The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer

Rimmer appears at the small, ailing advertising agency under the pretense of conducting a time-and-motion study. The staff initially assumes he is there for routine business analysis. However, his real intention is to take control of the operation and use it as a stepping stone to larger ambitions. This establishes his pattern of infiltrating institutions and seizing power from within.

After transforming the advertising firm into Britain's leading polling agency and becoming a regular television personality as a polling expert, Rimmer leverages his media presence to enter politics. He becomes an adviser to Tom Hutchinson, the leader of the Conservative Party opposition. His background in manipulating public opinion through polling data translates directly into political strategy.

His TV appearances as a polling expert had already positioned him as a voice of public sentiment.

Rimmer engineers Shadow Home Secretary Sir Eric Bentley to deliver an inflammatory anti-immigration speech as a calculated political maneuver. The speech gives Hutchinson a pretext to fire Bentley, removing a rival. More importantly, it allows the Conservative Party to appear opposed to immigration without committing to actual policy, demonstrating Rimmer's talent for manipulating events behind the scenes while maintaining plausible deniability.

After orchestrating Bentley's removal through the controversial speech, Rimmer seizes the now-vacant Budleigh Moor parliamentary seat. This marks his transition from political manipulator behind the scenes to elected official, accelerating his ascent through the Conservative Party hierarchy.

The seat became available precisely because Rimmer had Bentley removed.

Rimmer acquires a trophy wife as he climbs the political ladder, using the marriage to elevate his social standing among the political elite. The marriage represents the personal costs and transactional nature of his ascent, showing how he leverages relationships for political gain rather than genuine connection.

Rimmer rises to Prime Minister through a combination of ruthless maneuvering and extreme violence. After propelling himself to the highest echelons of the Conservative Party, he eliminates his predecessor by throwing him off an oil rig. This dramatic act of political murder cements his path to 10 Downing Street and demonstrates his willingness to use deadly force to achieve power.

Once Prime Minister, Rimmer launches an experiment in direct democracy, conducting endless referendums on everything from trivial matters to complex policy issues. He uses postal ballots and televoting to flood the public with votes. This approach is ultimately a power grab disguised as empowerment, designed to overwhelm the public so they become too fatigued to resist his final consolidation of authority.

The constant barrage of referendums overwhelms the British public, creating widespread referendum fatigue. Citizens grow weary of endless voting on both trivial and serious matters. This exhaustion sparks mass protests against Rimmer's reforms, as people recognize the manipulation underlying the supposed democratic experiment. The paradox is that the more democracy Rimmer offers, the less engaged the public becomes.

The final referendum, which would grant Rimmer dictatorial powers to 'streamline government,' passes because the public is exhausted by the relentless cycle of voting. Having been bombarded with countless referendums, voters simply approve the proposal to end the cycle. This apathy allows Rimmer to achieve his ultimate goal of unchecked power through democratic means, exposing the fragility of democratic systems when manipulated by spectacle.

Ferret, the former boss of the advertising agency whom Rimmer eclipsed, attempts to assassinate Rimmer during a parade through the capital in an open-topped car. The assassination attempt fails, and Ferret falls to his death. His death serves as a tragic reminder of the personal casualties of Rimmer's ruthless ascent to power.

Rimmer leverages his polling expertise to understand and then engineer public sentiment. He uses television appearances to build credibility, engineers political events like Bentley's speech to create calculated outcomes, and ultimately overwhelms the public with referendums to breed apathy. His entire career is built on manipulating what people think they believe rather than representing genuine policy positions.

His background in polling gave him unique insight into manipulating public sentiment.

The public accepts Rimmer's grab for total power because they have been worn down by the constant referendums and are desperate for relief from the endless voting cycle. Rather than carefully considering the implications, they vote yes to end the process. This reflects the film's satirical commentary on how democratic societies can be manipulated into surrendering freedoms through fatigue and spectacle rather than overt force.