It’s the economy, stupid

We can’t let economics be the sole driver and measure of success for our society.

Until humanity becomes the headliner on the main stage, we will continue to see mental health pushed further down the pecking order.

The now infamous phrase, It’s The Economy, Stupid, coined by campaign strategist James Carville during Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, pretty much captures the essence of modern-day politics. The economy has always been the fulcrum of politics, and the focus on election cycles is its hook. This focus on the economy, an indisputable way to indicate growth and success, helps the electorate connect to something tangible. And so it’s understandable – and no doubt advisable – that when running for political power the economy is brought to the fore as a clear measure for how we’re doing as a country.

As I sit here reading the Sunday Times Behaviour and Attitudes survey, showing Fine Gael satisfaction rating up two points to 34%, James Carville’s infamous phrase weighs heavily on my mind.

Looking at our economic markers – GDP, growth rate and unemployment rate – you can see why government satisfaction is on an upward trend. However, if you peel back the PR gloss, the marketing, the power slogans and the consistent messaging around positive growth – you will see Ireland’s very real social problems – from homelessness, to the housing and rent crisis, draconian drug policies and addiction supports, rampant inequality, to an increasingly non-functioning health system that treats the most vulnerable of this country with such disdain, that it’s bordering on a human rights violation.

A focus only on the economy is ‘self-preservation mode’ 

But when it comes down to it, and when it comes to polling day, is the economy really what people care about the most and what influences their vote? Have we been so lost in talk of economic recovery – especially after the vicious recession – that we understandably have moved to a mode of self-preservation to look after ourselves and those we love? We may be slowly recovering from the financial impact of the recession, but the emotional toll as well as the social fall-out it has left will be a legacy that will take generations to shift.

Over the last few months I have come to the gradual, and somewhat deflating realisation that our political powers are not only doing very little to improve our chronic mental health system. Not only are they doing very little, but often actively sidestepping any conversation surrounding it, and deliberately ignoring the consistent pleas from individuals, organisations, NGOs and advocacy groups to show some leadership in this area – further stigmatising it at a systematic level. But I can see no change in this until mental health becomes a politically expedient issue. And the question is, how do we make a slow-to-fix, complicated, often ambiguous and stubborn problem like mental health politically expedient?

So, do politicians just not care?

Actually, I do believe many of them care, and many would like to see the kind of radical change needed in this area. Most politicians go into politics because they want to change the world for the better. But the reality is that power is, and will always be the most important thing. To maintain power, from a strategic political point of view, why would they bring up a persistent and hard-to-solve issue that paints them and previous governments in a horrifically negative light? Why would they invest in an area which will reap no immediate dividends, and results won’t be seen for many years to come? Why would they tackle a sticky issue like mental health, when they can easily invest in quick-fixes in other areas which will give them an immediate boost in the polls?

The headline slot in this political festival is the economy, and it is the one thing that attracts the audience and gets the votes. Until humanity becomes the headliner on the main stage we will continue to see the health and welfare needs of society pushed further down the pecking order.

Now, I am not a naïve, idealistic romantic that believes economics is not incredibly important. In fact, I have a degree in economics, and am all-too aware of its necessity when it comes to the mechanics of a functioning society. But using it as the only measure of the success is myopic and shows a clear absence of any long-term strategy which lies outside the next election cycle.

We know what needs to be done…

In saying all this, I believe we can all come together to do something to change this pattern. We can make mental health a politically expedient issue. We can put it on the political agenda, and make it impossible to ignore. I truly believe the people have the power. The government has the perception of power, but the reality is they work for us, we pay their wages and their pensions and therefore they are accountable to us as citizens. We now have to collectively come together and hold them to account on the system they preside over. And they know what need to happen.

In fact, many of the policies governments have proposed have been immensely promising (like Vision for Change), but sadly, the action has historically been absent. Shouting at them on social media, or on political TV and radio shows doesn’t seem to be working. We need a new way to engage with our political representatives. A lot of people have been fighting for a long time. Many of us are in the throes of outrage fatigue – we’re burnt out, exhausted or cynical. But we’ve seen citizen-led social change do big things for this country in recent years. And what we need now is a spirit of cooperation; a spirit of ‘we’re all in this together’ on mental health. Perhaps a new platform for debate, for dialogue with our politicians, and for monitoring progress also needs to be considered.

Power of the people

We can’t let economics be the sole driver and measure of success for our society. We can’t let an economic agenda hijack our political and national narrative alone. When the next election comes about, we must come together to put mental health firmly on the agenda. We need to shout it from the rooftops. We need to bring it up on doorsteps. We need our political representatives to hear how important it is that we invest in this area. They need to believe that “doing something” about mental health is politically expedient. The old adage of “there’s no votes in mental health” needs to end here.

Coming together to put this on the agenda will mean we can all progress together – to create a culture to support the needs of all of our society, every single one of us, even when we are at our most vulnerable.

Our mental health system isn’t broken, we have never truly ever had one in the first place but now we have an opportunity to change that. To develop a system. And not just any system, but a world-class system we can all be proud of. And perhaps then, James Carville’s infamous quote wouldn’t ring quite as true.

But perhaps, our political leaders will be saying: “it’s humanity, stupid”.