What Five Weeks in Britain Taught Me About Democracy
By Jack Blasbalg, Intern at Unlock Democracy. The views expressed are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of Unlock Democracy.
I have been in the United Kingdom for about 5 weeks now, interning with Unlock Democracy. I have learned much about the English political system and have noticed a striking number of similarities in the state of democracy in the UK, and the state of democracy in my home country, the United States.
A decline in Trust and Satisfaction for the Democratic System
One of the biggest issues I have noticed is the general dissatisfaction with the political system and the sentiment that politicians are not representing the people. In both countries, this has led to a decrease in democratic participation, notably voter turnout, from citizens (Closer UK, US Elections Project VIA Statista).
Younger citizens who have been most affected by issues like the cost of living crisis in recent years are especially less participatory in democracy compared to other age groups. (US Census VIA Statista, House of Commons Library Page 11). Even as governments do a good job of managing inflation and making efforts to keep things affordable, those achievements seemingly do not reach the common citizens. This has led to frustration with the party in power in both countries, prior to the 2024 general election in the United States it was the Democrats, and in the UK currently, Labour is struggling with a similar issue.
This has led to an increase in polarization, as politicians who provide specific solutions and promises have risen and created a new era of populism. Citizens of both the US and the UK do not want a return to business as usual in politics, and parties like Reform UK and Green are presenting a message that they will create change. These parties directly acknowledge the problems with the political system, whether they offer analysis based in reality or not, and have capitalized on citizens' frustrations to gain popularity.
The dissatisfaction with the current democratic system has also led to a continuous decrease in participation in elections, with both countries seeing lower and lower turnout numbers as elections go on. This is indicative of general apathy and a feeling that politicians do not represent the will of the people anymore.
Both countries have also taken actions that make participation in elections more difficult for the average citizen. Requirements like voter ID and bans on mail in ballots (in the US) limit access to elections for some citizens, and disproportionately impact minority and low income communities who often struggle to get to the polls on election day because it is not considered a holiday in the US or the UK (Brennan Center).
Money in Politics
Related to the low turnout and general dissatisfaction with the current political system is the obvious impact of wealthy individuals and corporations on politicians. The presence of wealthy interests in politics has been a major cause of distrust of politicians and the political system due to the fact that it reinforces the idea that politicians only represent their wealthy donors, rather than the people who elected them.
The reason that wealthy entities are trying to influence politics is because, simply put, there’s very little stopping them. Both the US and UK have inadequate safeguards to prevent wealthy individuals from heavily influencing politicians into supporting causes that benefit donors rather than citizens. Something I was surprised to find out when I came to the UK was that there is no legislation capping donations to politicians, meaning that a wealthy person could wield heavy influence on a politician’s agenda and platform. The issue of big money in UK politics is not one of the future, it is already present. In 2023, 66% of private political donations came from 19 individuals (Transparency International). This is not a partisan issue; Major parties across the political spectrum have been taking massive sums of donations from wealthy individuals.
In the US, despite the problems with big money in politics, there is at least a cap on direct donations to politicians. Even with that cap however, the Citizens United Supreme Court decision has allowed for SuperPACs to exert undue influence on American elections in a similar way that wealthy individuals in the UK do. The only difference is that SuperPACs must operate independently of the politician, which is, in practice, a distinction without a difference. For example, Elon Musk donated $288 million to Donald Trump’s campaign in 2024, and was subsequently given free reign over the Department of Government Efficiency, a department created specifically to give to Elon Musk. In the first month of the Trump presidency, the State Department purchased $400 million of Tesla Cybertrucks (Georgia Democrats). This example shows that wealthy donors are not donating out of the goodness of their hearts, or a firm ideological belief, they expect to get something in return for their support.
It is clear that both countries desperately need limits on donations to politicians and political parties, and possibly limits on campaign spending as well. Treating money as a form of free speech creates vast inequality based on wealth alone, and has led to wealthy people having more access to influence on politics than the people who politicians are supposed to represent.
Constitutional Crises
While I have been in the UK, I have also seen some of the problems caused by the fact that the country lacks a formal constitution. This means that certain rights are not guaranteed and enumerated, and are therefore left unprotected from attacks by the government. I have seen firsthand while I have been here attacks against the right to protest and the right of speech for UK citizens. I also recognize that a constitution requires politicians to respect the rights and freedoms it guarantees.
The UK’s lack of a constitution creates a serious threat to democracy if a party came to power that didn’t follow the “good chaps” theory of governance: that public servants and politicians follow unwritten rules and not abuse their power. Not having a constitution in place allows a governing coalition to seize power permanently and suppress opposition if they wanted to. This is a clear problem I have seen in the UK, that is hard to imagine working out quite the same way in the US.
The US has a different constitutional crisis. Although a written constitution is in place here, some of the bodies in place to protect the constitution, such as the Supreme Court, have failed to do so. This has allowed for the executive in government to accumulate power and undermine democratic norms. Even with the United States Constitution and the first amendment protecting speech, the Trump administration is attacking universities and the free press for criticisms of his presidency, threatening to withhold funding from these institutions that are in place partially to serve as a check on government power. The targeting of the 14th Amendment (Civil Rights and Equal Protection), through rolling back Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) measures and attacking birthright citizenship shows that a constitution alone doesn’t ensure that democracy is protected. A constitution is a good first step, and partially protects from democratic backsliding passively, but my experience in the UK and US has shown me that there needs to be more active enforcement against those who try to attack the rights guaranteed in the constitution.
The US is experiencing an era of Democratic Backsliding. The UK cannot be complacent and assume the same cannot happen to itself, especially with the lack of Constitutional guardrails to prevent authoritarian takeover. The best start would be to protect rights and freedoms, along with limits of government with a Constitution. Other reforms to reenergize the public for democracy include caps on donation spending and moving away from the antiquated first past the post system.
If these trends continue, the UK will likely end up in a similar situation to the US, with democratic norms being eroded and authoritarianism creeping in. It isn’t too late to make the changes to protect and improve democracy and create a system that is truly representative of the people, but that change needs to happen soon, and a strong sense of urgency is necessary to accomplish that.