My quibble is over ‘can the left get its act together’. This implies that to be against Trump, Orban and Farage et al, you must be on the left.
On many issues I’d say I’m centre-right. But I’m implacably opposed to any political movement that would wish to muzzle the press, uses threats of violence, interferes with an independent judiciary, curbs academic freedom, detains people without trial and so on, whether they are of the left or the right. It just so happens that in the western democracies the far-right is a much bigger danger than the far left to what is usually called ‘liberal democracy’.
There must be lots of conservatives who oppose the far-right: that’s why they’re voting Liberal Democrat in the Home Counties! The Conservative Party is no longer the Conservative Party of Thatcher, let alone Major, Clarke, Heseltine, Heath and McMillan.
We need to create a big tent to oppose the erosion of free institutions, freedom and rule-of-law containing left, right and centre. We may disagree on tax rates, employment rights, trans rights and even Brexit, but these are relatively minor issues that can all be determined and resolved using democratic politics. The far-right (especially Trump), on the other hand, are a mortal threat to our way of life who surely must be opposed by all right-thinking socialists, social democrats, liberals, conservatives and reactionaries.
Nick,
Great debate.
My quibble is over ‘can the left get its act together’. This implies that to be against Trump, Orban and Farage et al, you must be on the left.
On many issues I’d say I’m centre-right. But I’m implacably opposed to any political movement that would wish to muzzle the press, uses threats of violence, interferes with an independent judiciary, curbs academic freedom, detains people without trial and so on, whether they are of the left or the right. It just so happens that in the western democracies the far-right is a much bigger danger than the far left to what is usually called ‘liberal democracy’.
There must be lots of conservatives who oppose the far-right: that’s why they’re voting Liberal Democrat in the Home Counties! The Conservative Party is no longer the Conservative Party of Thatcher, let alone Major, Clarke, Heseltine, Heath and McMillan.
We need to create a big tent to oppose the erosion of free institutions, freedom and rule-of-law containing left, right and centre. We may disagree on tax rates, employment rights, trans rights and even Brexit, but these are relatively minor issues that can all be determined and resolved using democratic politics. The far-right (especially Trump), on the other hand, are a mortal threat to our way of life who surely must be opposed by all right-thinking socialists, social democrats, liberals, conservatives and reactionaries.
Fair point David