Episode 1

The Paradox

The first film in the series explores how a new political establishment emerged in the post-Thatcher era to chart a new direction for Britain. In pursuit of a meritorious cause by which it might define itself, this emergent political class embraced the doctrine of Progressive Liberalism. What it failed to recognise was that its chosen ideology contained an irresolvable paradox.

The political volatility Britain is experiencing today is a symptom of the growing social instability resulting from the failure of the political class to resolve that paradox.

Britain is currently undergoing an unprecedented period of political turmoil. Parallels have been drawn of the replacement of the Liberal Party by Labour during the early part of the 20th Century, but the change is more fundamental than the realignment of the existing order.

What we are witnessing is a change to the political agenda where the determinant has moved away from the allocation of capital and resources that defined 20th Century politics to notions of identity and belonging.

Episode 3

Powell’s Prophesy

In April 1968, Enoch Powell delivered a speech in Birmingham challenging large-scale inward migration from the Commonwealth. The continued relevance of the “Rivers of Blood” speech lies in the broader dilemmas it revealed. At its core is a tension between competing principles: on the one hand, commitments to equality, inclusion, and humanitarian values; on the other, concerns about cultural identity, social cohesion, and the right of a host community to determine its own destiny.

We also examine how the narrative surrounding Brexit was manipulated to portray it as a predominantly right-wing movement, when in fact Euroscepticism had long been deeply rooted within left-wing political thought, and the constitutional questions raised by Brexit remain at the heart of Britain’s political divide today.

Episode 4

The Problem

The consequences of political decisions are often not fully realised until many years after the policies themselves have been implemented. The origins of the political turmoil Britain is currently experiencing can be traced back to the incoming Labour administration at the turn of the millennium, which introduced a number of changes with profound long-term implications.

The problems Britain faces today are the product of a confluence of structural, constitutional, and ideological changes introduced by that Labour administration and perpetuated by subsequent Conservative governments.

In this film, we examine how the implementation and continuation of policies introduced by successive post-millennium administrations, which brought about profound demographic change, destabilised British society.

Over a thirty-year period, Britain witnessed the emergence of increasingly segregated communities, the evolution of a new form of social apartheid, the rise of the culture wars, the growth of sectarian politics, and mounting pressure on social infrastructure. We also explore how these policies exacerbated global inequalities.