HOPE not fear

posted by: Nick Lowles | on: Wednesday, 21 January 2009, 15:52

Yesterday was a really special day and one that I’m sure will be remembered for many years to come. Just as some might talk about where they were when they heard the news about Kennedy’s assassination, I hope I will forever remember where I was when Barack Obama was sworn in.

There are some who criticised Obama’s speech for lacking the flair of many of his campaign orations, others are already questioning the radicalism of his programme. But these naysayers and doom merchants fail to understand the significance of what has happened, given the depressing history of race in US history over the years.

Of course Obama will not achieve everything he would like to and I’m sure it won’t be long before many people turn against him but his election does signify real change. Something that really struck me, both when I heard him at a rally in Virginia a week before the election and again yesterday, is that his speeches are very political, and this is especially impressive given the wider American political scene.

The other key element of his election victory was a triumph of HOPE over fear – a phrase Obama himself has repeatedly used. While of course I would have preferred him to use the slogan HOPE not hate, for obviously reasons, it is really uplifting to see a positive message resonating so well with the wider population. Particularly at a time of rising political and economic insecurity, when there is most danger that people will be motivated and manipulated by fear, it is really good that so many people opted for a positive path.

I managed to watch the inauguration on the ninth floor of the Unison headquarters, along with about 100 of their staff. A few of us who went over to the States last Autumn used the occasion to meet up again, which was really nice.

All this rounded off a good day. Earlier, we held a meeting for trade unions and other interested bodies, to discuss the forthcoming European Elections. Thirty-five people attended the briefing and ten unions were represented. Our campaign strategy is finally in place and is beginning to be rolled out. For those of you who receive our HnH emails then you should have received our latest communication – including a video of me discussing the campaign. I don’t think it was my finest hour but I’ll leave it to you to judge. Just to give you a little taste of our growing online sophistication, we sent out six different emails to different audiences.