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Matthew Goodwin

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This article is about the British academic. For the Australian rugby player, seeMatt Goodwin.For the percussionist, seeMatthew Goodwin (percussionist).

Matthew Goodwin
Goodwin in 2011
Born
Matthew James Goodwin

December 1981 (age 42)
Academic background
Alma mater
Doctoral advisorRoger Eatwell
Academic work
DisciplinePolitical science
Institutions
Websitemattgoodwin.orgEdit this at Wikidata

Matthew James Goodwin(born December 1981)[1]is a British academic who is professor of politics in the School of Politics and International Relations at theUniversity of Kent.His publications includeNational Populism: The Revolt Against Liberal Democracy(withRoger Eatwell) andValues, Voice and Virtue: The New British Politics.As of September 2022,he serves on theSocial Mobility Commission.[2]

Early life and education

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Goodwin graduated with aBachelor of Artsdegree in politics and contemporary history from theUniversity of Salfordin 2003 and obtained aMaster of Artsdegree in political science from theUniversity of Western Ontarioin 2004. He completed hisDoctor of Philosophydegree under the supervision ofRoger Eatwellat theUniversity of Bathin 2007.[3]

Career

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Academic

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Goodwin was anassociate professorof politics at theUniversity of Nottinghamfrom 2010 to 2015, aresearch fellowat the Institute for Political and Economic Governance at theUniversity of Manchesterfrom 2008 to 2010, and associate fellow atChatham House (The Royal Institute of International Affairs)between 2010 and 2020 where he authored research reports on the rise ofpopulism,[4]Euroscepticismahead of theBrexit vote,[5]the different political tribes of Europe,[6]and the future of Europe.[7]Since 2015, Goodwin has beenprofessorof politics in the School of Politics and International Relations at theUniversity of Kent.[8]

Other

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Goodwin is a former senior fellow for the think tank UK in a Changing Europe, and was the founding director of the Centre for UK Prosperity within theLegatum Institute.[9][10]Goodwin is on the advisory panel of theFree Speech Union,[11][12]a group that seeks to "counter Twitter mobs that drown out opinions they dislike".[13]He has served as specialist adviser to theHouse of CommonsEducation Select Committeeon left-behind pupils and has given evidence to aPublic Bill Committeeon the importance of defending academic freedom in universities.[14]

British politics

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Goodwin's research and writings focus on British politics,radical-rightpolitics, andEuroscepticism.[15]He has written for theNew Statesman,[16]The Guardian,[17]Prospect,[18]theDaily Mail,Evening Standard,Financial Times,The Spectator,The Daily Telegraph,The Times,UnHerd,andSpiked.He has appeared on BBC showsThe Westminster Hour,[19]Any Questions,Moral Maze,NewsnightandPolitics Live,Channel 4 News,GB News,andPlanet Normal.[11]

On 27 May 2017, Goodwin predicted that theLabour Partywould not reach 38 per cent of the vote in the2017 United Kingdom general electionand said he would eat his book if they did.[20]As the party won 40.0% of the popular vote, Goodwin chewed one page out of his book, live onSky News,on 10 June 2017.[21]A major theme of Goodwin's work has been to explain what he calls "the realignment" ofBritish politics,which has seen the Labour Party becoming more dependent on the liberal, metropolitan middle-class for its votes while theConservative Partyappealed increasingly to working-class, non-university educated voters in former Labour heartlands (the "red wall").[22]Goodwin recommends that political parties "lean into" this realignment by moving "left on economics and right on culture".[23][24][25]The morning after the Conservatives underBoris Johnsonwon the2019 United Kingdom general election,Goodwin tweeted "it is easier for the right to move left on economics than it is for the left to move right on identity & culture."[26]Kenan Malikwrote that this view was based on an assumption the working class are socially conservative, and "the trouble with this argument is that the key feature of Britain over the past half century has been not social conservatism but an extraordinary liberalisation", citing examples such as attitudes to sexuality, premarital sex, and interracial relationships.[26]

Goodwin spoke at the 2023National Conservatism Conference,[27][28]where he described the Conservative Party as in a "prolonged death spiral".[29]Goodwin toldCNNthat conservatives needed to "decide who they are and what they want to be".[30]ForThe Atlantic,Helen Lewiswrote that Goodwin gave "a typically doomy speech", which "segued into 10 minutes of pure populist beat poetry".[31]Gerry Hassanwrote that "Goodwin is thepopulist right's academic of choice, but it seems to have escaped his notice that in the past half centuryright-wingTory Governments have been in office for three-quarters of the time. "[32]David Aaronovitchdescribed Goodwin's speech as one of the two most "politically coherent" of the conference, calling him "the politics professor turned political entrepreneur".[33]Explaining his decision to participate in the conference, Goodwin wrote: "I'm not a member of the Conservative Party. And unless something changes I don't currently plan on voting Conservative at the next election." He explained that his decision was because "one of the most interesting and important debates in politics right now is where conservatism goes next – not only here in Britain but globally."[34]Others have characterized Goodwin as a "populist academic",[35]stating that he turned from observer into participant, becoming an apologist for populism.[36][37][38][39][40]In 2023, theNew Statesmannamed Goodwin as the 43rd most powerful right-wing British political figure of the year.[41]

On diversity, "wokeism" and racism

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Goodwin and hisNational Populismcoauthor Roger Eatwell have argued about the United States that political polarization has been caused by "an increasing fixation or near-total obsession amongDemocratsand the liberal left with race, gender and 'diversity' ".[42]In 2018, Goodwin along with other commentators includingEric Kaufmann,Claire Fox,Trevor Phillips,andDavid Aaronovitchwas due to take part in an event titled "Is Rising Ethnic Diversity a Threat to the West?" Some researchers argued that the event would encourage "normalisation offar rightideas "and criticised the framing of the title;[43][44][45]the debate was retitled "Immigration and Diversity Politics: A Challenge to Liberal Democracy?"[46]

According to Huw Davies and Sheena MacRae, Goodwin's "concerns aboutwokeismare a recurrent theme in his output ". Goodwin has described" wokeism "as" a pseudo-religion ". He has acted as an adviser to the Conservative Party and in theJuly–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership electionsupported "anti-woke campaigner"Kemi Badenoch,referring to her as "one of the most interesting Conservatives in British politics for a very long time". He supports the Conservative government'sRwanda asylum plan,which would entail deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda,[11]and has advised the party to raise "the salience of cultural issues". Kenan Malik argues that Goodwin now advocates a politics that a decade earlier he would have described as "toxic".[47]When theCommission on Race and Ethnic Disparities(Sewell Report) argued that structural racism did not exist in the UK, Goodwin claimed this "dismantles the woke mob’s central claim that we are living in a fundamentally racist society".[11]

Books

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  • Goodwin, Matthew (2011).New British Fascism: The Rise of the British National Party.Routledge.ISBN978-0415465007.
  • Ford, Robert;Goodwin, Matthew (2014).Revolt on the Right: Explaining Support for the Radical Right in Britain.Routledge.ISBN9780415661508.
  • Goodwin, Matthew;Milazzo, Caitlin(2015).UKIP: Inside the Campaign to Redraw the Map of British Politics.Oxford University Press.ISBN9780198736110.
  • Clarke, Harold; Goodwin, Matthew; Whiteley, Paul (2017).Brexit: Why Britain Voted to Leave the European Union.Cambridge University Press.ISBN9781316605042.
  • Eatwell, Roger;Goodwin, Matthew (2018).National Populism: The Revolt Against Liberal Democracy.Pelican Books.ISBN9780241312001.
  • Goodwin, Matthew (2023).Values, Voice and Virtue: The New British Politics.Penguin Books.ISBN9780141999098.

Honours

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In 2014, aged 33, Goodwin was awarded theRichard RosePrize by thePolitical Studies Association,which is given to one early-career academic each year for their contribution to research.[48]

References

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  1. ^"Matthew Goodwin personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk.Retrieved19 August2023.
  2. ^"Seven new Social Mobility Commissioners appointed".Government Equalities Office.Retrieved2 September2022.
  3. ^"Matthew Goodwin".The Conversation.5 July 2013.Retrieved7 January2021.
  4. ^"Right Response"(PDF).Chatham House. 2016.Retrieved3 February2022.
  5. ^"What Drives Euroscepticism?"(PDF).Chatham House. 2016.Retrieved3 February2022.
  6. ^"Europe's political tribes"(PDF).Chatham House. 2016.Retrieved3 February2022.
  7. ^"future of Europe"(PDF).Chatham House. 2016.Retrieved3 February2022.
  8. ^"Professor Matthew Goodwin".Chatham House. 2016.Retrieved6 October2016.
  9. ^"Legatum Institute launches new Centre for UK Prosperity".Retrieved31 August2022.
  10. ^Bland, Archie (14 April 2023)."Friday briefing: Has a 'woke aristocracy' really taken control of British society?".the Guardian.Retrieved22 August2023.
  11. ^abcdC. Davies, Huw; MacRae, Sheena E. (15 May 2023)."An anatomy of the British war on woke".Race & Class.SAGE Publications.doi:10.1177/03063968231164905.ISSN0306-3968.S2CID258736793.
  12. ^"Who We Are".
  13. ^Simpson, John (17 September 2023)."Free speech union fights Twitter 'witch‑hunts'"– via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  14. ^"They work for you".Retrieved3 February2022.
  15. ^"Matthew Goodwin".School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham.Archived fromthe originalon 15 July 2012.
  16. ^"The BNP's breakthrough".New Statesman.London. 16 April 2009.Retrieved17 January2012.
  17. ^Goodwin, Matthew; Ford, Robert (13 February 2009)."Prejudice is declining, but there is still huge support for the BNP".The Guardian.London.Retrieved17 January2012.
  18. ^Goodwin, Matthew (July 2010)."Life after Griffin".Prospect.London.Retrieved17 January2012.
  19. ^"BNP".BBC News.25 July 2010.Retrieved17 January2012.
  20. ^"Matthew Goodwin on Twitter".
  21. ^Media Mole (11 June 2017)."Watch: Politics expert Matthew Goodwin eats his own book on live TV after underestimating Labour".New Statesman.London.
  22. ^Cutts, David; Goodwin, Matthew; Heath, Oliver; Surridge, Paula (2020)."Brexit, the 2019 General Election and the Realignment of British Politics".The Political Quarterly.91(1). Wiley: 7–23.doi:10.1111/1467-923x.12815.ISSN0032-3179.S2CID214063692.
  23. ^Rice, Gavin (31 July 2022)."The daring buds of May".The Critic Magazine.Retrieved21 August2023.
  24. ^Payne, Sebastian."Values, Voice and Virtue by Matthew Goodwin review — has the Tory party bungled the post-Brexit realignment?".
  25. ^Garland, Nick (26 June 2023)."Nothing to fear".Renewal.Retrieved21 August2023.
  26. ^abMalik, Kenan (22 December 2019)."The idea that the British working class is socially conservative is a nonsense".the Guardian.Retrieved21 August2023.
  27. ^Lloyd, Will (24 May 2023)."The Tory crack-up".New Statesman.Retrieved18 August2023.
  28. ^Geoghegan, Peter (1 June 2023)."Peter Geoghegan · Short Cuts: At NatCon London · LRB 1 June 2023".London Review of Books.Vol. 45, no. 11.ISSN0260-9592.Retrieved18 August2023.
  29. ^Beckett, Andy (19 May 2023)."I went to the NatCon conference expecting sinister exuberance. But all I found was doom and gloom".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved18 August2023.
  30. ^McGee, Luke (18 May 2023)."Why are some British Conservatives behaving like the next election is already lost?".CNN.Retrieved18 August2023.
  31. ^Lewis, Helen (18 May 2023)."Why So Many Conservatives Feel Like Losers".The Atlantic.Retrieved18 August2023.
  32. ^Hassan, Gerry(16 May 2023)."The UK populist right has to be defeated or democracy will be trashed".Bella Caledonia.Retrieved18 August2023.
  33. ^Aaronovitch, David."Flag, faith and failure: three days with the National Conservatives".Prospect.Retrieved18 August2023.
  34. ^Goodwin, Matt (28 May 2023)."Matt Goodwin: The revolution of liberal economics and woke cultural extremism has failed and left Britain broken".Belfast News Letter.Retrieved21 August2023.
  35. ^Shaw, Martin (25 April 2023)."Professors, Power and Projection: the Case of Matthew Goodwin – Byline Times".Byline Times.Retrieved22 August2023.
  36. ^Goodwin, Matthew (3 August 2020)."How universities shut out conservative academics".UnHerd.Retrieved21 August2023.
  37. ^"Going native: Populist academics normalise the anti-immigrant right".Politics.co.uk.31 October 2018.Retrieved21 August2023.
  38. ^Hassan, Gerry (14 May 2023)."It's time for a long and hard look at the state of the UK's democracy".The National.Retrieved21 August2023.
  39. ^Bloomfield, Jon."Toxic Friends? A Critique of Blue Labour".The Political Quarterly.Retrieved21 August2023.
  40. ^Eagleton, Oliver (25 March 2023)."Going native".New Statesman.Retrieved21 August2023.
  41. ^Statesman, New (27 September 2023)."The New Statesman's right power list".New Statesman.Retrieved14 December2023.
  42. ^"White is the new black: populism and the academic alt-right".openDemocracy.2 January 2019.Retrieved22 August2023.
  43. ^Smith, Evan (30 April 2020).No Platform: A History of Anti-Fascism, Universities and the Limits of Free Speech.Routledge.ISBN978-1138591677.Concerned about the increasing normalisation of far right ideas, over 200 scholars wrote an open letter criticising the event
  44. ^"Framing ethnic diversity as a 'threat' will normalise far-right hate, say academics".openDemocracy.Retrieved12 July2023.
  45. ^Freedland, Jonathan (26 October 2018)."Don't normalise the far right. But sometimes we must take it on".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved12 July2023.
  46. ^"Reflections on the 'open letter' debate: a middle way to approaching the radical right?".openDemocracy.Retrieved12 July2023.
  47. ^Malik, Kenan (16 April 2023)."This obsession with a 'new elite' hides the real roots of power".The Guardian.Retrieved25 August2023.
  48. ^"Conference Highlights 2014".Political Studies Association.
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