Broken Britain is a myth
Underneath the surface turbulence – polls, protests, psephological speculation – what is happening, and where are we going? One can only wish that trying to look deeper would lead to calmer perspectives, but not so. It is hard to see beyond three related phenomena: public anger, a withdrawal of consent from the processes of government and western weakness.
On anger, I suspect that one factor here is social media. These outlets deal largely in unhappiness, rage and insecurity. Judging by all previous ages, most people living in the advanced West lead safer lives than ever before while enjoying living standards that our forbears would have regarded as beyond the dreams of envy. But to those who choose to spend far too much of their lives in thrall to the internet, it does not feel that way. Instead of relaxing amidst the tranquil satisfactions of domestic life, the consumers of social media are made to feel as if they were under siege.
For this, they blame the government, and not just the one which is currently in power, but government in general. The social contract is of course a historical fiction, but the idea of a social contract underlies any civilised society. Men make a Hobbesian bargain, forswearing the freedoms of barbarism in exchange for an ordered existence. This means, of course, that the rulers give the orders. Not all rulers have been benign. Throughout the twentieth century, for countless millions of people who deserved better, life was a cry of pain. Under an evil Leviathan, there was no escape from a life that could well be poor, nasty, brutish and short. From 1914, much of the world was enduring a second fall of man and that era only ended with the Cold War. Or rather, seemed to end.
Even so, and especially in the US, Britain and the most fortunate former colonies, prosperity and freedom under the rule of law were widely accessible. By 1990, there seemed every reason to suppose that political consumer satisfaction would spread. Far from it, and social media is only part of the explanation. Dissatisfaction is now endemic. In a social contract state, and especially in one where the rulers are elected, it might be assumed that even in bouts of grumbling, the voters would concede that those in power were wiser than the average citizen. How many people think that now about what proportion of those in office?
This could lead to unrest. If the governed cease to respect the lawmakers, why should they continue to obey the laws? Thrown back on that question, the Hobbesian would have a ready answer: fear. But in a modern society, we expect – indeed, we increasingly demand – more than that. We require those in authority to display what one might term patriotic competence which will enable them to think through the complex problems of governance and defend the public interest. Instead, partly inflamed by social media and partly by what they see around them, a large proportion of the populace has concluded that nothing works and that most politicians would not recognise an important priority if they came across it during a lockdown karaoke party in the Downing Street garden.
The loss of public trust will not easily be recovered. Democracy itself may not be under threat but a stable society depends on acquiescence in the rule of law and respect for well-rooted institutions. Despite the Lefties’ ill-concealed chagrin, that respect still applies to the Monarchy – but to little else. Many of His Majesty’s subjects are vexed and troubled. Whoever is in power, they will not be easy to govern.
This is not only a British problem. Who would have believed it, but on the European mainland, much the most successful leader is Signora Meloni, the former neo-fascist now evolving into a sensible conservative. As for America, it is more bitterly divided than at any point since the Civil War. Indeed, I have come across a fair few thoughtful Americans who fear that we might be headed for a second civil war. Surely not, but E Pluribus Unum? That seems a more and more distant aspiration. It is not going to come any closer because of Trump versus Biden – and what about Katie Britt? Is that really the best that the Republicans could come up with? Presumably she was supposed to be a contrast with Stumblin’ Joe. Well, she easily out-stumbled him. There is only one point in her favour. She is not senile, and unlikely to become so. To decline into senility, there has to be something to lose. in her case, it has gone already, or was never there.
Meanwhile, the West’s enemies look on and should find few reasons for discouragement. There is no sign of a will to power, and only a limited sign of a will to self-defence.
We need leadership, to inspire followership, to remind our public what great countries they inhabit – and to hope for the best.
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