For all the headlines about division, something rather interesting is happening around the world right now. We need to celebrate it.
Democracy is demonstrating that it still has the capacity to surprise us with powerful narratives about tackling systemic challenges.
From student-led movements in Serbia to elections in Brazil and a remarkable political shift in the United States, good citizens are harnessing democracy to challenge badly behaved authoritarian power elites and demand accountability, change and fairness.
Could 2026/2027 become the era of democratic renewal?
From protest to political power
In Serbia, a student-led movement has achieved something extraordinary.
Following two years of protests sparked by the collapse of a railway station canopy that killed 16 people, a movement demanding accountability, transparency and an end to corruption in the ruling party has helped overturn fourteen years of government by the Serbian Progressive Party.
The movement began with young people, but grew to include teachers, farmers, workers and communities across the country through careful and mobilised grass roots action and community organisation. There is acknowledgement that there is much work to do but it is one of the clearest examples of how collective action can move from the streets into democratic change at the ballot box with careful organising and the positive use of social media to build a movement. I met one of the organisers recently and was moved by their passion for this cause and their tenacity in bringing everyday people together, quietly and slowly to ensure high voter turn out. It has been inspiring to hear the success of those behind this work.
Meanwhile, in Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has secured another term following a fiercely contested election against Flávio Bolsonaro. The result demonstrates the continuing importance of elections and constitutional processes, although Brazil remains deeply politically divided.
And now there our friends in America.
Riding a big blue wave
The US midterm elections have delivered a significant shift in political power at a time when many voters felt hopeless. Democrats have won control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, including strong victories in traditionally Republican states.
The results from over 122 million ballots are being described as the blue wave, reflecting widespread voter dissatisfaction with the direction of the country. But this isn't simply a story about traditional Democrats and Republicans. Economic insecurity, the cost of living, political accountability and frustration with Trump's leadership have all influenced voters.
America's constitutional system means that the President remains in office, while Congress can exercise greater scrutiny over the administration. The electorate has changed the balance of power around the presidency in the country's 250th year and very much in the spirit of those founding fathers.
What about Britain?
Britain's parliamentary democracy operates differently to the USA where the executive and legislature are separately elected, the success of the UK government depends on maintaining the confidence of the elected House of Commons.
But the challenges facing both countries are familiar: declining institutional trust, economic inequality, political division and communities who feel increasingly distant from policy making in a world full of deep geopolitcial storms.
In Britain, the progress of English devolution, through elected mayors and new approaches to community participation, offers an opportunity to bring power and decision-making closer to people and the places they call home.
Yet one of the greatest threats to our democracy is the normalisation of division. Too often, political debate is driven by manufactured grievances and national narratives that bear little resemblance to the everyday realities of our communities. America may be a much bigger stage for this kind of politics, but Britain is far from immune.
This week's Democratic gains in the US elections offer a reminder that political narratives can change, and that people still have the power to shape what happens next. Positive leadership, shared purpose and the ability to bring people together around common interests can offer an alternative to the politics of division and their various culture wars. I encourage people to think about their responsibility here in nurturing this sort of division in their own social media feeds.
Democracy is more than an election
There is an important caution in celebrating these international developments. Changing a government does not necessarily mean changing how power operates or solving the problems but it is a moment of much needed hope.
Democracy rests on independent institutions, accountable leadership, a free press, civic participation and a culture that respects disagreement. Democracy is a two way street: it is based on trust between the people and their institutions through the activities and interactions that happen within our communities; the committees, volunteer run groups and charities that help create the relationships, build confidence and a shared sense of responsibility to ensure democracy thrives.
Why this matters
At The Purpose Brief, we are interested in the stories behind democratic renewal. This is not simply about who is the winner, but how people create movements to make change in their communities. If you are not happy about someone or something: organise, do something about it. Set up an organisation to resolve it, apply for some funding, talk to your elected officials. Do something.
We encourage you to think how can a local campaign influence national policy? How can cultural institutions create spaces for difficult conversations? How are the voices who are seldom heard, shaping their own future?
From small acorns grow mighty oaks, as they say. That's what happened in Serbia, it what has shaped the oldest democracies for generations through debate and consensus. A wonderful example of this type of organising comes to mind through recent conversations with colleagues at Harvard University's Kennedy School.
In 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, following the arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger, African Americans organised a boycott of the city's segregated bus system.
For 381 days, people walked, carpooled and organised alternative transport rather than accept segregation. What began as a quiet act of resistance became a remarkable demonstration of collective agency. It was always a choice and is, even to this day, a brilliant case study of what people can do if they organise, get together around an insurmountable challenge and how humans can build a shared sense of purpose together.
The agency of leadership
On 3 November 2026, Abdul El-Sayed, now Michigan's Democratic senator-elect, rebuffed a correspondent from Sky News, James Matthews, when asked about his views on what this meant to the UK, he responded "You know how many votes I want to get in the UK? Zero. I am never running for office in the UK."
But whilst El-Sayed is correct in his need to focus on place, the reality is that right now the behaviour of every politician, what they say, what they do in their places is important to us all.
Democracy is about how we build together from our places. El-Sayed, a former Rhodes Scholar from Oxford University, has told a brilliant public narrative from his place in Ann Arbour, a mid-west university town not far from Detroit. He is part of a dynamic troop of successful candidates being the change that American voters wish to see. This kind of leadership is what leaders and communities want to see all across the world.
In Serbia, Brazil, the USA and the UK, it is clear that voters have created the agency and seized the moment to make the change through the processes in place. Democracy is alive.
What this success now rests on is the ability of the people to make the change through our their continued collective efforts and harnessing the democratic systems in place on the back of election wins.
And that, good citizens, is the hopeful story worth telling and reflecting on through those incoming long winter nights.
