Leiden University Student Repository

Whatmore, Jess Mr (2024)

To what extent has Brexit changed the British perception of being run by an oligarchy? An analysis of the trope of anti-democratic oligarchs in news discourse, 2015- 2023

Bachelor thesis | International Studies (BA)

In this thesis the role of the concept of oligarchy is explored in relation to Brexit. News media articles are analysed to understand how the fear of oligarchic take-over for democracy was utilised within the news before, during and after the Brexit vote in the UK. It is concluded that a strong discourse of oligarchic takeover of UK democracy was pervasive and drawn up by all sides of the Brexit debate and by all news outlets, regardless of their political allegiances. Notwithstanding some changes over the period between 2015-2023, a key finding is that the discourse of elites, and of oligarchic takeover of the UK, was in no way quelled by the Brexit referendum outcome.

Democracy

Oligarchy

Brexit

Trope

Newsmedia

Author

Whatmore, Jess Mr

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Supervisors

Augusteijn, J

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en