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Who and what is their ‘people’? How British political leaders appealed to the people during the 2019 election

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journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 23:05 authored by Marino De Luca
In recent years, many scholars, mainly those focusing on populism, have analysed the role of ‘the people’ in politics. This has allowed us to understand how many political actors emphasize the central position of this term. Today, ‘the people’ has different meanings depending on how politicians use it in specific contexts. In this paper, the reference to ‘the people’ was measured using the following question: How do political leaders use the word ‘people’? The analysis was conducted on Twitter through the study of the accounts of the foremost political leaders in the UK during the 2019 general election campaign. The results highlight three key attitudes related to the use of ‘people’: a direct and immediate relationship between a leader and a wide people; a calling to a specific people, described as a strong and cohesive group; an appropriation of the voice of the people, grouping people without borders into the classic contraposition between a pure people and the corrupt elite.

Funding

POSTBREXIT - The Brexit effect in media coverage: how the intra-party democracy counters the rise of European Populism; G2700; EUROPEAN UNION; GA 838418

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

British Politics

ISSN

1746-918X

Publisher

Palgrave Macmillan

Department affiliated with

  • Politics Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2021-02-16

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2021-02-16

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2021-02-16

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