Enoch Powell: Britain's first neoliberal politician w/ Robbie Shilliam
Added 2021-04-09 10:23:02 +0000 UTCRobbie Shilliam joins PTO to talk about his article, 'Enoch Powell: Britain’s First Neoliberal Politician' which appeared in the New Political Economy Journal. We spoke about how Enoch Powell, far from being a political throwback was in fact a key figure in the emergence of neoliberalism and Thatcherism, and how his politics presaged the Brexit project. We also chatted about how Powell, in contrast to many conservatives became hostile to nostalgia for the British Empire and how he believed that an independent Britain, neither ruling an empire, nor becoming part of the embryonic European Union would find its proper place in the world.
Comments
I agree that they aren't coming back. The hostility on the doorstep in places that switched in the NE makes me agree with his line on that. The new build suburban Taylor wimpey estate is not really a straightforward labour vote and yet they're scattered all across the seats labour lost. Rayner/Phillip's WWC crap is not going to bring them back. But that's not to say there isn't a left politics that could bring back or at least challenge in those seats many of which have massive Amazon warehouses... I think the bigger point was much more interesting though. Thinking through how New Labour played into that Anglo-Saxon genus politics, the need to displace where we see global politics and major ideological change taking place...
Sol Gamsu
2021-04-19 07:12:13 +0000 UTCIt's hard to do a comment on Shilliam's fascinating thesis justice in this format, but I found myself very forlorn when he said 'we're not going to win [Trump voters and Brexit voters] back' because I don't want to be part of a Left politics that doesn't try to get them back.
Paul Brewer
2021-04-19 01:12:28 +0000 UTCThat was a powerful listen, Alex. I like Robbie Shilliam. Thank you!!! xxx
Jane Pickering
2021-04-10 04:09:45 +0000 UTC
