Rhythm and its absence in modern politics and music

This piece reflects on the significance of periodic time structures in the institutions of modern democracy, drawing inspiration from the theorisation of rhythm in music. Three features of rhythm are discussed using the concepts of temporal integration, coordination and rationalisation. Each helps us understand how the institutionalisation of periodicity has helped underpin the democratic principle of legitimate opposition. As contemporary political developments tend to disrupt such rhythms, so legitimate opposition becomes harder to maintain.