In this episode, Fiona and Marlene chat with Stuart Donald about his landmark research paper, "Lifting the Lid on Britain's Pressure Cooker Politics: How Inequality and Neoliberal Capture Broke First Past the Post."
Stuart reveals how the UK's First-Past-The-Post voting system is directly linked to the chronic inequality crisis we see across Britain today. Drawing on 40 years of data on regional deprivation and voting trends, this groundbreaking paper connects Margaret Thatcher's accentuated Parliamentary majorities of the 1980s, the rise of neoliberalism, and the structural inequalities that have made the UK one of the most unequal nations among its Western European peers.
Key topics covered:
00:02:10 UK worst inequality compared to Euroean peers
00:03:16 Neoliberal capture in FPTP countries
00:07:20 The Barker Report - Labour's Dilemma
00:11:04 The Middle Class Revolt
00:15:44 Downward Mobility and the Brexit vote
00:17:46 Marginality more important than Need
00:18:28 Orphaning the Have-Nots
00:24:36 Andy Burnham and PR
00:29:00 Farage's new power base
00:32:59 Looming effects of the climate emergency
00:37:45 Individualism - the Road to Hell
00:40:18 What about Scotland?
00:50:08 The Only Conclusion
Stuart's follow-up to his previous paper, The Temper Trap, makes a compelling case that Britain's current crises didn't happen by accident—they're structural. If you want to understand the roots of regional inequality, political polarization, and populism in Britain, this conversation is essential listening. Read the full paper here: https://www.compassonline.org.uk/publications/lifting-the-lid-on-britains-pressure-cooker-politics-how-inequality-and-neoliberal-capture-broke-first-past-the-post/
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Music:
Inspired by Kevin MacLeod
Scottish Independence Podcasts is pro independence but not party political. Opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily represent our views.