Populism on Trial: What Happens When Trust in Law Breaks Down by Inigo Bing

Hardback
August 2020

In recent years a new form of populism has taken hold of our politics, turning Britain into an increasingly intolerant and fractious country. As our society grapples with the threat posed by terrorism and the uncertainty that has followed the Brexit referendum and the coronavirus pandemic, cracks have begun to appear in the very foundations of our liberal democracy; the values that we once regarded as sacred are being called into question.

Former barrister and judge Inigo Bing examines how the bonds of trust between the British people and our democratic institutions have broken down and the principles that underpin the rule of law are under threat from populist politics. Populism on Trial analyses how politicians have shown an increasing contempt for the principle of judicial independence as they attempt to exercise unrestrained power.

Bing seeks to remind us that without law we have only power, and power without law is tyranny. He demonstrates how the rule of law is a fragile yet essential ingredient in our democracy and argues that it must be vigorously upheld or it will be cast aside by the rising tide of populism.