Citizens United by Henry McLeish sampler

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Setting the Scene Amidst Turbulent Politics
the winds of political change are blowing through western democracies.
The infamous spirit of recent political times is a reminder of the
darker political days we thought had gone forever. It is a wake-up call
to progressives who believe that humans are capable of achieving much
higher levels of social, economic, political and cultural wellbeing. As
Naomi Klein says in her new book, No is Not Enough: Defeating the
New Shock Politics, ‘Trump, as extreme as he is, is less an aberration
than a logical conclusion – a pastiche of pretty much all the worst and
most dangerous trends of the past half century’.
The early years of the 21st century have erupted into a spectacular
period of seismic political unrest which challenges our sense of
purpose, shreds our certainties, and questions our path to progress
in the post-war era. Volatile and angry electors are contesting social
democracy and progressive politics. Populism, the rise of the right and
the angry backlash of ‘left behinds’ are dominating politics at a time of
unprecedented and accelerating change in every dimension of society.
My argument is that there is something profoundly wrong with our
politics, democracy and governance that is impacting on the way we
live and how we organise our society. This period of political turmoil
demands a positive and progressive response and requires us to dig
deeper to find out what populism means and how this is changing our
politics.
I believe that the decision to leave the eu was a mistake, and we must
examine why this happened and what the catastrophic consequences
are likely to be. There is a need to contest, derail and ultimately defeat
this act of collective self-harm, which has no benefits for Britain and is
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