Build Back Better… but for who?

Conservative MP Johnathan Gullis is in hot water after a recording of him discussing white privilege at a fringe meeting during the Conservative Party conference was published.

The Independent obtained a recording of the MP for Stoke on Trent, saying that teachers who use the term ‘white privilege’ should be reported to the Prevent programme, which is used to tackle potential terrorist extremists.

He said: ‘The term white privilege – very quickly – is an extremist term. It should be reported to Prevent, because it is an extremist ideology.”

“It’s racist to actually suggest everyone who’s white somehow is riddled with privilege.”

He also promised that there would be “consequences” for left-wing teachers, saying: “The other way we can stop the cancel culture is by actually saying to the woke left lecturers and the woke left teachers  is that ultimately, what’s going to happen if you are going to push your ideology in the classroom, there are going to be consequences for you.”

Mr Gullius also serves on the Education Select Committee. Comforting.

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Aside from sounding insanely authoritarian and having no idea about what he is talking about, this is on-brand for the Tory Party, who seem hellbent on stirring up false culture wars to win votes.

The concept of white privilege just means that as a white person, your skin colour doesn’t negatively affect your life in the way it does for people of colour.

It doesn’t mean that if you are white you haven’t suffered, it points out that in countries like Britain with its colonial past, your skin colour doesn’t affect your life in the same way it does for people of colour.

You would think that during Black History Month, they would send out a quick memo to their members to hold off on the racism, just for a few weeks. But I suppose that would be too much to ask.

Moreover, advocating to limit professors expressing their political opinions isn’t a great look when you claim you are advocating for free speech. Though I suppose free speech is when you can say racist, sexist or homophobic things and get away with it in his eyes.

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This is again another revealing story about what the Conservative Party actually stands for. Culture wars demonise mainly people of colour in an attempt to keep their electorate together.

The general inability of the Conservative Party to acknowledge systemic inequalities, particularly racism is insulting and worrying. However, having ministers who are more concerned with portraying teachers as terrorists than actually dealing with the deepening inequality in the country tells us everything.

Perhaps the ‘Build Back Better’ slogan at the conference wasn’t meant for the entire country. Just the ones the Tories believe matter. I’ll let them tell you who they think that is.