For those of us who value freedom, the last few years have been a terrible time. Nationalism and authoritarianism are ascendant, and liberalism is in retreat. The latter used to be seen as the philosophy of the future in the post-Soviet era, but is now increasingly viewed as the preserve of wealthy multinational elites, who hold the values and economic interests of the working man in contempt. Along with most of the developed (and virtually all of the developing) world, British public opinion is now distinctly post-liberal. The British government cannot be blamed for this trend. But it must be held responsible for how it responds to it. The government must listen to the people, but it must also listen to its conscience. It has a duty to defend and preserve the values that made the country great, even if the cry of the mob would suggest otherwise. There are three areas in particular, in which the government has abandoned the principles of liberal democracy, in order to satisfy the desires of an imagined majority.
The first is the refugee crisis. Britain is a relatively wealthy country with low unemployment, reasonably high wages and a surprisingly low cost of living (houses in London notwithstanding.) Contrary to popular perception, it is not overcrowded, as only 9% of its land area is built up. It also already accepts a fairly high number of economic migrants, with little to no impact on overall employment levels, and a positive impact on wages due to increased economic activity in the country. So there’s no reason not to accept a mere 3000 refugee children, who are fleeing for their lives from the destruction wrecked by Assad, Putin and ISIS. Many of the neighbouring countries like Lebanon and Turkey are already overwhelmed, so we ought to be kind and help them.
But apparently for the government, 3000 is too many. It will now accept only 350 refugee children. Then our doors will be closed. This is simply unforgivable. The government has chosen to condemn thousands of children to a probable lifetime of suffering, and will save a minuscule quantity of resources as a result. But sadly, there is no public outcry. The Archbishop of Canterbury and a few MPs have spoken out. But that’s almost it. The Conservatives retain an enormous lead in the polls. Very few of the most popular newspapers have condemned the government. No donors have stopped funding the Tories, nor has any organisation withdrawn their support. Having said that, just because the government seemingly can get away with it, doesn’t mean they should. Theresa May should do the compassionate thing and allow the children to come, regardless of any backlash.
The second issue is the government’s grovelling to Donald Trump. Now I’m all in favour of a cordial relationship with the world’s only superpower. The US is an important ally and trading power, no matter who is president. The nations of Europe recognise this and act accordingly. But Britain has gone a step further. Unlike say Germany or France, Britain refuses to condemn Trump’s xenophobia, sexism and contempt for the Muslim world. It remains silent in the hope of a good trade deal following Brexit. Such a strategy is wishful thinking. Trump is fundamentally a protectionist at heart. He is unlikely to open up American business to intense competition from Britain. His zero-sum mentality in which there must always be a loser means that any deal is likely to be massively lopsided in favour of the US, to the degree in which it may not be worth signing at all. And even if a favourable deal is struck, it is not worth being complicit in the actions of an authoritarian demagogue to achieve it. Its also worth pointing out that trade and services with the EU is far greater to Britain than trade and services with the US. We ought not to alienate our largest customer by siding with a temperamental narcissist.
The third (and often overlooked) issue is the status of foreign students, who are not immigrants because they aren’t here to stay permanently and don’t work full time. Foreign students contribute vast amounts of money to the higher education industry, allowing for investment in new facilities, the hiring of more academics, and the funding of additional research. Non-EU students in particular, are vital because they aren’t subject to the British fee cap. Although the recently-scrapped overall cap on student numbers made sense because it prevented universities from sacrificing the quality of teaching and living for a short-term profit, there’s no need for a significant targeted reduction in foreign students. The government wrongly includes them in the net migration figures, then tries to reduce them so they can say that immigration has come down. But unlike even refugees, there is virtually no public opposition to foreign students. So cutting their numbers will only hurt the economy, and would do nothing to appease right wing populism.
Overall, I accept many of the failures of today’s so-called ‘liberals.’ A healthy scepticism of nationalism and the nation-states has resulted in an excessive faith in international institutions, which have made many mistakes and haven’t been held to account. The wealthy elites in the financial sector, who were partly responsible for the 2008 crash, have largely been left unharmed. Across the developed world, income and wealth inequality remains needlessly high. Social mobility has declined. Within nations, there are many gaps between regions, such as the American gap between the coasts and the Rust Belt, the Italian gap between North and South, the German gap between West and East, and the British gap between the South-East and everywhere else. All of this has resulted in a class of ‘left-behind’ voters, who are understandably distrustful of any self-identified ‘liberal’, and so place their trust in charismatic nationalists who promise a return to a better age.
However, liberals are not without reason to hope. The younger generation are highly socially progressive. As the right wing populists begin to gain power, their false promises become apparent. Liberals are beginning to learn from their mistakes. Science and technology will improve lives even as politics hurts them. Never underestimate the human capacity for self-renewal and persistence, whatever the odds.