Adam Curtis’s point about the liberal elite feeling "betrayed" by the working class in the early 1980s reflects a deep political and cultural shift. After WWII, many in the liberal middle class (academics, journalists, civil servants) saw themselves as aligned with the working class in building a more equal society—supporting welfare, unions, and state ownership. But this alliance began to unravel by the late 1970s.

Economic crises, inflation, and frequent strikes eroded public faith in the post-war system. When Thatcher came to power in 1979, many working-class voters backed her, drawn to promises of home ownership, lower taxes, and individual freedom. This was shocking to the liberal elite, who had expected the working class to remain loyal to collective, left-wing ideals. Thatcherism, backed in part by these voters, went on to dismantle unions, privatize industries, and shrink the welfare state.

This realignment felt like a betrayal. The working class was no longer seen as a revolutionary force, but instead, as embracing conservative or individualist values. Over time, cultural divides deepened—issues like immigration, national identity, and social liberalism further split the two groups. The Brexit vote in 2016, strongly supported by working-class regions, was another flashpoint.

Meanwhile, the political left became more technocratic and middle-class (e.g., New Labour), drifting further from traditional working-class concerns. The liberal elite’s sense of betrayal stems from this: a belief that the people they thought they were helping turned away and embraced ideas they found regressive.

Curtis highlights this emotional undercurrent—disillusionment and lost narratives—as central to modern political confusion.