Introduction

In the context of politics, the term ‘radical’ has been applied to a wide range of figures. Both Jeremy Corbyn and Nigel Farage could be considered radical, in the sense that each is campaigning for a society based on a different set of political and economic relationships and values. However, in politics radicalism has come to be associated with the adoption of revolutionary tactics and approaches. Radicals can come from across the political spectrum. Historically, ‘radical’ is a term that has been most closely associated with progressive politics. The tactics that radicals adopt do not have to be violent; for example, being a conscientious objector and refusing conscription in the First World War was a radical act. The suffragettes were radical in both their aims and their methods (Purvis, 1995). In the current political climate ‘radicalisation’ is the term used for the processes by which individuals become involved in political groups that are committed to the overhaul of political and social structures (Kundnani, 2012). There is an implicit assumption that such radical approaches include a rejection of parliamentary democracy as a means of bringing about lasting and fundamental change. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US, radicalisation has largely been associated with terrorism inspired by radical interpretations of Islamic religious texts (Kundnani, 2012). There is not the space here to discuss in depth the use of violence as a political weapon.

Radical critiques of parliamentary democracy argue that it is based on a sham of equality, in which one person, one vote serves as a cover that hides the real power and inequalities that exist in society. In this perspective, it is impossible for the gradualism of liberal political democracy to produce fundamental change. In addition, such perspectives would argue that the violence that has its root cause in capitalism is hidden or ignored. When exploring these issues, it is important to recognise that it is perfectly possible to be a radical and to totally reject violence and terrorism. In addition, an understanding of the political context is required in order to understand the use of the term ‘terrorist’. Famously, Nelson Mandela was tried, and imprisoned for 20 years, on charges of treason and labelled a terrorist by the apartheid regime of South Africa and its supporters (Joffe, 2013), while to the wider world he was fighting for freedom and social justice.