a positive difference.”

Kinnock on Jeremy Corbyn

“When we moved to Tufnell Park, back in 2007, I said to Glenys, ‘you do realise this is Corbin’s constituency?’ And she said, ‘well, we can agree to ignore,’ which is basically what we did.

Jeremy and everybody associated with his proposed new party knows that in the first past the post electoral system, they can only be of help to the right. That’s the reason that I’ve described them as the Farage Assistance Faction, the FAFs. They're never going to get the strength to form any kind of government or even have a significant presence in Parliament; all the damage they could inflict will be on Labour.

What happened the last time around with Corbyn was that we got this remarkable surge in Labour Party membership, which people said was down to the £3 membership and while that helped, it wasn’t just that. It was that people were so brassed off with the failure of the party to go on the offensive against Cameron, Osborne and their successors, that they wanted some simple answers, and for us to get on with it. I understood perfectly why that had a particular appeal to young people, absolutely.

I also said at the time, that when it doesn't succeed, these thousands of youngsters will drop out of politics which, with terrible regret, I have to say happened.

They could be called naive and gullible and all the rest of it, but that's irrelevant. Thing is they were energetic, young and hopeful; and without hope, there is no dawn, it’s as simple as that.

So I really hope more of these kids don’t drop out again if the only achievement of the FAFs is to secure triumph for the very worst elements - detested by the very people who want to support Jeremy and his mates - because of further division in the progressive vote.”

Kinnock on Ed Miliband

“I greatly admire Ed. He's a friend, of course, but he's shown enormous resilience. Ed will acknowledge he's not perfect, but he's got a lot of guts. On his Energy Security and Net Zero agenda, I think it might be a good idea to rethink the licenses for North Sea oil. Not because I'm in favour of North Sea oil, but if we're not producing we would still be buying, and that doesn’t help with carbon dioxide reduction. But I trust his judgement. He's damn good.”

Kinnock on living in this area

“I get infuriated by this myth of a North London that is the habitat of the ‘metropolitan elite’ that doesn't know or care about the rest of the country. It’s a very pleasant place to live, but there are still more poor people living within a mile of this house than there are in an equivalent mile in many, many other parts of the country.

There are some people who are the metropolitan elite who write the newspapers, and they've invented this idea of there being a kind of Mandarin class, that is not representative of the country but is corrupting and exploiting everything. I think there is such a group of people, I won’t name them, but they don't live in this street, I can tell you!

As Nye Bevan pointed out decades ago, magnates do not buy newspapers and expect those newspapers to speak for themselves. They keep a dog so they'll bark on order. It's how Farage is being portrayed as anti-elitist, when he’s a public school boy who worked in the City! His whole association is with the upper crust, and yet he’s thought to be the voice of the people. Or the way in which Boris Johnson - who was a decadent joke - got the support across the whole pyramid of classes. Why? Because he gave people a laugh. I don't even think he was a good comedian.

We are very special in this country as nearly all our newspapers are owned by tax exiles who give us lectures about patriotism. If you think about the Mail group, Murdoch’s group, The Telegraph, the one thing the owners have in common is they don't pay taxes in this country, yet people will accept their strictures about what it is to be a patriotic Britain. Well, I think patriotism begins with paying your taxes.”

Feel free to reply to this email with your thoughts on this special edition, whether you’d like more midweek Camdenist, other local voices you’d like to hear from, and any other feedback.

This interview was ahead of Lord Kinnock’s upcoming appearance at HowTheLightGetsIn, taking place 20th-21st Sept at Kenwood House. As the world’s largest ideas and music festival, you’ll also hear from Brian Cox, John Gray, Diane Abbott, Alastair Campbell, Alain de Botton, and loads more. With debates, talks, comedy, and live music across the weekend, the world’s top thinkers will be there to give their views on the most urgent issues facing society today.

As partners of the festival, Camdenist is offering an exclusive 30% off tickets with code CAMDENIST2025. Get your discounted tickets now, and we’ll see you there…

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