DeepSummary
The episode begins with Adam Proctor, the host, introducing the topic of Brexit and its complexities. He then interviews George Hoare, a member of the Full Brexit project, about the case for a left-wing exit from the European Union. Hoare explains the Full Brexit project's goal of articulating the left case for leaving the EU, focusing on issues of democracy, popular sovereignty, and extending democratic control to the economic sphere.
Hoare provides a timeline of key Brexit events, from the 2016 referendum to the current parliamentary deadlock. He argues that Brexit represents an increase in democracy by moving away from the EU's constraints on national politics and allowing for greater democratic contestation. Hoare also critiques the Labour Party's contradictory position on Brexit, caught between its Euroskeptic leadership and pro-Remain membership.
The discussion touches on the nature of the EU and its effects on state capacities, the potential for a second referendum, and the policies a left-wing government could pursue outside the EU's rules. Throughout, Hoare emphasizes the importance of defending Brexit as a progressive, democratic movement regardless of which party is in power.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Brexit represents an increase in democracy and popular sovereignty by moving away from the EU's constraints on national politics.
- The Full Brexit project aims to articulate the left case for leaving the EU, focusing on arguments around democracy and extending democratic control to the economic sphere.
- Hoare critiques the shift in democratic theory away from popular sovereignty and mass participation towards more technocratic concepts.
- The Labour Party is caught between its Euroskeptic leadership and pro-Remain membership, leading to a contradictory Brexit stance.
- A left-wing government outside the EU could potentially pursue policies like nationalizations and public ownership that were previously restricted by EU rules.
- Hoare argues that Brexit should be defended as a progressive movement regardless of which party is in power, as part of a long-term process of democratic renewal.
- The nature of the EU and its effects on state capacities and national politics are analyzed through the lens of member state theory and its impact on democratic contestation.
- Hoare dismisses the potential for a second referendum as a threat to democracy, arguing that it would undermine the original vote and potentially embolden the far-right.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “This is essentially what we're interested in doing, particularly reflecting some of the really important arguments around democracy, but also looking a little bit deeper.“ by Speaker A (George Hoare)
- “Essentially democracy having an element of popular sovereignty, of mass participation, of being powered by the people, in addition to having checks and balances, having institutions, you see this being completely, really, really shifting. And instead, by the nineties, quite strikingly, in democracy, you have a flourish in democratic theory, within political theory, you have a striking flourishing of ideas around deliberative democracy, sortition by lots and human rights discourse as the ground and the content of what democracy is.“ by Speaker A (George Hoare)
- “So the EU becomes a source of legitimacy for political decisions, and it becomes an arena in which national elites come to arrive at consensual political outcomes. And it just exacerbates. And it feeds into that dynamic I talked about earlier, that idea of the hollowing of western democracy, because it enabled elites and political representatives to distance themselves from their constituents, to distance themselves from domestic contestation.“ by Speaker A (George Hoare)
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Episode Information
Dead Pundits Society
Dead Pundits Society
3/1/19