Political participation

Political Activism and Agnecy under Austerity and Brexit

Stephen Richard — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 09:55:14 +0000

Political Activism and Agnecy under Austerity and Brexit

Primary Author or Creator

Tom Montgomery

Stephen Richard Wed, 10/06/2021 - 10:55

Additional Author(s) / Creators

Maria Grasso

Alternative Published Date

2019

Category

Economy

Type of Resource

book

Length (Pages, words, minutes etc...)

14pp

Fast Facts

A study of activism against austerity in Britain from the financial crisis of 2008 through the Brexit vote of 2016. It finds that austerity has been a key factor in creating new dividing lines in British society and intensifying old divisions.

More details

A distinctive and original analysis of how the politics of the UK and the lives of British citizens have evolved in the first decades of the twenty-first century, this book provides an interdisciplinary critical examination of the roots, ideology and consequences of austerity politics, the Brexit vote and the rise of populist politics in Britain. Bringing together case studies and perspectives from an array of international researchers across the social sciences, it dissects the ways that the UK has become increasingly contested with profound differences of geography, generation, gender, 'race' and class, and considers agency as a key concept to understand the links between austerity and Brexit.

pp 45-58 in: Contested Britain: Brexit, Austerity and Agency

edited by Marius Guderjan and Hugh Mackay

Resource Address (URL)

https://uk.bookshop.org/books/contested-britain-brexit-austerity-and-agency/978…

Keywords

Austerity

Political participation

Language English

Scotland, Brexit and Broken Promise of Democracy

Stephen Richard — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 18:02:19 +0000

Scotland, Brexit and Broken Promise of Democracy

Primary Author or Creator

Klaus Stolz

Stephen Richard Tue, 10/05/2021 - 19:02

Category

Independence

Fast Facts

The perception of a democratic deficit began in the Thatcher premiership, long before Brexit. Scottish self government came to be positively linked with European intergation.

More details

A chapter from Contested Britain: Brexit, Austerity and Agency, edited by Marius Guderjan and Hugh Mackay.

Resource Address (URL)

https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=cGXXDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT181&dq=W…

Keywords

Political participation

Austerity

Democracy

Devolution

Language English

Scotland’s new choice; Independence after Brexit

Stephen Richard — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 11:24:54 +0000

Scotland’s new choice; Independence after Brexit

Primary Author or Creator

Eve Hepburn

Stephen Richard Sun, 09/26/2021 - 12:24

Additional Author(s) / Creators

Michael Keating, Nicola McEwen, Centre on Constitutional Change

Alternative Published Date

2021

Category

Independence

Type of Resource

Book

Length (Pages, words, minutes etc...)

230pp

Fast Facts

, we have drawn together leading experts to examine the key issues, opportunities and challenges surrounding the prospect of independence. Much has changed since the 2014 referendum – most notably, the UK’s decision to leave the European Union. By providing factual information and impartial analysis, we hope that the book can support citizens to engage in debates and make up their own minds about Scotland’s future.

More details

ISBN 978-1-8384433-1-3

Resource Address (URL)

https://www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2021-03/Scot…

Keywords

Constitution

Referendum

Sovereignty of the people

Political participation

International relations

Brexit

Language English

DEMOCRACY MAX A vision for a good Scottish democracy

Stephen Richard — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 10:27:06 +0000

DEMOCRACY MAX A vision for a good Scottish democracy

Primary Author or Creator

Electoral Reform Society

Stephen Richard Mon, 09/13/2021 - 11:27

Alternative Published Date

2013

Category

Democracy

Type of Resource

Policy Paper

Fast Facts

The findings from the People’s Gathering are organised into three broad themes: Sovereignty of the People – How do we return more power to the people? Defending our democracy – How do we stop vested interests having too much influence? How do we write the rules – How do we get the checks and balances our democracy needs?

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It is popular to believe in the apathy of the voting public when it comes to politics. It is popular to believe that the man or woman in the street has no interest in deliberative democratic techniques and the case for a written constitution. And a vox pop conducted on those two issues, described in those terms, would almost certainly bear those theories out.

But people are interested in power. They know when they are denied it. They know when decisions are taken not in their interests, but in the interests of powerful lobby groups, or political parties themselves. They know when politicians act in bad faith. The clichés of, “They’re all as bad each other”, or “They’re all in it for themselves”, may do our parliamentarians a disservice, but those sentiments exist because of a real and deep dissatisfaction with modern politics. It cannot be wished away as ignorance, or railing against authority for its own sake.

Traditional representative democracy is faced with failing confidence, and without the people’s confidence it cannot function. That is why it is important to take the opportunity of the independence referendum to talk about a vision for Scotland’s democracy. To argue not just over whether power should lie in Westminster or Holyrood, but how Scotland can strike out and create new ways of exercising power, in partnership with its people. This third phase of the Democracy Max roundtables has been less concerned with long-term structural change than the previous two. Instead it attempts to identify ways of reaching out and widening the scope of, and audience for, this debate. Change will not happen of its own accord. It is hoped that this inquiry will be an important early step in challenging the political system to deliver on the high hopes that voters still hold for democracy in Scotland.

Resource Address (URL)

https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Democracy-Max-A-…

Keywords

Democracy

Political lobbying

Political participation

Sovereignty of the people

Language English