Brexit: Hatred, lies and UK democracy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/DP.2019.011Słowa kluczowe:
Brexit, democracy, European Union, fake news, political violence, populism, UK politicsAbstrakt
This article analyses the Brexit debate within the UK. It examines the historical roots of the debate from 1973 when the UK joined the European Economic Community, but focuses primarily on the debates that occurred between 2013 when David Cameron pledged to hold a referendum up and the 2019 UK General Election. Section one briefly introduces the topic. Section two examines the rise of social hatred during the referendum campaign. It focuses on the history of British euro-scepticism, the immediate context of the Brexit campaign, concerns over UK sovereignty and immigration, and the increasing use of threats and political violence. Section three examines the decline of trust in politics due to the increasing failure to challenge lies in the Brexit debate. It explores the idea of “Project Fear”, the anti-expert narrative, and the anti-elitism narrative. Section four asks what this period tells us about UK democracy. It focuses on weak and disorderly government, the democratic status of the referendum, the erosion of trust in parliamentary institutions and mechanisms, and some reasons for (limited) optimism. The article concludes by considering possible ways forward for the UK government and polity following the decisive Conservative victory in the 2019 UK General Election.Bibliografia
Assinder N., “Why UKIP’s Nigel Farage is Enoch Powell’s Political Heir”, International Business Times, 21 May 2014 https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/why-ukips-nigel-farage-enoch-powells-political-heir-1449443 (accessed 14 November 2019).
Bank of England, “EU withdrawal scenarios and monetary and financial stability”, Bank of England, 28 November 2018 https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/report/2018/eu-withdrawal-scenarios-and-monetary-and-financial-stability (accessed 12 November 2019).
BBC News, “David Cameron promises in/out referendum on EU”, 23 January 2013 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21148282 (accessed 11 November 2019).
BBC News, “Eddie Mair vs Boris Johnson”, BBC News, 24 March 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAxA-9D4X3o
BBC News, “EU Referendum: results”, BBC News, n.d., https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/eu_referendum/results (accessed 4 November 2019).
BBC News, “EU Referendum: results”, BBC News, n.d., https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/eu_referendum/results (accessed 4 November 2019).
BBC News, “Labour MP Jo Cox ‘murdered for a political cause’”, BBC News, 14 November 2016.
BBC News, Anti-Polish cards in Huntingdon after EU referendum”, BBC News, 26 June 2016 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-36633388
BBC News, Nigel Farage: Narrow Remain win may lead to second referendum”, BBC News, 17 May 2016, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36306681 (accessed 13 November 2019).
Benn T., Encounter (January 1963), quoted in Ruth Winstone (ed.), Best of Benn: Speeches, Diaries, Letters and Other Writings (Arrow, 2015), p.21.
Boles N., “Neither Jeremy Corbyn or Boris Johnson are "morally fit" to become the next Prime Minister according to former MP, Nick Boles”, Channel 4 News, 12 November 2019 https://www.facebook.com/Channel4News/videos/1423135621166917/
Cardiff University, “Future of England Survey reveals public attitudes towards Brexit and the union”, Cardiff University, 24 October 2019, https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/1709008-future-of-england-survey-reveals-public-attitudes-towards-brexit-and-the-union
Curtis J., How Deeply Does Britain’s Euroscepticism Run? (British Social Attitudes, 2015).
Eurostat, “Asylum Applicants in the EU” [2016], European Commission https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/news/themes-in-the-spotlight/asylum2016 (accessed 11 November 2019).
Fetzer T., “Did Austerity in the UK Lead to the Brexit Crisis?”, Harvard Business Review, 23 August 2019 https://hbr.org/2019/08/did-austerity-in-the-uk-lead-to-the-brexit-crisis (accessed 13 November 2019).
Full Fact, “The UK’s EU membership fee”, Full Fact, 8 July 2019, drawing on House of Commons figures https://fullfact.org/europe/our-eu-membership-fee-55-million/ (accessed on 12 November 2019).
Helm T., “Brexit referendum should never have been called, say majority of voters”, The Guardian, 26 October 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/26/opinium-poll-observer-uk-voters-regret-brexit-referendum-conservative-lead-over-labour (accessed 11 November 2019).
Helm T., “Brexit referendum should never have been called, say majority of voters”, The Guardian, 26 October 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/26/opinium-poll-observer-uk-voters-regret-brexit-referendum-conservative-lead-over-labour (accessed 11 November 2019).
HM Government, “EU Exit: Long-term economic analysis November 2018”, HM Government https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/760484/28_November_EU_Exit_-_Long-term_economic_analysis__1_.pdf (accessed 12 November 2019).
Home Office, Hate Crimes, England and Wales, 2017/18, 16 October 2018; https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/748598/hate-crime-1718-hosb2018.pdf (accessed 11 November 2019).
Hunt A., “UKIP: The story of the UK Independence Party's rise”, BBC News, 21 November 2014 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21614073 (accessed 13 November 2019).
“Jeremy Corbyn Opposes the EU”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJSiwNWb7pY (accessed 11 November 2019).
Kaonga G., “Brexiteer fury at ‘traitors’ and ‘disgraceful’ Remainer MPs broadcast on BBC Radio 4”, Daily Express, 27 September 2019, https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1183378/Brexit-News-update-latest-Boris-Johnson-vote-Remain-leave-Today-Programme
Kentish B., “Theresa May government found in contempt of parliament over failure to publish full Brexit legal advice”, The Independent, 4 December 2018, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/contempt-parliament-vote-theresa-may-brexit-legal-advice-government-geoffrey-cox-a8667086.html (accessed 13 November 2019).
Kuenssberg L., “Gove and Johnson: What happened?”, BBC News, 30 June 2016, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-36679738 (accessed 12 November 2019).
Liberini F., Oswald A. J., Proto E., Redoano M., Was Brexit Caused by the Unhappy and the Old?, September 2017, Institute of Labor Economics Discussion Paper Series IZA DP No. 11059, http://ftp.iza.org/dp11059.pdf (accessed 13 November 2019).
Mance H., “Britain has had enough of experts”, Financial Times, 3 June 2016 https://www.ft.com/content/3be49734-29cb-11e6-83e4-abc22d5d108c
McCartney K., “The Superstate into which the EU is evolving makes our departure all the more urgent”, Brexitcentral, 28 September 2019, https://brexitcentral.com/the-superstate-into-which-the-eu-is-evolving-makes-our-departure-all-the-more-urgent/ (accessed 11 November 2019).
Müller J.-W., What is Populism? (Penguin, 2017).
O’Neill B., “The Remainer Tyranny”, Spiked, https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/09/08/the-remainer-tyranny/ (accessed 11 November 2019).
O’Neill B., “The Remainer Tyranny”, Spiked, https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/09/08/the-remainer-tyranny/ (accessed 11 November 2019).
Oldroyd-Bolt D., “The Many, Many Millions of Mogg”, Spectator Life, 3 November 2016 https://life.spectator.co.uk/articles/many-many-millions-mogg/
Paton D., “Ten myths from the ‘no deal’ Project Fear”, The Spectator, 1 December 2018 https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/12/ten-myths-from-the-no-deal-project-fear/ (accessed 12 November 2019).
Powell E., “Extract from speech by the Rt. Hon. J. Enoch Powell MP at the Doncaster Conservative Association Gala, Doncaster Race Course, 2.30pm, Saturday 19 June 1971” (pp.13-14), in: The Speeches of John Enoch Powell, Poll 4/1/7 File 2, June-September 1971, pp.133–134; http://enochpowell.info/wp-content/uploads/Speeches/June-Sept%201971.pdf
Powell E., “Speech by the Rt. Hon. J. Enoch Powell M.P. to a Young Unionist Rally at the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall, Londonderry, at 8pm, Friday 15th January 1971”, p.15, 15 January 1971, in The Speeches of John Enoch Powell, Poll 4/1/7 File 4, January-March 1971; http://enochpowell.info/wp-content/uploads/Speeches/Jan-March%201971.pdf (accessed 8 November 2019).
Powell E., Speech in the House of Commons (21 January 1971), Hansard HC Deb 21 January 1971, vol. 809, c.1376 https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1971/jan/21/european-economic-community#column_1376 (accessed 8 November 2019).
Sabbagh D., “No 10 accused of ignoring evidence of Russian interference”, The Guardian, 6 November 2019 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/06/no-10-accused-of-ignoring-evidence-of-russian-interference (accessed on 12 November 2019).
Singh A., “Nigel Farage says controversial anti-migrant poster ‘won the referendum’ for Brexit”, 19 October 2018 https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/latest-news/nigel-farage-says-controversial-anti-migrant-poster-won-the-referendum-for-brexit-1-9404360 (accessed 13 November 2019).
Slack J., “Enemies of the People”, Daily Mail, 4 November 2016 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3903436/Enemies-people-Fury-touch-judges-defied-17-4m-Brexit-voters-trigger-constitutional-crisis.html (accessed 14 November 2019).
UK Government, “EU referendum”, GOV.UK, n.d., https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/eu-referendum/about
Weaver M., “Liam Fox: EU trade deal after Brexit should be ‘easiest in history’ to get”, The Guardian, 20 July 2017 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jul/20/liam-fox-uk-eu-trade-deal-after-brexit-easiest-human-history (accessed 13 November 2019).
Pobrania
Opublikowane
Jak cytować
Numer
Dział
Statystyki
Liczba wyświetleń i pobrań: 485
Liczba cytowań: 0