The 2016 report into 'The rise of anti-politics in Britain' evidences the claim that there has been a rise of antipolitical sentiment over the last six decades.
Growing numbers of British citizens disapprove of Governments & PM's, threatening democracy.
More and more citizens judge politicians to be out for themselves and their party.
Since the 1940s and 50s, the average level of government disapproval has risen by about 20% to just over 60%, and prime ministerial dissatisfaction has increased by almost 20% to around 55%.
Citizens hold more and more grievances with
formal politics.
Citizens increasingly judge politicians to be self-serving and not straight-talking, but also to be out of touch, all the same, a joke, and part of a broken, dysfunctional and unfair system.
Prototypical categories include ‘the toff’ (who went from public school to Oxbridge to Parliament) and ‘the career politician’ (with little experience of life beyond politics).
They are also thought to be ‘all the same’ and focused mainly on swing voters in marginal seats.
Citizens think of politicians as beneficiaries of a system that is broken and unfair, with too many safe seats and wasted votes.
Significantly, anti-political sentiment is associated with support for #populism: populist nationalism is VERY easy to mobilise, & is on the rise.
Populists position themselves as being different from politicians and parties in general; as representing ‘the people’ against ‘the out of touch and corrupt elites’; as representing ‘common sense’ in a field otherwise characterised by ‘vested interests’ and ‘grubby compromises’.
In doing so, they make a series of misrepresentations: that there is just one people; that they are of that people (and other politicians are not); that there is no mutual interdependence between that people and other peoples (whether external populations or internal minorities);
..that there's no need for negotiation & compromise between many competing interests & opinions; & that there's no need for procedures & institutions oriented towards negotiation, compromise, the making of collective decisions, & the imposing of binding decisions ("bureaucracy").
Negative feeling towards the institutions of formal politics strongly predicts support for populist nationalist parties: it's why our institutions are ALWAYS under attack from right-wing politicians & news platforms: they're pushing the buttons - it's WHAT THE CULTURE WAR IS FOR.
This report was written in 2016. Since then, everything has got MUCH worse: we're dangerously polarised, & democracy is under threat.
Educating people to have critical thinking skills is important, but first & foremost, politicians must behave more ethically. I fear the worst.
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A handful of selfish sociopathic billionaires and the populist politicians and media they fund have deliberately divided and radicalised millions of people across the world, solely to protect their wealth and power.
They claim to want to help “save children” while spreading distrust of experts, reputable journalism, climate science, and vaccines — which have saved over 100 million children since 1974.
By dividing the public, they protect their wealth and power.
Rather than justify how their wealth was earned, these elites cultivate scepticism of their critics and of expertise itself.
This deliberate erosion of trust shields their interests while undermining the science that saves lives and protects our planet.
Robert Jenrick closed his Conference speech with: “Let’s build this NEW ORDER. Let’s TAKE our country back.” Hitler's “New Order” was a vision for an Aryan-led Europe which involved exterminating or enslaving “undesirable” minorities.
In Britain, a group of prominent MPs—including Nigel Farage, Lee Anderson, Rupert Lowe, Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman—are normalising far-right discourse through three recurring frames/themes: invasion, scapegoating for cultural destruction, and demographic replacement.
Let's talk about chainsaw enthusiast, Musk buddy, and darling of the global free-market right, Javier Milei.
Let’s look at which UK politicians and news media have been most effusive in their praise for him, and at whats happened to Argentina since he was elected in 2023.
Milei’s election as President of Argentina in November 2023 was met with enthusiasm from right-wing news media and populist politicians who praised his libertarian, anti-establishment platform as a model for radical economic reform.
Support was often framed in the context of Thatcherite principles, with Milei seen as a disruptor against "socialism".
1. Kemi Badenoch celebrated Milei as a "template" for her own potential Government, aspiring to be "Britain’s version of Javier Milei".
A global evangelical Christian ARMY linked to TPUSA/TPUK, "fighting for the Britain whose church missioned & colonised the dark, demonic, heathen world with light, truth & salvation", founded by a former British boy band member addicted to cocaine until he found God?
WTAF!🤯
'The King's Army' is a non-denominational Christian evangelism and discipleship movement launched in the UK mid-2024 - a "spiritual army" of believers enlisted to combat sin, cultural decay, and "darkness" through aggressive street outreach, prayer marches and public protests. 🤪
Drawing on biblical military metaphors, it emphasises "virtue and valor" among Christians, urging them to "stop living like civilians and start fighting like soldiers!"
It targets young men for recruitment, standing against issues like secularism and "immoral culture"!
Two people have died and three are in a serious condition following a suspected terror attack on a Manchester synagogue. Muslim leaders have condemned the attack. The suspect was shot dead by Police.
Some @X accounts are blaming Starmer. What's this got to do with @elonmusk?
Since Musk bought Twitter in October 2022 and rebranded it as @X, the platform has transformed from a space for news and debate into a megaphone for hate, disinformation, and extremist ideology.
The consequences are now spilling into the streets.
Musk’s first act as owner was to gut @X’s safety and moderation teams, firing around 80% of staff responsible for enforcing hate-speech and misinformation policies.
Ellison (~$390bn), Musk (~£385bn), and Zuckerberg (~$260): the three richest men on earth.
Ellison is buying TikTok. He controls nearly 50% of Paramount Skydance and wants Warner Bros Discovery. Carrie Symonds's dad is a director of his Foundation.
For more than a century, some of the richest people on earth have bought up various media in order to shape politics and public opinion in a way that protects their wealth and power from democracy.
Musk, Zuckerberg and Ellison are doing precisely this on steroids.
These billionaires are reshaping the world into a dystopia that makes The Handmaids Tale look quaint.
Ellison owns 98% of one of the largest Hawaiian Islands, rolls out his total global surveillance system called 'The Oracle' to ensure 'good behaviour'.