In How Britain Really Works: Understanding the Ideas and Institutions of a Nation, Stig Abell, the editor of the Times Literary Supplement, seeks to understand the recent seismic shift in British politics and asks the question: why?
From recent referendum results to the influence of social media, Abell’s word is “centre”. Whether it’s centrist politics or centralised capital cities, socialism or Conservative-voting constituencies, he’s fascinated by Benjamin Disraeli’s theory that the pendulum swings in politics.
By honing in on the binary opposites currently dominating the British political scene, what he demonstrated was a profound understanding of British political psychology, shedding light on British voting habits and philosophies in a post-Brexit society. “We experience almost everything in our lives locally and yet, we vote nationally,” he said, before adding, “the answer might be that we need more politically engaged people.”
One audience member asked if reading his book would turn him into a grumpy old man to which the author laughed. Abell isn’t about pessimism; he’s about realism and vision. “Britain’s at its absolute worst when it’s stationary,” he said. He championed teachers, freedom of movement and politicians who “care for their local population”.
Despite his evident interest in politics, Abell does not have his sights set on being a politician. “I fundamentally do not understand why people would want to be a politician,” he said, describing it as “a terrible job.” Instead, he’s going to watch the pendulum swing and endeavour to understand how and why.
If you missed this event, you might also like What Price a Higher Education? At 4pm on Tuesday, May 29th.