Brexit and Culture Wars: is this a new 'normal'?

Contributor(s): Professor John Denham, Professor Sara Hobolt, Chaminda Jayanetti | Brexit has divided Britain like no other political issue in a generation. It raises questions about our social cohesion and our national identity. As political campaigns around the world have elevated identity issues, we ask: is Brexit a symptom or a cause of a new culture war? How should we respond? John Denham is Director of the Centre for English Identity and Politics at the University of Southampton. He is a former Labour cabinet minister and Member of Parliament for Southampton, Ichen. Sara Hobolt (@sarahobolt) is the Sutherland Chair in European Institutions and professor in the Department of Government and the European Institute. She is the Chair of the European Election Studies (EES) and the Principal Investigator of the ERC-funded project EUDEMOS: Constrained Democracy: Citizens' Responses to Limited Political Choice in the European Union. Chaminda Jayanetti (@cjayanetti) is a journalist who focuses on politics, social policy and public services. He writes for several notable publications including The Guardian, The Independent, and The Observer. Tony Travers is Associate Dean of the School of Public Policy at LSE. (Owing to technical problems Professor Kevin Featherstone was the Chair for this event). This event is part of the LSE Programme, 'Brexit and Beyond', a dedicated series to stimulate the public debate and informed discussion about this most pivotal topic. It comprises a variety of events, targeting LSE staff and students, as well as the general public and specific categories of policy-makers, practitioners and professionals working on Brexit; with the aim of continuing to shape the discussion surrounding its complex and uncertain agenda. The Programme is organised by LSE's European Institute and School of Public Policy. The LSE European Institute (@LSEEI) is a centre for research and graduate teaching on the processes of integration and fragmentation within Europe. In the most recent national Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014) the Institute was ranked first for research in its sector. The LSE School of Public Policy (@LSEPublicPolicy) is an international community where ideas and practice meet. Our approach creates professionals with the ability to analyse, understand and resolve the challenges of contemporary governance.