Britain’s dysfunctional dynamic: the public wants change, but those in power always tell them it’s not possible | Andy Beckett

Jul 09, 2026 - 07:25

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Britain’s dysfunctional dynamic: the public wants change, but those in power always tell them it’s not possible | Andy Beckett

Whenever major reform is proposed the media, big business and Westminster quickly conclude it’s too expensive and disruptive. This doesn’t bode well for Andy Burnham

In an old, often anxious and conservative country, the perception of risk is a potent political weapon. If a policy or a project for reforming the UK seems too risky, or can be made to seem so by its opponents, then it can usually be quickly killed off. It can be added to the pile of possible futures that never occurred.

In politics as in life, riskiness is sometimes real. To see that Brexit or Britain’s involvement in the 2003 invasion of Iraq might not end well did not require huge foresight. Yet often the perception of risk is politically constructed: a reflection of powerful forces, their self-interest, and what they do or don’t want to happen.

Andy Beckett is a Guardian columnist