Fergus Finlay: Ignore the sneering and wear your wokeness like a badge of honour

Those who try to make the labels like 'woke' feel like something dirty do it out of fear of the kind of progressive change that undermines their power and authority

Republic of Ireland players take a knee in support of the anti-racism movement prior to the international friendly match against Hungary at Szusza Ferenc Stadion in Budapest. Picture: Laszlo Szirtesi/Getty Images

Liberals ended slavery in this country — a liberal republican did that. Liberals got women the right to vote. Liberals got African-Americans the right to vote. Liberals created social security, and lifted millions of elderly people out of poverty. Liberals ended segregation. Liberals passed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act. Liberals created Medicare. Liberals passed the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. 

So when you try to hurl that word 'liberal' at my feet as if it were something dirty, something to run away from, something to be ashamed of, it won’t work. Because I will pick up that label, and I will wear it as a badge of honour.