The Death of the Liberal Dream

"Liberalism here, as well as across Europe, is not faring well against the politics of fear."

Those were the words spoken by Nick Clegg, former Liberal Democrat leader, after his party's catastrophic losses in the 2015 General Election. It's almost like he was an oracle, seeing visions of the future, looking forward to see the (some would call) follys of Brexit and Trump. Maybe he saw Britain aflame with Jacob Rees-Mogg looking over all, the would-be-king. And the king deemed it good.*

That being said, I have no desire to praise Clegg as some sort of champion of liberalism when he earnestly went to bed with the Tories and paid the price for it. That being said, Clegg was right in preemptively guessing the backlash to the centre ground almost a year before the 'unexpected' results of Brexit and Trump happened. Populism, rather than Liberalism and some would argue Conservatism, has triumphed where these more moderate movements couldn't. That's not to say that these movements are niche, far from it; but if we look at the facts we see that movements like Jeremy Corbyn's, like Trump's, are hugely popular when compared to more liberal ideologies.

Funnily enough it took me listening to a gaming podcast to find the most rational explanation for this phenomenon. It was the day after Trump's election and they (liberals, because in an industry like online entertainment, they almost have to be to be successful) were shell-shocked. The most rational amongst them came up with this; there is no centre ground anymore. You're either on the far left or the far right and it doesn't seem like there's any stable or successful middle.

It certainly doesn't help when despite the campaigners' best efforts, liberals are seen to look like hypocrites (Tim Farron, I'm looking at you).

So what can be done about this? Like my title suggests, is the liberal dream over? Well, I have always been a believer in hope and change. I hope that this is the last vestige of far-right foulness straight from the 20th century. It has reared its ugly head one last time to let out a deafening roar before dying like the pathetic, wounded beast it is. I believe that post-Brexit and post-Trump, when the general public realises how dangerous these ideologies are, there will be a change in the way politics is managed, how it's run.

What this entails I'm not sure yet. It may be a change in the voting system or a general lack of support for populist movements. Probably neither of these, but we ordinary folk, instead of just hoping, can get out there and try and make these aspirations a reality. Speak out about the inaccuracies and dangers of these movements. Let people know that under First-Past-The-Post, their vote is wasted. Do something, not nothing. I know I'm going to after too long of sitting on my bum hoping that change will come about. Well, change is sadly not something you hope for, it's something you do.

Of course, what I say about such issues doesn't matter to the extremes of both sides as no matter who you are, if you're not with them, you're against them. A real nasty attitude to have. My generation was supposed to be the generation of peace, of development, moving on from the horrors and tensions of the previous century into a bold new 21st century with bright ideas and respect from fellow men. No, instead, we are more bitterly divided than ever on issues that were entirely avoidable and were created because a few selfish people got involved and believed that this country should go back to the way they remember it the 'good old days,' only for them to realise that those good old days never existed. I'm sorry to bring it back to comics again for my non-comic book audience, but the analogy fits nicely. There are only so many superhero stories you can tell by going back to a time when people were all the same and had similar character development and growth. All that's happening now is that we are heading down the wrong story path. A story crafted by fraudsters and deniers and one which I hope eventually the British people will see through.

*Hmm, weird analogy, but I guess it works in the face of Brexit and Trump (ed).