Abstract
Forget a week in politics, at the moment a day can feel like an awfully long time in the political arena. Hardly a 24-hour news cycle goes by without a ministerial resignation, an international diplomatic incident or a major policy volte face.
The speed at which politics moves can obscure the scale of the change taking place. But, beneath the froth and flux huge political shifts are taking place, at home and abroad.
Nowhere is that more evident than in the United States. Far from ‘moderating’ in power, President Trump has continued his insurgency candidacy into office. Diplomacy is conducted by tweet. Established political norms – from the independence of the judiciary to relations with long-term allies – have been turned on their head.
In this issue’s cover feature, Emily J. Charnock looks at an ever more salient aspect of American politics – the divide between left and right. It has become commonplace to describe the US as an almost uniquely polarised polity, and to lay most of the blame for this schism at the feet of Donald Trump.
But, as Charnock shows, America’s polarised politics has a much longer history. Where conservative southern Democrats and liberal Yankee Republicans were once commonplace, now the US is increasingly divided along rigid party, and identity, lines.
The polarisation in American politics is particularly apparent in debates around immigration. Republicans have become much more supportive of restrictive immigration policies while Democrats have shifted in the opposite direction. Richard Johnson charts this change and assesses its electoral implications in an increasingly diverse polity.
Of course, it is impossible to talk about seismic political shifts without discussing the biggest change facing the UK in generations – Brexit. In this issue, Craig McAngus, Christopher Huggins, John Connolly, and Arno van der Zwet look at one of the most emotional issues in the European Union referendum – fishing – and examine some of the international models for UK fisheries outside the EU.
Theresa May has long promised that ‘Brexit means Brexit’ but what exactly Brexit means remains to be seen. At the time of writing, May is still the Prime Minister but her future has been continually called into question since losing her majority in 2017. Graham Goodlad compares May and the UK’s last female leader, Margaret Thatcher, and finds important differences beneath the superficial similarities between the two.
While Conservative parties dominate in the US and the UK, there has also been a notable uptick in support for the left internationally. William Horncastle investigates the growth in left-wing movements and asks what relevance Marx – and Marxism – has for contemporary politics.
The rise of political outsiders – from Trump to Jeremy Corbyn – has been ascribed to a growing appetite for populist alternatives to the status quo. But what does populism really mean? And is it inherently problematic and dangerous? Yannis Stavrakakis investigates.
Elsewhere, Jane Suiter examines another mooted solution to the so-called ‘crisis in democracy’ – greater participation in the democratic process. Looking at the recent Irish abortion referendum, Suiter finds that Citizens Assemblies encouraged debate, information and political change.
One international political issue that shows little prospect for change is the search for peace between Israel and Palestine. Jewish settlements are often cited as one of the biggest obstacles to any lasting deal. Eitan Y. Alimi and Chares Demetriou examine the rise in so-called ‘Price Tag’ violence among radical Jewish settlers.
Closer to home, British voters often cite ‘localness’ as a major factor in their political choices. But how local are UK politicians? Rob Gandy finds evidence that localism is increasing amid rising nationalism and regionalism.
In the regular Last Word slot, Kate Dommett and Luke Temple report on new research that suggests any attempt to improve the image of political parties faces an uphill battle. Meanwhile, Benjamin D. Hennig maps the development of ‘fortress Europe’ for refugees.
Uncertainty seems to be the only certainty in our lightspeed politics right now. If you would like to join the debates or contribute to Political Insight get in touch or visit www.psa.ac.uk/insight-plus.