The real divide in British politics: fantasists vs realists

The current political landscape in Britain is being divided by a new dichotomy, one that separates reality from fantasy. The serious policy discussions on crucial matters such as health, tax, and growth are currently stalled by those who disregard facts in favor of their feelings, according to Harry Richer. A divide has emerged in British politics that is more significant than the traditional left versus right, or the haves versus the have-nots. It is now between those who base their views on evidence and those who do not.

This reality-based class and fantasy-based class run through both economic and social debates, and are responsible for why so many arguments in Britain are stalled. The reality-based class uses evidence-informed opinions grounded in the actual world, while the fantasy-based class presents a fantastical world where facts don’t matter; feelings and experiences dictate their views and are used as evidence.

The reality-based class recognizes that public spending has never been higher in real terms, but the NHS, which increasingly resembles a health service with a country attached, is in a state of decline. In contrast, the fantasy-based class dismisses the comparison of the NHS to systems in the Netherlands, Germany, and Australia, and treats any mention of it as heresy.

They focus on the £350 million a week that Theresa May claimed was left after Brexit, rather than the reality that NHS funding was increased by over £350 million a week during her time in power.

The fantasy-based class ignores that the NHS ranks poorly in most global rankings, that the Tories both ring-fenced the NHS during austerity years, and that only real-terms funding for the NHS has increased since. They ignore evidence and instead believe that the Tories cut funding to the NHS, and that a wealth tax would be a fair and significant source of income.

The implications of this divide are grave. The dangerous views of the fantasy-based class are actively harmful to Britain, from calls to shut down freedom of the press to potential lives that could be saved with a more efficient healthcare system. The reality-based class urges those in the fantasy-based class to return to reality, arguing that their views are dangerous and hold the potential to cause significant economic damage.