Open AccessThe End of the United Kingdom
Author(s) -
Bob Brecher
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
araucaria
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.157
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 2340-2199
pISSN - 1575-6823
DOI - 10.12795/araucaria.2020.i45.24
Subject(s) - exceptionalism , ideology , reactionary , empire , brexit , kingdom , political science , government (linguistics) , social darwinism , politics , humanities , law , philosophy , sociology , economics , linguistics , european union , economic policy , paleontology , biology
The United Kingdom government’s response to the coronavirus pandemicand its longstanding pursuit of Brexit go hand-in-hand, testament to a rulingideology that can best be described as a toxic combination of narcissistic nostalgiaon speed and a deeply reactionary social darwinist view of the world. The rootsof this bizarre ideology lie deep in an English exceptionalism, in part the engine,in part the legacy, of Empire. It is this exceptionalism that offers an explanation,or at least a partial one, of both Brexit and the UK’s response to the pandemic, aswell as a basis on which to speculate about the UK’s future.