It is a dystopian vision of a United States in violent meltdown – but the director of the 2024 film Civil War, Alex Garland, is British, and he worries the same fractures could tear his own country apart. “There’s a lot to be very concerned about,” Garland told the Guardian, in a sentiment that resonates far beyond the cinema.
Britain’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, appears to agree. Since announcing his run for the Makerfield seat in May, he has repeatedly urged Britons to abandon party labels and unite around pride in their local area. “Place first, not party first”, is how he puts it. And as he entered Downing Street on Monday, he called for a “new national sense of unity, of common purpose and positivity”.
“New PM Andy Burnham urges Britons to prioritise local pride over party allegiance, as a report warns social bonds are under 'growing pressure'.”
But just how divided is Britain? Last year, a commission co-chaired by former home secretary Sir Sajid Javid warned: “The bonds that hold society together – civic participation, and a shared sense of belonging – are under growing pressure.” The report added to a sense that the country is on edge, close to social breakdown, where a small spark could start a serious fire.
Evan Davis, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Common Ground, has just spent a month journeying through the divisions that define modern Britain for a new series. He notes that for a long time the country’s defining split was social class: “What kind of job you had, how you spoke, what time you had your evening meal, what you watched on TV, how you voted… it was all pre-determined by your working or middle class background.” Today, that has become far more complicated, with a decline in traditional working-class jobs and a rise in new forms of identity.
As Burnham begins his premiership, the question Davis poses is whether there is any common ground left – or whether Britain is polarised to the point of no repair.