Lara Wade
Politics, Philosophy and Religion (Bailrigg) | Year 3 | Degree: History and international Relations
"Rhetoric versus reality": Hypocrisy, compromise, and the Fourth Estate in Britain c1970 to 2021.
This research is concerned with the consequences of neoliberalism upon the British press and consequent national discourses around progressive politics in Britain. It further considers the implications of these developments for the security of Britain’s liberal democracy as concerning free speech, tolerance, and the role of the Fourth Estate of holding those in power to account on behalf of the people. By looking at the growth of the British neoliberal establishment, as well as the press’ attitudes and usage of terms like ‘political correctness’ and ‘woke’, this research centres discourse in a narrative of decline in liberal values, and the hypocrisy of that decline being led by those who claim to so ardently protect and represent them.