Bristol University Press
3 Political Activism and Agency under Austerity and Brexit
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Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to better understand the dynamics that are (re-)shaping the political environment of the UK where austerity has widened inequalities across income, wealth, and geographies. It outlines the specific nature of austerity in the UK by addressing those policies and discourses that have led to welfare retrenchment at a time when constraints on the agency of various vulnerable groups have increased. Drawing upon unique survey data from the UK with approximately 2000 participants, the chapter analyses attitudes towards austerity and the disposition that UK citizens have towards specific repertoires of action such as protest and demonstration. It also focuses upon the referendum on membership of the European Union which set in motion a chain of events that continues to dominate the political discourse of the UK. Drawing upon the findings the chapter provides a timely and novel insight into the political fault lines that have come to define the politics of Brexit Britain.
Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to better understand the dynamics that are (re-)shaping the political environment of the UK where austerity has widened inequalities across income, wealth, and geographies. It outlines the specific nature of austerity in the UK by addressing those policies and discourses that have led to welfare retrenchment at a time when constraints on the agency of various vulnerable groups have increased. Drawing upon unique survey data from the UK with approximately 2000 participants, the chapter analyses attitudes towards austerity and the disposition that UK citizens have towards specific repertoires of action such as protest and demonstration. It also focuses upon the referendum on membership of the European Union which set in motion a chain of events that continues to dominate the political discourse of the UK. Drawing upon the findings the chapter provides a timely and novel insight into the political fault lines that have come to define the politics of Brexit Britain.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of Tables v
- Notes on Contributors vi
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction 1
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The Politics and Culture of Austerity: Impacts and Resistance
- The Contracting State: Austerity and Public Services 19
- Breaking Britain’s Working Class: the Left Out 33
- Political Activism and Agency under Austerity and Brexit 45
- Culture Matters: Cuts and Resistance 59
- Agents and Agency in the Face of Austerity and Brexit Uncertainty: the Case of Legal Aid 73
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The Politics and Discourse of Brexit
- The Economy of Brexit: Performance, Interests and Agency 89
- Brexit Populism: Disenfranchisement and Agency 103
- A Sovereign People? Political Fantasy and Governmental Time in the Pursuit of Brexit 117
- ‘Not an International Health Service’: Xenophobia, Brexit and the Restoration of National Sovereignty 131
- ‘Uni-Culti’ Myths and Liberal Dreams: Brexit and Austerity from the Perspective of Migrants 145
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Austerity and Brexit in a Divided Union
- From Brexit to the Break-Up of ... England? Thinking in and Beyond the Nation 161
- Understanding Brexit in Wales: Austerity, Elites and National Identity 175
- Scotland, Brexit and the Broken Promise of Democracy 189
- Brexit, Devolution and Northern Ireland’s Political Parties: Differential Solutions, Special Status or Special Arrangements? 203
- More Than the Border? Looking at Brexit through Irish Eyes 219
- Conclusion 233
- Index 247
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of Tables v
- Notes on Contributors vi
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction 1
-
The Politics and Culture of Austerity: Impacts and Resistance
- The Contracting State: Austerity and Public Services 19
- Breaking Britain’s Working Class: the Left Out 33
- Political Activism and Agency under Austerity and Brexit 45
- Culture Matters: Cuts and Resistance 59
- Agents and Agency in the Face of Austerity and Brexit Uncertainty: the Case of Legal Aid 73
-
The Politics and Discourse of Brexit
- The Economy of Brexit: Performance, Interests and Agency 89
- Brexit Populism: Disenfranchisement and Agency 103
- A Sovereign People? Political Fantasy and Governmental Time in the Pursuit of Brexit 117
- ‘Not an International Health Service’: Xenophobia, Brexit and the Restoration of National Sovereignty 131
- ‘Uni-Culti’ Myths and Liberal Dreams: Brexit and Austerity from the Perspective of Migrants 145
-
Austerity and Brexit in a Divided Union
- From Brexit to the Break-Up of ... England? Thinking in and Beyond the Nation 161
- Understanding Brexit in Wales: Austerity, Elites and National Identity 175
- Scotland, Brexit and the Broken Promise of Democracy 189
- Brexit, Devolution and Northern Ireland’s Political Parties: Differential Solutions, Special Status or Special Arrangements? 203
- More Than the Border? Looking at Brexit through Irish Eyes 219
- Conclusion 233
- Index 247
