Recently, photos surfaced of Social Democrat TD Eoin Hayes dressed up as former US President Barack Obama, which was met with controversy and debate over his participation in “blackface”. Old photos of politicians participating in blackface are not a novel occurrence. In fact, it seems to happen often that politicians on both sides of the political spectrum are met with old photos of them participating in blackface. These scandals are often dealt with by politicians in the same way: a sombre statement from the politician where they emphasise how they weren’t participating in a harmful and racist practice but just dressing up! Or they emphasise how they didn’t know better back then. After a while, that skeleton returns to the closet once again.
The photos are from when Hayes served as the president of University College Cork’s Student Union and depict Hayes wearing brown makeup on his face and hands. Hayes emphasised how much he admired Obama and how that admiration inspired the costume. Hayes ended up working on the Obama campaign as well. The Social Democrats addressed the situation, noting that Hayes apologised and is sorry for his actions, as well as highlighting how their party abhors racism. There are conflicting opinions, both from the public and from members of the Social Democrats, regarding how Hayes was merely met with a slap on the wrist for the photos that surfaced.
In Hayes’ statement, he emphasised that his actions do not represent his beliefs or the Social Democrats’ beliefs, essentially stressing that the Social Democrats condemn racism in all forms. These apologies warranted by blackface scandals often include claims that the politician has grown, that they are not the person they were back then, and do not hold the same values. However, for conservative politicians, it often isn’t necessary for them to feign growth and virtue signals since many of their constituents are not particularly dissuaded by racism towards African Americans, whereas more progressive politicians have constituents who are directly affected by or care deeply about racism. Eoin Hayes’ actions were reprehensible, and he must be held accountable; however, it is important to observe the way similar actions are dealt with on different sides of the political spectrum.
Sir Desmond Swayne, a Conservative Member of Parliament, was quoted in 2019 as saying that wearing blackface is an “entirely acceptable bit of fun”. This was referring to when he dressed up as soul singer James Brown at a party, saying he went to trouble to be “as authentic as possible”. The former minister also defended former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his blackface photos that emerged. Sir Desmond argued that Trudeau should not have apologised. Swayne is the man who released a regretful statement after photos were released of him falling asleep in the House of Commons, an offence that he seems to find more warranting of an apology than blackface, it seems.
Also in 2019, Virginia Republicans stated that top Democrats had lost the authority to govern after photos of them participating in blackface surfaced. Then, weeks later, Republican Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment was met with allegations of blackface in his school yearbook. The yearbook also includes him using slurs and anti-Semitic language. Norment responded to these photos by defending the student publication and its First Amendment rights instead of apologising for his offensive behaviours.
Scandals of blackface can be damning for progressives, but seem to be brushed off for conservatives. Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau experienced severe backlash for the photos released of him doing blackface. While the backlash is warranted (the photos are quite alarming, a Google search is recommended), there never seems to be a campaign derailment like Trudeau’s when a conservative politician is revealed to have participated in blackface. Trudeau was met with questions of resigning after the photos of him resurfaced. Meanwhile, conservative Representative Mike Lawler reacted to photos emerging of him doing blackface by turning the question onto his African American opponent in their race for a seat in Congress, questioning them on whether they have ever done anything morally questionable.
The moral expectations of the left and the right are becoming so polarised that conservative politicians are held to entirely different ethical standards than progressive ones are. Whereas progressive politicians can be permanently harmed and disregarded by their party for racist comments and photos, more conservative politicians face less backlash from their supporting base when racist behaviours from their past come to light. Could this be because racism is embedded in the ethical makeup of conservative values? Conservative values prioritise tradition, oftentimes at the expense of marginalised groups. It almost makes sense that members of their party would be less critical when their representatives participate in racist behaviours. This is not a call for a change of the entire set of values that the conservative party holds, but an observation of what conservatives are able to get away with by setting this precedent of moral ambiguity. While progressives allow themselves to become occupied with cancel culture, conservatives who don’t prioritise these same concerns are able to devote themselves, instead, to the work of writing and carrying out a destructive political agenda. Most notably, US President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill or OBBBA was signed into law on July 4, 2025. The bill makes a 12% cut to Medicaid, leaving millions of Americans without healthcare. It includes $150 billion for new defence spending and another $150 billion for border enforcement and deportations. It increases funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Reform UK’s leader, Nigel Farage, recently announced his plans to eject hundreds of thousands of migrants from the UK. He also plans to eliminate what the party calls “transgender ideology” in schools.
It is imperative that these conversations are had and accountability is taken; however, they must not overshadow the sinister policy agenda of the right that is able to be passed while progressives are involved in their own discussions of ethical superiority. While liberal and leftist politicians become increasingly embroiled in cancel culture and popular scandals, the right continues to pass sordid and ethically depraved bills right under their noses.
