Why Britain is not broken, despite what Reform UK says

In a forthcoming biography of Gordon Brown, the former Prime Minister reveals his frustrations with the ‘Project Fear’ tactics deployed by the unionist side ahead of the 2014 independence referendum.

Describing the cross-party Better Together campaign – based largely on economic arguments that Scots would be worse off outside the UK –as “ludicrous”, he blames it for the collapse of support for Labour in Scotland. Brown, who had wanted Labour to run a separate and more positive pro-Union campaign, argues: “You cannot say to Scottish people, you’re too poor or too weak or too stupid to be independent.”

Of course, supporters of Project Fear could say ‘well, it worked’ but a strategic victory does not necessarily prove all the tactics were a success. It’s possible the Yes side would have won by a bigger margin with a different approach.

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Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown speaks at an event celebrating the second anniversary of the Homewards homelessness programme in Sheffield last year (Picture: Dominic Lipinski) | Getty Images

Power for power’s sake

However, even if negative campaigning can be one way to win a referendum or election, it hardly offers voters hope that their lives can become better. A party that relies on talking up problems, while offering little in the way of real solutions, should therefore be treated with suspicion.

People get into politics for all sorts of reasons. The best one is to improve the circumstances of their fellow citizens, while one of the worst is to win power for power’s sake. A lack of a positive political vision can be a sign of the latter.

Reform politicians like to claim that “Britain is broken”. While outsiders looking in on what is still one of the richest countries in the world might disagree with that claim, it is fair to say the UK does not have its problems to seek. The cost-of-living crisis and lacklustre economic growth have plagued this country for years.

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This makes exploiting public discontent relatively easy; there’s a lot of it about. What is much harder, as Keir Starmer and co are discovering, is coming up with innovative and effective ways to turn the country’s fortunes around.

For this, the UK needs inspiring, clever, competent politicians who are capable of doing more than simply complaining about how rubbish Britain is.

There is an underlying strength to this country. We have a highly skilled, well-educated workforce, world-leading universities and a health service that was once the best in the world and can be again.

So fear not. Britain is not broken and it will not break – unless we make all the wrong choices.