International articulations of populism: An analysis of the existence of right-wing populism in modern-day Great Britain, through a historical perspective

Abstract

In 2016 electorates in the British electorate voted for right-wing populist projects that were based on provably false, or wildly unsubstantiated assertions, such as Brexit campaigners ‘Vote Leave’ assertion that £350m per week of EU contribution savings could be diverted to the National Health Service, without accounting for the UK’s £100m rebate. Such implausible policy positions would hitherto have been as disqualifying in the eyes of electorates that were thought to take political decisions based on good sense. So, did the British electorate simply abandon that good sense in 2016, or did it not exist in the first place? How has the influence of right-wing populism become so pronounced in Britain over the last decade? This thesis will use three international case studies – the Falklands War, the attacks on 9/11 and the 2007-2008 financial crisis – to try to answer these questions.