Tag Archives: peter ustinov

The lasting legacy of a Liberal lion

By Lorenzo Cherin | Thu 23rd December 2021 - 9:59 am

Amongst the worries about the pandemic, despite the concerns of the present, beyond the developments in our politics, there is the personal. Whether an individual can make a difference, and that he or she ought to and should, there is the essence of a Liberalism we can favour.

This year has been the centenary of the birth of Sir Peter Ustinov. This is a man who made a difference. As a performer versatile enough to be an actor and an entertainer, he delighted in numerous productions on stage and screen. As a creator, he was a writer and director, who was often a force behind those numerous productions. And then there was Peter Ustinov the inspirer, an ambassador and campaigner.

As a man of social conscience and charitable disposition, he was a natural and lifelong Liberal. He voted for the Liberal party and then the Liberal Democrats, throughout his life. His autobiographical and other biographical appraisals record his liberalism from his precocious school years, in debates and activities. Throughout his travels, he extolled the virtues and values of Liberalism. Even in the US during the height of the McCarthy witch hunt, he noted:

… the different meaning for that noble word “liberal,” which in America has become dissociated from its essential humanism and sense of equity, and now apparently means a kind of embryonic commie, a nuisance who asks embarrassing and subversive questions.