Liberals are naturally optimistic and reasonable. We recognise the past struggles to establish open, tolerant societies, the rule of law and accountable government, but too easily assume that those battles have been won. In the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the most optimistic Liberals thought we were entering a post-conflict liberal world.
It’s now clear that the principles of a liberal political and economic order have to be defended against multiple threats. Our society has become far more socially liberal than our grandparents; but not all are persuaded, and illiberal groups within Britain and outside are doing their best to reverse what has been won. Our economy is deeply integrated into a global economy which is unstable, grossly unequal and environmentally unsustainable. Corruption and crime are embedded in the global economy, and spill over into the UK; we have seen some painful examples of domestic corruption in recent years. Political liberalism – liberal democracy – is on the defensive, across Europe and Asia, within the USA and within Britain itself.
Behind our immediate relief at the disappearance of populist Conservative government, British politics is in a volatile state. Popular alienation from Westminster is at the highest level yet recorded in surveys. Local democracy has been shrunk and weakened through successive reorganisations, increasing central control and reductions in funding. The Labour government has won a massive parliamentary majority on 33.7% of the popular vote, with under 60% of voters turning out – and with efficient targeting by all parties leaving many constituencies without any visible local campaign. There are now 10 groups in the Commons with 4 or more MPs; yet Labour and the Tories are still acting as if Britain has a two-party system. It’s possible that the next election will see right-wing reaction against Labour constitute a major political force. Reform won 14% in July from almost a standing start.
The international picture is little happier. Anne Applebaum argues in Autocracy Inc. that China and Russia are successfully promoting authoritarian government against ‘decadent’ democracies, with support from Britain’s informal allies in the Gulf states, and from an increasingly authoritarian Indian government. We all hope that Kamala Harris will soundly defeat Trump in November. But that will not end the struggle between liberals and illiberals within the USA. Rebellion: how Antiliberalism is tearing America apart, by Robert Kagan – a neoliberal who has turned against neoconservatism – traces the populist strain in American culture from those who opposed the liberal constraints of its federal constitution through to Trump. Chinese mercantilist economic policy presents an existential threat to the open international economy. The rise of the global obscenely wealthy class, from Musk to Ambani and the Gulf-state ruling families, poses a threat to open societies and social order. Money from right-wing US foundations supports hard-right groups, think tanks and Conservative factions in the UK. Funds from Dubai, Moscow and Beijing probably seep in too.
Liberals need to speak up for Liberalism. That’s what we’re about, after all. We grew out of the revolt against absolutist monarchy, fighting for the space for civil society, free speech, toleration and citizens’ rights. I hope our new MPs will fight to change the way Westminster works and introduce greater transparency into Whitehall. I hope we will campaign to rebuild the UK’s local democracy, so badly damaged in recent decades – and of course, continue the fight to get rid of our distorting voting system. More broadly, we should also work to build active citizenship, with investment in civic education for all.
Money is power, and gross inequality makes for dangerous concentrations of power. Reform of political finance is crucial to opening up British politics. Tighter rules on relations between government and business are also vital. A new report estimates that some £15bn of the £45bn spent on Covid procurement was lost to corruption and fraud – another scandal to follow the Post Office and Grenfell scandals that will feed public disillusion further. Money is also reshaping UK media, while the BBC is being squeezed. The current fight over the succession to Rupert Murdoch’s media empire will affect how many people in Britain interpret political developments. GB News has emerged as an active antiliberal force – a company that runs a substantial deficit but is nevertheless subsidising Nigel Farage by paying him £1m for part-time appearances, and has several other hard-right politicians on its inflated salary list. The Daily Mail continues to pour confected outrage against ‘wokeism’ and social justice in print and online.
The British public are aware of the shortcomings of our current political system, but have not thought much about the dangers of authoritarian alternatives. Yes, taxes, health and water provision are more immediate concerns for campaigning. But we are Liberals, and we have learned how easy it is for democratic societies to slip back to populism and from there to authoritarian rule. So let’s alert others, in Britain and beyond, to the well-funded antiliberal forces, both private and state-led, which endanger the open society in which we live and the liberal international order our grandparents fought to create, and campaign to strengthen the liberal defences against them.
* William Wallace is Liberal Democrat spokesman on constitutional issues in the Lords.
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12 Comments
I am in Germany on holiday. We spent the first week in Weimar, in Thüringen, just after the elections which delivered a shock lead in first votes for AfD. But we were heartened also to see six-foot tall posters in public places, churches, museums and so on, proclaiming a small “l” liberal agenda – a Thüringen open to the world, respecting diversity, fully behind human rights, accepting of different viewpoints, recognising the value of migration, and European focused. It would be great to see a similar cross party manifesto across the UK.
Might the socio-political problems well presented above have a root cause in the socio-economic harm done to the vast majority of citizens and their children by the policy/fashion of Neoliberalism aka. Austerity?
If so, might L Ds at all levels denounce Neoliberalism/Austerity and put forward and develop ideas, refutations and policies with which to increasingly reduce its influences and powers?
We need to be clever about this by playing off anti-liberal forces against each other: Conservatives v. Reform, Russia v. China, nationalists v. libertarians, climate pragmatists v. climate deniers.
William rightly mentions the impact of the right wing press, and more recent media outlets like GB News.
But if the Liberal Democrats are really to ” alert others, in Britain and beyond, to the well-funded antiliberal forces, both private and state-led, which endanger the open society in which we live….” then we need an open, transparent and honest assessment of the role GB News owner Paul Marshall played in the Liberal Democrats a decade ago. When he funded ‘Centre Forum’ and the like was he a Liberal, or someone whose real aim was to wreck the Liberal Democrats? If it was the latter he nearly succeeded in 2015, then backed the campaign to leave the EU the following year.
He is only one bad billionaire seeking to undermine democracy and freedom, but he is the one we should know most about, and now the party has revived surely it is time we looked at the role of Marshall and his cronies for over a decade and the danger they continue to pose to a free, open society.
I’m sure all 72 of our MPs are imbued with the spirit of William’s splendid article, but do they dare tell their electorates? (And who, given the targeting policy, will tell the electorates in the 200+ constituencies where there is now virtually no liberal actinism?) I am haunted by these two sentences on page 441 of Ian Dunt’s excellent book “How to be a Liberal”:
“For many years now, liberals have failed to argue for our values. We have apologised for them , or seemed embarrassed by them, or not even mentioned them at all.”
It’s all very well winning seats by working hard, exploiting local issues and appearing nicer than the Tories and less dangerous than Labour, but we need also to attract activists, not just in the “blue wall” but throughout the country, to campaign for the core values of liberalism.
Liberal Democrat HQ should start the ball rolling by preparing suitable template literature with can be used throughout the country to get the message across.
Just a quick point on Reform getting 14% ” From a standing Start”. Reform are simply UKIP revamped. There is a long Far-Right tradition in Britain stretching back to the 1930s. In the 1970s The National Front regularly got 10% in elections.
I am not arguing for complacency, just against Panic.
Steve Comer: I was chair of the advisory board for CentreForum when it was set up, Years before that I had taught Paul Marshall when a student. In those years he was a liberal (and a Liberal Democrat), though more to the economic than the social wing of the party. And he did not bias the research and policy work of CentreForum, which had a range of views contributing. Paul has moved to the right since then, for a variety of reasons: opposition to financial regulation (a threat to the Marshall Wace business model, both at national and European level; evangelical opposition to toleration of social diversity; and perhaps because increasing wealth reshapes perspectives. So no conspiracy there.
The rise in populism has coincided with the failure of centrist governments across the EU & in the UK . The biggest challenge is immigration. Far too many liberals are ignoring or evading the issue & the consequences it’s having across Europe and the UK .
Refugees welcome here is all well and good for campus politics, but it’s not sustainable in the long term … Back in the real world the German govt has shown with it’s deportation arrangements changing and it’s border controls instigated – social cohesion is not
limitless …
From Wikipedia: “Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, right to private property and equality before the law. Liberals espouse various and often mutually warring views depending on their understanding of these principles but generally support private property, market economies, individual rights (including civil rights and human rights), liberal democracy, secularism, rule of law, economic and political freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion, Liberalism is frequently cited as the dominant ideology of modern history.”
I’d go along with that. Discuss!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism
Tristan Ward: headline from yesterdays FT – ‘Activist launches $1bn campaign to “crush” liberal America’. Yes, broadly liberal philosophies have been dominant across Western Europe and North American since 1945 (though not in most of the rest of the world), But they are under attack now.
I am slightly confused by this article because you appear to be saying that China and Russia would want to fund conservative governments. This would not make sense generally except that Russia would prefer Trump as President but why would China sponsor anti communist governments?
To the majority of the electorate liberalism has to defend its quarter for them to support it. It has to show that their quality of life is superior to that from populist or autocratic governments. It relies on a free, transparent and caring society where there is a decent safety net, the rule of law is respected and we play our part on the world stage. Hints of corruption, dark influences on our political life and too much inequality will cause a search for other forms of government.