POPULISM AND BREXIT. A UNITED KINGDOM IN CRISIS?



BACKGROUND INFLUENCES
uGlobalisation/ Collapse of Manufacturing: Movement of Manufacturing and High-Skilled Manual Jobs
to cheaper countries uFinancial Crisis (2008)- Collapse of Global Financial System. Caused by
Excessive risk-taking by banks for profit, destroyed trust in ‘The Establishment’.
uMulticulturalism/Migration Crisis: Refugees from Middle East moved into mainland Europe in their
millions. Challenges to Social Cohesion, Racism, and Fear across Europe. uEuroscepticism- Britain
always a ‘reluctant’ Member of the wider European project.

Right Wing Populism.
uCombines Right-Wing Politics with Populism.
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uSpeaks for ‘The Common People’ against an ‘Elite’.
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uIn Right Wing Populism, this elite usually refers to ‘Globalists’, ‘Intellectuals’, and
‘Liberals’. Perceived as against the ‘Nation’.
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uHeartlands, Mythologising of a glorious ‘Past’ Nation against a changing and immoral ‘

HISTORY
uUK Conservative Party divided between Eurosceptics and Europhiles.
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uCameron, ‘moderate conservative’, sought to ‘renegotiate’ Britains relationship with the EU but
did not return with enough concessions to placate his party.
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uPrime Minister Cameron (believing he would win) held the referendum in order to United the Party,
and to see off the threat of UKIP (Nigel Farage)
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uAt this point, the vast majority of Brits favoured staying in the EU.

Results.
u52 % Leave, 48 % Remain.
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uMale:54-46% Leave. Female 51-49%. To remain.
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uOver 65 :65% Leave
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u18-24: 81-19 % Remain

Consequences.
uBrits to lose European Citizenship and Right to Free Movement. Europeans lose the right to move to
the UK.
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uTrade and customs barriers erected between the EU and UK. Huge implications for mutual
recognition, standards, etc.
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uBrits to lose protection of European legal system.
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uStill no deal at this stage- could be further damage.
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LEAVE CAMPAIGN.
uTwo Campaigns: Vote Leave (Official) and Leave.EU (Farage, Unofficial)
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uVote Leave focused on the Politer Arguments, leaving Leave.EU to go for a harder, ‘cultural
nationalist’ approach to the vote. Vote Leave led by Dominic Cummings, now Chief Strategist to
Boris Johnson, and many argue to be the real Prime Minister.
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How did Leave Win? What Lessons for Politics
uShort, Simple, EMOTIVE slogans. ‘Take Back Control’, encompassed the nationalist, ‘heartlands’
message in the Leave campaign and appealed particularly to elderly voters, particularly those with
a view of British Exceptionalism. uFocus on elderly voters, who shared these nationalist sentiments
and were MORE LIKELY TO VOTE. uAnti-Elitist, Populist ‘Insurgent’ Message Anti-Knowledge Message.
Michael Gove ‘The People have Had enough of Experts’.
uThis reduced the importance of factual accuracy
uBritish Exceptionalism and references to ‘The Blitz’ and other wartime romance.
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Why Did the Remain Campaign Lose: Aftermath
uExcessive focus on facts and figures failed to cut through to voters.
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uFailure to Articulate a ‘positive’ vision for European Membership.
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uSeen to represent ‘The Establishment’
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uFailed to understand the potency of Identity Politics (Common to centre and centre-left Liberal
parties in Europe)
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uDeep problem with the EU more generally?

Implications for the UK Future
uEconomic Separation of Northern Ireland from United Kingdom: United Ireland.
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uScottish Independence: Scotland Voted 62% remain and dragged out of the EU against its will. Huge
surge for independence in Scotland.
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u‘England Alone’.  Diplomatic isolation- especially since Trump lost.

Populist ‘nexus’ in Europe
uRise of Populist Leaders across Europe- Orban, Law and Justice Party in Poland.
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uMovement of the ‘Overton Window’ to the right, previously ‘fringe’ parties like the AFD and VOX
becoming mainstreamed.
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u‘Backwards movement’ for rights in some countries.

Discussion Question: Right Wing Populism in YOUR country.
uRight wing Populism in the Brexit referendum involved, at least partially,  using identity
politics to create an emotive ‘Us vs Them’ mentality between ‘the people’ and ‘outsiders’
(minorities, academics, liberals), who did not share the ‘values’ of the British heartland. Can you
identify such  populist trends in the politics of your  own countries? How do they affect politics
in your country?
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uPopulist argument often seeks to devalue facts and reason in favour of emotions and identity. Are
human beings naturally driven more by emotion than reason, and can populists be challenged? If so,
How?
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