Professor Eunice Goes presents paper on the Labour Party at Annual Congress

Earlier this month, Professor Eunice Goes, Professor of Politics at Richmond, travelled to Lisbon to present a paper on The Labour Party at the annual congress of the Portuguese Association of Political Science. 

Her paper, entitled ‘The Labour Party Under Keir Starmer and the Limits of Performative Competence’ argued Labour’s electoral victory in 2024 was possible in part thanks to the pursuit of a ‘politics of competence’.  

This ‘politics of competence’ entailed two components. The first one was about pursuing a strategy of ‘ideological quietism’, that is a ‘process pf quieting, subduing or lessening ideology’ to project a message of competence and pragmatism. The second component was of a performative nature and involved the adoption of a concept of competence which is largely defined by how the dominant news media understands political competence. 

“I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to meet colleagues with whom I had worked in the past and with whom I am planning future research projects,” Professor Goes told us. “The highlights of the conference were the fascinating keynote address by Dr. Olukunle Owolabi on the development legacies of colonialism, and the thrilling conversation between Dr. Tiago Fernandes and Dr. Victor Pereira on Portugal’s 1974 democratic revolution. I learned a great deal from these events.” 

Professor Goes is grateful for the Research Development Award awarded Richmond University which funded the costs of participating in the conference.