For the best part of a decade, a new type of anti-systemic, nationalist politics has been emerging from different corners of the online world. In Britain, this has united with older forms of cultural conservatism to propel Nigel Farage and Reform UK to within touching distance of power (at least for now). In this episode, James is joined by political theorist Alan Finlayson to understand what’s driving these changes and the ways in which different styles of online rhetoric, on both the left and right, are shaping our political discourse. They also consider whether the distinction between left and the right is still meaningful and why the way we understand equality has become the fundamental political dividing line.

Alan Finlayson is professor of political and social theory at the University of East Anglia.

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