Conversations The decline of modern Britain — where did it all go so wrong?
13 snips
Mar 6, 2026 
Ian Dunt, British political journalist and author of How Westminster Works and Why It Doesn't, maps modern Britain’s unraveling. He discusses the legacy of the 2008 crash, Brexit’s shock and identity politics, Westminster’s weak institutions and ministerial churn, and how party incentives and electoral rules warp democracy. Short, sharp takes on populism, austerity and Britain’s geopolitical ties.
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Electoral System Creates Stupid Governments
- First‑past‑the‑post discards many votes and amplifies single‑party majorities, producing governments that face little constructive opposition.
- Dunt argues this yields performative opposition and poor legislation because parliamentary revision is rare.
From Teenage Faith To Political Certainty
- Ian Dunt recounts his teenage turn to fundamentalist Christianity as a life raft during an existential crisis, adopting strict moral certainties.
- He later left that certainty but recognizes how dogmatic thinking shaped his early behaviour.
Dogma Reappeared In His Marxist Years
- Dunt describes later becoming a doctrinaire Marxist, handing out Socialist Worker papers and seeking dogmatic certainty in ideology.
- He explains both religious and political dogmatisms shared the same tribal identity and resistance to truth that didn't fit the frame.
