Making policy in a divided country: Trump, Brexit and modern government

Donald Trump’s triumph in the US presidential election and the UK’s vote for Brexit both appear to be forged out of the hostility to globalisation from those who feel they have been its victims and have lost out from free trade and increasing immigration. Both votes have split their countries almost exactly in half, revealing fissures on lines of class, generation, and region – not well captured by the platforms of traditional political parties.   

At our event we asked:

• How do leaders devise policies that will satisfy a divided country?
• Will new populist pressures tempt politicians to make promises they cannot deliver?
• How do governments persuade people to support policies whose benefit is for the country overall or lies far in the future?
• Will this force a political realignment?

Our panel included:

• Prof Diane Roberts, Florida State University, and long-time political columnist
• Lord (John) Kerr of Kinlochard, former Ambassador to the USA and British Representative to the EU
• Rachel Wolf, Director of Public First and former Adviser to the Prime Minister

This event was chaired by Bronwen Maddox, Director, Institute for Government.

Watch the event