Could it Happen Here?

In Could It Happen Here?, Peter Hennessy and Andrew Blick pose the question of whether the UK’s constitution sufficiently protects our democracy against an authoritarian takeover. Put simply, they explore what would happen if a leader refused to leave office once voted out in a General Election. In the light of the resurgence of the far right across Europe, the rhetoric of the latest General Election, and the legacies of the Boris Johnson years, Hennessy and Blick ask whether there are sufficient contingency plans in place for such an eventuality. 

Mapping out the processes which would occur after a leader refuses to step down, and the hypothetical actions of several key players – including the King, Speaker of the House, and members of the Cabinet, Judiciary, Treasury, Secret Service and House of Lords – they analyse the legislation that aims to protect parliamentary democracy, as well as examining the cornerstones of our democracy, such as the non-political head of state, rule of law, independent judiciary, impartial civil service, and free press. 

In an uneasy geopolitical climate where formerly stable global democracies are beginning to appear under threat, Hennessy and Blick’s are stark, yet they provide solid recommendations for strengthening the defences of British democracy, supplying crucial answers to a question which could not be more relevant to a rapidly shifting political age.