Performance-based Politics: A New Threat?
On 26 June, The Guardian newspaper published an opinion article by Rafael Behr. Taking Conservative M.P. Boris Johnson’s political doctrine of “cakeism” (“having baked goods and eating them”) as a point of departure, Behr proposes that we are currently witnessing a profound shift in the conduct and nature of contemporary politics. Gone are the rational, reserved politicians that we have come to know and respect. And in their place stands a bizarre group of “charismatics, cartoon characters and comedians” that crave nothing more than the camera lens and measure their success purely in terms of applause. “The constitutional nerds,” Behr notes with a melodramatic flourish, “are drowning in the demagogic tide.” “So, what?” I hear you ask. Well, for Behr at least, this new form of “politics based on performance” poses a direct threat to the democratic system. With politicians increasingly desperate to stay in the limelight, he warns, their performances are beco