Is our UK democracy resilient enough for the modern world?

In a solo episode of Resilience Unravelled, Dr Russell Thackeray reflects on whether UK democracy is resilient amid events in America and stresses that democratic resilience means absorbing shocks, adapting, upholding rule of law, and maintaining trust. They outline UK strengths: deep-rooted institutions, rule of law, civil society, a relatively free press (including BBC impartiality rules), civic participation, and the Supreme Court’s 2019 ruling against Boris Johnson’s prorogation as evidence of checks on executive power. Key vulnerabilities include Brexit-driven hyperpolarisation, online misinformation, outdated electoral laws, an unwritten constitution reliant on norms, centralisation of executive power, economic stagnation and regional inequality, voter ID concerns, loose campaign finance, data vulnerability, and collapsing public trust after scandals. They argue renewal requires modernising Parliament and legal frameworks, cross-party reform, civic education, and courageous leadership to rebuild trust and accountability.00:00 Intro and Context00:25 Is UK Democracy Resilient01:41 Defining Democratic Resilience02:13 Institutional Strengths04:10 Polarisation After Brexit05:05 Misinformation and Digital Threats06:08 Unwritten Constitution Exposed06:40 Executive Power Creep07:26 Inequality And Alienation08:23 Electoral Integrity Risks09:16 Reform Needs Political Will10:22 Trust and Scandals and the myth of Populism11:35 Modernise And Renew Democracy12:51 Solutions from Leadership to Education14:14 Final Call To ActionYou can contact us at [email protected] can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com#resilience, #burnout, #intuition