The vices of values: Matthew Goodwin and the politics of motivation

This article summarises and critically analyses some of the key arguments made in Matthew Goodwin's Values, Voice and Virtue. In particular, it examines Goodwin's explanations for the rise of the radical right in British politics, observing the disappearance of sociological factors from Goodwin's explanatory framework as he ‘develops’ his argument, in favour of a moral/psychological framework that posits differences in ‘values’ between distinct groups of voters as a key explanatory factor that is not itself in need of explanation. The article argues that this move is necessary for Goodwin to draw the conservative conclusions that he does. The article then compares this approach with that taken by influential centre-left commentators, observing a highly similar set of logical operations in play. Ultimately, the article argues for the necessary priority of political sociology over moral psychology for any form of analysis informed by progressive commitments.