The Political Butterfly Effect

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The Political Butterfly Effect: Did a drunken headbutt cause Brexit?

Did a drunken headbutt cause Brexit?

BBC Radio 4 - The Political Butterfly Effect, Did a drunken headbutt cause Brexit?

Jim Waterson explores a single moment that inadvertently shaped modern history.

Did a drunken brawl in the House of Commons set off a chain of events that led the UK to vote for Brexit?

As the butterfly effect theory goes, a flap of an insect’s wings can set off a chain of events that causes a tornado on the other side of the world. But what of political weather? Where are the butterfly effects that led to major shifts in global politics, society, and our everyday lives?

The Guardian's Media Editor Jim Waterson explores how different the world would look were it not for the occasional, well-timed flap of a butterfly’s wings. 

In episode one, Jim asks whether a Labour MP headbutting a fellow politician in the House of Commons led the UK to vote for Brexit. He traces the events that were set in motion by the fracas in 2012. Does the trail lead all the way to Britain’s exit from the EU?

Presenter: Jim Waterson
Producer: Robbie MacInnes
An SPG production for BBC Radio 4

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The Guardian's media editor, Jim Waterson, explores how different the world would look were it not for the occasional, well-timed flap of a butterfly's wings.

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The Political Butterfly Effect

Did a drunken headbutt cause Brexit?

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