The ’Brexit Bus’ was at the heart of the Leave campaign’s ’new religion’
The 'Brexit Bus' was at the heart of the Leave campaign's 'new religion' - Campaigners used quasi-religious and mythological themes to create a 'Brexit religion' with the National Health Service (NHS) at its heart - persuading people to support Britain's withdrawal from the European Union, according to a new study. The Leave campaign's promise to 'take back control' used the NHS as the country's Holy Grail that could be rescued from malign European forces that threatened Britain's unique historical place in the world. Researchers at the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick have published their findings in Social Policy and Society, identifying three core themes within the 'religion', namely that: The British 'people' had a unique role to play in global affairs; The sanctity of this special status was threatened by elites and migrants; and The EU Referendum gave voice to the sacred 'will of the people'. These themes were supported by claims that EU membership was exacerbating a crisis in health and social care - a myth encapsulated by the so-called 'Brexit bus' campaign, which suggested that leaving the EU would free up £350 million a week to invest in the NHS. Co-author Dr. Peter Kerr , Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Birmingham, commented: "Former Chancellor Nigel Lawson described the NHS as 'the closest thing English people have to a religion' - placing it at the heart of the Brexit narrative was a shrewd political calculation.
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