By Lennon Airey (Politics Correspondent)
Edited by Mark Etkind (Politics Editor)
“It is difficult to ask the people to sacrifice themselves to democracy when they think that democracy is incapable of giving them food to eat, of preventing the astronomical rise in the cost of subsistence or placing an end to the terrible scourge of corruption” - Rafael Caldera (How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky 1992). This prediction by the President of Venezuela would soon materialise, as Venezuela’s democracy was overthrown by a dictatorship - a far-right rise by Chavez. While the rise of dictatorship in the United Kingdom seems far fetched, one must acknowledge that the situations both societies find themselves in (albeit at different time frames) are remarkably similar: a cost-of-living crisis, food prices increasing forcing a choice to ‘heat or eat’, and corruption as seen in the enormous profits recorded by large energy companies. Meanwhile even those who work full time or two jobs are struggling, seen with an astronomical rise in the number of food banks, which in necessary to counter the huge rise in the cost of food. Amidst the Tory Leadership Contest - in which both candidates battle over the economy, the NHS backlog, and unions and their recent strikes, the significant lack of governance at present must not go unnoticed Johnson even said recently that the cost of living crisis is the challenge of the next PM. These approaches will enable the already terrible economic situation to spiral further out of control. With financial and social pressures facing families, like never before, how safe is British democracy? And what role could the rise in political polarisation have in its downfall?
The actual definition of political polarisation is: the divergence of political attitudes away from the centre and into ideological extremism. The dangerous result of this can be the popularisation and assent of a demagogue, a political leader who seeks support through appealing to people’s prejudices, rather than using rational argument. Traditionally, political parties act as gatekeepers - preventing the rise of potential demagogues through not nominating extremists to become party leaders. However, political parties, though generally stable and unified with willingness to deliver their agenda to the British people, have seen large divisions in the last decade. This issue of division isn’t exclusive to any party, the traditionally stable Conservative party has seen a recent division between ‘one nation’, right-wing Conservatives, and Liberal Conservatives, the latter of whom have recently been silenced with prominent conservatives Kenneth Clarke and Rory Stewart leaving the party. While varying sections of each party contain powerful individuals who believe that their ideology is most suited to Britain, and while the ‘one nation’ and far right influence over the conservative party becomes more prominent, it is not impossible to imagine that future conservative leaders may become more extreme as the very party they represent becomes polarised and increasingly right wing.
Looking to the 2022 Conservative Leadership Contest, Conservative MPs knocked out Tom Tugendhat, who appeared to be the most liberal minded candidate and used the notion of a ‘fresh start’ to kick start his campaign. Despite public popularity, the two remaining candidates are Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. These two established politicians act as examples of how political insiders from hard right/left political positions can gain power to determine and implement policy. Both candidates identify on the right of the Conservative party, despite Truss’s conversion from the Liberal Democrats. Their sole ambition is to tackle the economic recession that approaches alongside the cost-of-living crisis. However another pledge that both contenders are determined to deliver on is the eradication of ‘wokeness’ from society. Despite the pledge to eradicate ‘wokeness’ from British politics, neither candidate seems to be able to identify exactly what woke means; is it equality for trans women or do the two candidates feel that wokeness could be a direct threat to the hard right of the conservative party- as it takes tradition and replaces it with a modern view of society. It begs the question as to whether the conservative party is willing to move with the times or will it, as it moves increasingly to the right, continue to implement traditional values without considering the vulnerable people that it’s policy will be effecting. This, alongside other recent Conservative policies, such as the Rwanda Deportation Scheme and the increased sentencing and sanctions on those who protest against the government have hinted that the modern conservative party is moving away from the days of 2010 and Lib Dem coalition, towards a harsher, more extreme, and combative politics. Rather than embracing the cultural and social changes in society and helping the most vulnerable, the modern conservative party appears to be attacking vulnerable minorities, including asylum seekers and transgender people. These are signs that polarisation is increasing in the conservative party as the hard right becomes increasingly prominent in the part, increasing its influence. The demand for the country and government to redefine itself is becoming more and more popular as recent YouGov polls have shown that Keir Starmer’s Labour would win 43% of the vote and a small majority, leading the 28% that is expected for the Conservative party.
So, while party membership generally act as a filter in leadership elections, preventing extremists and demagogues from rising up in the party and gaining control of it, the current conservative party is becoming increasingly polarised from the rest of British politics, moving increasingly towards the right. How worried should the British people be? Is there a realistic chance of a demagogue becoming the leader of a political party or having a large influence over national policy? The answer to these questions, for now, lies with the Conservative party as they choose their next leader. However, it is not uncommon for extreme think tanks, individuals, and parties, such as Nigel Farage’s UKIP for example, to have a real influence over British politics. In the case of UKIP a political outsider, distant from Westminster, who not only gained political momentum with his Leave campaign but also had a real influence over what has been a tumultuous 6 years since David Cameron held the Brexit Referendum. Despite the former MEP having little political influence in Westminster and his loss of the UKIP party leadership, 2016 acted as the year that a right-wing political figure who branded himself a ‘patriot’ changed British foreign relations forever. Farage appealed to people’s own needs, jobs, and higher wages. For this, Farage exposed the British immigration system and created scapegoats. In a time of Conservative austerity, Farage did the unthinkable and his Leave Campaign won the popular vote in 2016, stunning David Cameron into resignation. So, rather than demagogues appearing only from inside of political parties, outsiders are also able to infiltrate views that resonate with British people, severely affecting the way in which British politics is conducted.
Although Britain prides itself on being a stable and democratic country, the politics and events of the past decade bring into question if this pride is increasingly becoming a façade. If an outsider such as Farage can have such an influence over our politics and if the well-established Conservative party is becoming more and more extremist, and with divides also occurring with Labours hard and soft left, how can democracy be protected and strengthened? Will it be strong enough to whether the challenging times ahead; a cost-of-living crisis, a war in Europe, legal and medical backlogs, and unions striking. Is Britain’s current socio-economic situation foreshadowing another populist leaders infiltration to the top of the political ladder? Or will the British political system act as the perfect opportunity for a potential demagogue to come from either inside or outside of Westminster and change the UK’s political landscape forever with Britain’s foreign relations with the European Union being potentially forever damaged and the relationship between British people and the government also arguably being demolished as the government haven’t sought to help people with the economic crisis that the country is currently enduring.
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