Democracy

This chapter examines Graham’s politically focused plays, Labour of Love, The Vote and This House to understand why modern democracy is under threat and the inherent weaknesses in its key structures explored in Graham’s writing. Using the playwright’s anatomy of democratic institutions, this section examines the three pillars of governance that recur in his work—political parties, elections, and ParliamentParliament—demonstrating the major divides between regional and national interests, the role of personal ambition as staff move between career opportunities in different types of political role, and the stagnation of the House of Commons when governments focus on retaining short-term power instead of long-term policy development. Examining each of the pillars in turn, Democracy assesses the frailty of these institutions, systems and processes as represented in Graham’s plays.