Transforming a Transactional Debate: Leadership and the rhetorical road to Brexit
Author(s)
Grube, Dennis
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2017
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The United Kingdom views its relationship with Europe through the prism of history. The often-fractious connections of the past 1,000 years underpin the contemporary debate about Britain's place in Europe. The Brexit referendum of 2016 was a defining, transformational moment in the life of the nation as both the 'remain' and the 'leave' camps searched for ways to persuade a divided electorate. This article draws on theories of rhetorical leadership to examine why the leave side was ultimately more successful in making its case for change. Utilising the established distinction between transactional and transformational styles ...
View more >The United Kingdom views its relationship with Europe through the prism of history. The often-fractious connections of the past 1,000 years underpin the contemporary debate about Britain's place in Europe. The Brexit referendum of 2016 was a defining, transformational moment in the life of the nation as both the 'remain' and the 'leave' camps searched for ways to persuade a divided electorate. This article draws on theories of rhetorical leadership to examine why the leave side was ultimately more successful in making its case for change. Utilising the established distinction between transactional and transformational styles of leadership, the article argues that Prime Minister David Cameron and other 'remainers' misread the moment by focusing too narrowly on economic arguments. They offered transactional reasons for staying in the EU, failing to match the transformational arguments of the 'leavers' who were able to capture the emotional significance of the historical moment.
View less >
View more >The United Kingdom views its relationship with Europe through the prism of history. The often-fractious connections of the past 1,000 years underpin the contemporary debate about Britain's place in Europe. The Brexit referendum of 2016 was a defining, transformational moment in the life of the nation as both the 'remain' and the 'leave' camps searched for ways to persuade a divided electorate. This article draws on theories of rhetorical leadership to examine why the leave side was ultimately more successful in making its case for change. Utilising the established distinction between transactional and transformational styles of leadership, the article argues that Prime Minister David Cameron and other 'remainers' misread the moment by focusing too narrowly on economic arguments. They offered transactional reasons for staying in the EU, failing to match the transformational arguments of the 'leavers' who were able to capture the emotional significance of the historical moment.
View less >
Journal Title
Social Alternatives
Volume
36
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
Self-archiving of the author-manuscript version is not yet supported by this journal. Please refer to the journal link for access to the definitive, published version or contact the author[s] for more information.
Subject
Political Science not elsewhere classified
Political Science
Sociology