Britain’s ruling class does not serve the interests of ordinary people.
Whether it’s their continuous refusal to control and reduce immigration, or their dogmatic commitment to environmental policies which pave over the natural world and make life more expensive for everyone, or the way they have systematically deconstructed and suppressed British identity, it’s clear that Britain’s elites have got to go.
Say any of this to your average Brit on the street or in the pub and they will likely agree with you. It’s not a particularly controversial position, and the intensity of feeling among people who would otherwise care nothing for politics is only growing. Britain is in a revolutionary mood, crying out for leadership that actually cares about the wellbeing of the country – but populism is not the solution.
Populism, at best, is a rhetorical technique – one that I have employed myself. It’s effective. The populist tells the crowd what they want to hear. They rightfully attack the current political order, but offer nothing of real substance to replace it. Like conservatism, it is entirely circumstantial, lacking anything approaching a philosophical foundation. Take Trump’s first term, for example. He talked a good game, but many of his promises were left unfulfilled because he was constantly battling against a managerial state that did not respond to mere rhetoric. Contrast that with his second – on day one, he used executive authority to impose his political will on the world. In other words, he acted like an elite, a leader, rather than an eternal underdog.
All hierarchical structures, from a sports team to a company to an army through to the nation itself, require leadership. The question is not whether we have an elite, but who they are and what they care about. Despite the populist “people power” narrative, change always comes from the top down rather than the bottom up. All that matters, therefore, is the quality of our leaders – because it is from there that everything else flows.
Despite our long history of world-class governance, Britain has forgotten this. We act as if the role of our leaders is to be simple administrators. It’s not. The leader embodies the interests and ethos of his people, defending them to the hilt against any forces that would seek to attack or undermine their wellbeing. The leader does not bend to the whims of the crowd, but always keep their best interests at heart. The leader is driven not by careerist ambition or power or fame or money, but a genuine commitment to his personal principles and the welfare of the nation. The leader is not a mere entertainer or rhetorician, but a man of vision, authenticity of character, strength of spirit, uncompromising conviction, driven by a sense of divine purpose, and unafraid of trusting his instincts and exercising executive authority.
Populism will not deliver this. It’s too superficial. It’s not ready for conversations like this. The change that Britain needs is far more fundamental than replacing the public-facing, elected element of government with figures who say things that are slightly more aligned with the interests of ordinary people than the current lot. To truly take on the British state is a mammoth task – but if this nation is to survive in any recognisable form, someone needs to seize the initiative and offer Britain the leadership that it needs.
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