There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the Twenty-First Century

When the United Kingdom voted on Brexit—a compound word standing for “British exit,” or the departure of the UK from the European Union—many people who didn’t typically vote turned out for the referendum, thanks to many of the marginalized groups in areas like Bishop Auckland feeling motivated to vote. With 72% of the electorate participating, Brexit passed. Trump, who happened to be in the UK at the time and would soon after win the 2016 election, capitalized on this moment. The result of the vote was so shocking that there was speculation of Russian interference.

While this was never proven, Hill did notice a “Russian connection” (171): populism. Like champion of Brexit Nigel Farage and Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin had been a political outsider who positioned himself as being on the side of the common man, acknowledging the problems of regular people and promising simple answers to their hardships. Populist leaders have a strong leadership style with simple messaging directly to the people, bypassing formal political conventions to reach their target audience. By contrasting themselves with the hidden elites that made their lives miserable, these populist candidates activated a core base who wanted a scapegoat for their issues.