Political communication in the age of austerity: unless you can claim genuine authenticity – like UKIP’s Nigel Farage – then you will struggle to convince

Charlie Beckett explores the lessons in political communication illustrated by Nigel Farage and UKIP in the UK. In an age of scepticism, one value that the voters want – authenticity – is rendered undeliverable by a professional political class that seek to secure their power with risk-averse, non-interactive communication. Farage has been able to appeal to voters precisely because he is genuine and unrehearsed, and because UKIP exists outside of the political mainstream.