The Owen Jones enigma

Seeing both sides of Owen Jones

The local elections in England, which took place nearly two weeks previous, feels like a life time ago. Reflecting on it now, I still don't think I'll see anything like it, with so much raw emotional opinions about potholes, GP appointments and housing developments. Can you imagine, the fear of drivers in cars, plodding on bumpy A-roads, travelling miles on end for an available doctor and being outraged over so-called affordable homes built on Greenfield sites.

I wish I was telling the truth, but this definitely wasn't the case if you saw the national outlook. It was portrayed as an opportunity for the larger political parties to flex their muscles, looking to target councils they were convinced they're going to win. It became apparent that Labour really needed to control councils in London, the Conservatives wanted to use this campaign period as their 'annual report' delivered by the English public, while the Liberal Democrats wanted to target councillors in places like Kingston and Richmond - strong pro-European Union (EU) areas - to prove that the 'Remain' side of the 2016 EU referendum debate were still that way inclined.

At least the Lib Dems got what they wanted. The Green Party made moderate gains too. Labour didn't fully achieve their targets though made gains that shouldn't be sneered at. The Conservatives made significant gains in the pro-'Leave' areas in the North East, East and Essex, but have scars to show having lost some ground in London, Surrey, the South West and North West. The results were interesting, however, I strongly felt this exercise was used as a political football where local residents were asked to think more about national policies as opposed to campaigning for important matters closer to home.

I don't want to dwell so much on the results itself because what I learnt the most is how protective people are about their party's vote. Even at local level, the social media reaction felt like a virtual brawl, typical of what you would witness in a football derby match. A lot of the online bust-ups appeared to have circled one individual in particular, who of late, has completely divided the nation on political matters.

Owen Jones on Sky News with Julia Hartley-Brewer

Of course, I'm talking about Owen Jones.

Owen Jones is a columnist and political commentator who burst into the public scene in 2011 after the release of his book 'Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class'. It was a title which raised eyebrows, evoking reactions from all sides of the political spectrum as we reflected on what society looked like at that time. The media revelled in it and craved more of his insight. Today, you cannot escape his presence. Whether he's on Sky News up to four days a week, tweeting a dozen times daily or writing headline-grabbing column pieces for The Guardian, he pledges not to hide his views on anything political or societal.

During this particular election, this attention appeared like a dramatic soap opera - think what the world thinks of the Mitchell family (from EastEnders), but on steroids. There has been no hiding of the fact Owen is a passionate Labour Party voter and had this urge to launch an ambitious campaign to 'unseat' big-name Conservative politicians. The likes of Iain Duncan Smith, Boris Johnson and Amber Rudd are on top of his hitlist. Owen focused much of his time in recent months to unseat Tory councillors in Westminster and Wandsworth, with relative success, though not total.

While the Conservatives lost 'seats', they still have majority control of Westminster and Wandsworth, which provoked noisy reactions. The number of Tory ministers who pounced on him as if he was a naive, naughty child was extraordinary. This was balanced by an overload of support from those who see Owen as a shining beacon of the future.

Owen is certainly an intriguing character. I remember, when his 'Chav' book was released, I was sceptical of what he stood for, purely because he used the word 'chav'. I have a total anti-chemistry towards that word, regardless of its context. Then the title even mentions 'working class' to which, for those who read enough of my posts, I'm against such labelling. My view is that we should stop focusing on what people have and don't have, and this book seemed to have this in bucket-loads, which really bothered me.

Sometimes, I feel his passion and enthusiasm is mistaken for relentless anger, defensiveness and - occasionally - offence. With politics so deeply divisive at the moment, he has become the symbol of a socialism movement that can only be seen in black-and-white, according to his critics. By trying to see things in colour, I can see both sides of such debate. In doing so, I cannot help but look at Owen's journey.

As a boy, Owen was born in Sheffield and raised in Manchester, surrounded by politics from the very start. His parents met through politics, and his previous generations were heavily involved too. He was raised in the north during the late 1980s and early 1990s, possibly the region's darkest time, with the Hillsborough disaster and coal mines closing at a rapid rate occurring then.

Owen (C-L) talks to Piers Morgan (C-R) (Image: Metro)

Accumulate the above together, this environment inspired him to fall into the line of work he sees himself in today. By following his parents' footsteps, Owen felt empowered enough, and articulate enough, to get his voice listened to. It's difficult for voices outside of the London and South East bubble to be heard. His determination is so blatant, it is easily misinterpreted by those who feel intimidated by his presence.

This is why Owen Jones is an enigmatic figure. I have described Katie Hopkins and Piers Morgan using the same word before. It is important these divided figures are understood so we don't see them as either one thing or another, and nothing else. The key difference at this point is that both Katie and Piers have shown both sides of their character which many have appreciated at one stage of their lives.

Owen hasn't reached that point yet, or he hasn't allowed himself to showcase this side of his character. When I watch him on television today, I often wished he smiled and relaxed more. However, he's been in the media scene for only seven years. Previously perceived as uptight and emotionless, Piers showed his smiley and laid-back side when judging contenders on Britain's Got Talent, a completely different environment to his days editing tabloid newspapers.

In all seriousness, Owen is here to stay and when everyone realises this, hopefully, both sides of certain political debates can unite in healthy discussions - but that has to come from him first.