Unleashing Optimism in an Age of Anxiety

Publisher: Bournemouth University

Place of Publication: Bournemouth University

ISBN: 978-1-910042-24-3

Abstract:

“Unleashing Britain’s potential” was a recurring message of the Conservative Party in the 2019 General Election. Johnson’s use of this thumbs-up approach to electioneering, represents a continuation of his public image built up over the years, where his seemingly un-spun qualities as a fearless, positive, can-do politician have been key to his ability to connect with the public (Johnson, 2019). In an age of precarity and social division, when so many feel bad, his recourse to the language of feeling good also reflects the close relationship between the performativity of celebrity politicians and the emotionalisation of politics today, where the language of positive psychology is often deployed in the service of stretching the truth and denying reality.

http://www.electionanalysis.uk/

Source: Manual