Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Why do so many people feel alienated from politics in Britain today? Why has trust in political parties collapsed? And why do so many voters now feel politically homeless?
In this video, which I think one of the most important we have made, I argue that seven words explain the transformation of UK politics over the last 50 years.
Once, politics was organised around nature, enterprise, work and society. Political parties represented identifiable interests, and most people could understand where they fitted into the political map.
The Conservatives championed enterprise. Labour represented work. The Liberals focused on society and democratic reform. The Greens emerged around nature and environmental concerns.
But neoliberalism changed all of that.
Today, I suggest British politics is increasingly organised around the financialised returns represented by rent, interest and product charges.
Property speculation, financial returns, and intellectual property extraction now dominate political priorities. Enterprise and work have been hollowed out, and are now ignored. Financial capital has replaced productive activity at the centre of political debate. Our political parties have fundamentally changed as a result.
This video explains how that transformation happened, why it matters, and why it helps explain the rise of political disenchantment, Reform UK, constitutional tensions and the collapse of trust in mainstream politics.
If you want to understand why Britain feels politically broken, this video explains the process that got us here.
Take a look at our poll below: youtube.com/post/UgkxqTJYsipwMJX7-mc8akTrL0KyOdQ7efci
00:00 — Introduction: seven words that explain the collapse of UK politics
01:50 — The old political framework: “Nature, Enterprise, Work, Society”
03:40 — Nature and the rise of environmental politics
05:10 — Enterprise, business culture, and Conservative identity in the 1970s
07:00 — Work, Labour politics, and the social safety net
08:45 — Society, democracy, identity, and the Liberal tradition
10:30 — The NEWS political map: how parties once represented real interests
12:15 — Thatcherism and neoliberalism transform British politics
14:00 — The new framework: “Rent, Interest, Product Charges” (R.I.P.)
16:00 — How Conservatives, Labour, Lib Dems, and Reform fit the R.I.P. model
18:15 — The hollowing out of enterprise and work in modern Britain
19:45 — Conclusion: from NEWS to R.I.P. and the roots of political alienation
TRANSCRIPT
A transcript for this video is available at: taxresearch.org.uk
HOW TO SUPPORT US
Please consider donating: ko-fi.com/taxresearch
ABOUT RICHARD MURPHY
Richard Murphy is Emeritus Professor of Accounting Practice at Sheffield University Management School. He is director of Tax Research LLP and the author of the Funding the Future blog. His best-known book is ‘The Joy of Tax’.
This video was edited by Thomas Murphy.
RICHARD MURPHY ON BLUESKY:
https://bsky.app/profile/richardjmurphy.bsky.social
OR
ON MY BLOG: taxresearch.org.uk/Blog
HIT SUBSCRIBE & GET NOTIFICATIONS
Subscribe and get notified of new videos released.
INTRODUCTION: youtube.com/watch?v=HdHsRPy3060
PLAYLISTS:
The Wealth Series
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobQLeyZYAagFDMjEFTKbhRD
Ecenomics
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgob54Gs-fOL-8OAQ-IpduwB4
Britain
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobwTT4ATvJjsf8OO6S7wD10
Tax
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoaMni_12J6ULp3yUJisUZoY
MMT
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoZ6jvRGSW5YXu8qogE6aClX
Money
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoYnLk1c7syTvoIo8bKYUs5m
Climate Change
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgob4_wsYaVivWd2WumpPLYwJ
USA
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoYYd3dSyU2Oyl3x7bWJOP7H
Labour
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoa-KhzG-fnjDSg1WROL1zMw
The Trump Administration
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobz41-GLimTho27A3flVWQx
#richardmurphy #richardjmurphy #economy #economics #accountancy #accounting #tax #uktax #ukeconomy #greennewdeal #uk #money #economy #politics #government #tax #labour #health #life #UKPolitics #BritishPolitics #Neoliberalism #PoliticalEconomy #Thatcherism #LabourParty #ConservativeParty #ReformUK #LiberalDemocrats #Greens #SNP #PlaidCymru #PoliticalAnalysis #PoliticalTheory #EconomicJustice #Financialisation #RentierEconomy #Capitalism #Enterprise #WorkersRights #SocialDemocracy #PoliticalChange #ElectoralPolitics #EconomicInequality #BritishEconomy #IdentityPolitics #Democracy #PoliticsExplained #EconomicReform #PoliticalCommentary
Why do so many people feel alienated from politics in Britain today? Why has trust in political parties collapsed? And why do so many voters now feel politically homeless?
In this video, which I think one of the most important we have made, I argue that seven words explain the transformation of UK politics over the last 50 years.
Once, politics was organised around nature, enterprise, work and society. Political parties represented identifiable interests, and most people could understand where they fitted into the political map.
The Conservatives championed enterprise. Labour represented work. The Liberals focused on society and democratic reform. The Greens emerged around nature and environmental concerns.
But neoliberalism changed all of that.
Today, I suggest British politics is increasingly organised around the financialised returns represented by rent, interest and product charges.
Property speculation, financial returns, and intellectual property extraction now dominate political priorities. Enterprise and work have been hollowed out, and are now ignored. Financial capital has replaced productive activity at the centre of political debate. Our political parties have fundamentally changed as a result.
This video explains how that transformation happened, why it matters, and why it helps explain the rise of political disenchantment, Reform UK, constitutional tensions and the collapse of trust in mainstream politics.
If you want to understand why Britain feels politically broken, this video explains the process that got us here.
Take a look at our poll below: youtube.com/post/UgkxqTJYsipwMJX7-mc8akTrL0KyOdQ7efci
00:00 — Introduction: seven words that explain the collapse of UK politics
01:50 — The old political framework: “Nature, Enterprise, Work, Society”
03:40 — Nature and the rise of environmental politics
05:10 — Enterprise, business culture, and Conservative identity in the 1970s
07:00 — Work, Labour politics, and the social safety net
08:45 — Society, democracy, identity, and the Liberal tradition
10:30 — The NEWS political map: how parties once represented real interests
12:15 — Thatcherism and neoliberalism transform British politics
14:00 — The new framework: “Rent, Interest, Product Charges” (R.I.P.)
16:00 — How Conservatives, Labour, Lib Dems, and Reform fit the R.I.P. model
18:15 — The hollowing out of enterprise and work in modern Britain
19:45 — Conclusion: from NEWS to R.I.P. and the roots of political alienation
TRANSCRIPT
A transcript for this video is available at: taxresearch.org.uk
HOW TO SUPPORT US
Please consider donating: ko-fi.com/taxresearch
ABOUT RICHARD MURPHY
Richard Murphy is Emeritus Professor of Accounting Practice at Sheffield University Management School. He is director of Tax Research LLP and the author of the Funding the Future blog. His best-known book is ‘The Joy of Tax’.
This video was edited by Thomas Murphy.
RICHARD MURPHY ON BLUESKY:
https://bsky.app/profile/richardjmurphy.bsky.social
OR
ON MY BLOG: taxresearch.org.uk/Blog
HIT SUBSCRIBE & GET NOTIFICATIONS
Subscribe and get notified of new videos released.
INTRODUCTION: youtube.com/watch?v=HdHsRPy3060
PLAYLISTS:
The Wealth Series
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobQLeyZYAagFDMjEFTKbhRD
Ecenomics
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgob54Gs-fOL-8OAQ-IpduwB4
Britain
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobwTT4ATvJjsf8OO6S7wD10
Tax
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoaMni_12J6ULp3yUJisUZoY
MMT
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoZ6jvRGSW5YXu8qogE6aClX
Money
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoYnLk1c7syTvoIo8bKYUs5m
Climate Change
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgob4_wsYaVivWd2WumpPLYwJ
USA
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoYYd3dSyU2Oyl3x7bWJOP7H
Labour
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoa-KhzG-fnjDSg1WROL1zMw
The Trump Administration
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobz41-GLimTho27A3flVWQx
#richardmurphy #richardjmurphy #economy #economics #accountancy #accounting #tax #uktax #ukeconomy #greennewdeal #uk #money #economy #politics #government #tax #labour #health #life #UKPolitics #BritishPolitics #Neoliberalism #PoliticalEconomy #Thatcherism #LabourParty #ConservativeParty #ReformUK #LiberalDemocrats #Greens #SNP #PlaidCymru #PoliticalAnalysis #PoliticalTheory #EconomicJustice #Financialisation #RentierEconomy #Capitalism #Enterprise #WorkersRights #SocialDemocracy #PoliticalChange #ElectoralPolitics #EconomicInequality #BritishEconomy #IdentityPolitics #Democracy #PoliticsExplained #EconomicReform #PoliticalCommentary
