(Audio) The Comfort of Illusion: Hypernormalisation in Modern British Politics

As we enter 2025, the UK political landscape bears an uncanny resemblance to the paradoxical situation described by Russian historian Alexei Yurchak in his seminal work ‘Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More: The Last Soviet Generation’ (2005). Yurchak coined the term ‘hypernormalisation’ to describe the final years of the Soviet Union, where everyone knew the system was failing, but because no one could imagine any alternative, politicians and citizens alike went along with maintaining the pretence that everything was functioning normally.This concept gained wider recognition through the acclaimed British documentary filmmaker, Adam Curtis’ 2016 documentary ‘HyperNormalisation,’ which applied Yurchak's framework to contemporary Western societies. This article explores how the UK has become ‘hypernormalised’ in the aftermath of two seismic events: the 2008 global financial crisis and the 2016 Brexit referendum.References:Better Markets (2017) The Cost of the Crisis: $20 Trillion and Counting. Washington, DC: Better Markets.Chomsky, N. (2009) 'Crisis and Hope: Theirs and Ours', Boston Review, 34(5).Curtis, A. (2016) HyperNormalisation. [Film] BBC.Electoral Commission (2025) Voter Engagement in the UK: Annual Report. London: The Electoral Commission.LSE (2024) 'Austerity in the UK: The Health Consequences', London School of Economics and Political Science, 15 March.Yurchak, A. (2005) Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More: The Last Soviet Generation. Princeton: Princeton University Press. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.plagueisland.com/subscribe