Seven words that explain broken politics

Why do so many people feel alienated from politics in Britain today? Why has trust in political parties collapsed? And why do so many voters now feel politically homeless?

In this video, which I think one of the most important we have made,  I argue that seven words explain the transformation of UK politics over the last 50 years.

Once, politics was organised around nature, enterprise, work and society. Political parties represented identifiable interests, and most people could understand where they fitted into the political map.

The Conservatives championed enterprise. Labour represented work. The Liberals focused on society and democratic reform. The Greens emerged around nature and environmental concerns.

But neoliberalism changed all of that.

Today, I suggest British politics is increasingly organised around the financialised returns represented by rent, interest and product charges.

Property speculation, financial returns and intellectual property extraction now dominate political priorities. Enterprise and work have been hollowed out, and are now ignored. Financial capital has replaced productive activity at the centre of political debate. Our political parties have fundamentally changed as a result.

This video explains how that transformation happened, why it matters, and why it helps explain the rise of political disenchantment, Reform UK, constitutional tensions and the collapse of trust in mainstream politics.

If you want to understand why Britain feels politically broken, this video explains the process that got us here.