ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the Brexit referendum was presented as a struggle between technocracy and democracy. It proposes a theoretical, discursive difference between populist and technocratic discourse and framing. The chapter analyses text from the websites of the lead campaigns in the Brexit referendum to argue that it was their way of framing politics that made all the difference. It shows that the technocratic–democratic tension expressed itself using different rhetoric, where a rhetoric is understood as the use of frames and language to motivate a political choice. Technocrats have been associated with several shared values: prioritization of economic growth over social development, an acceptance of the need for political order, and a reluctance to challenge the social hierarchy. The chapter suggests that the Brexit campaigns framed the referendum as a contest between technocracy and democracy, with Vote Leave framing itself as the democratic choice and Britain Stronger in Europe as the more technocratic choice.
