How to Be a Liberal: The Story of Freedom and the Fight for its Survival

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But we defend minorities against majority tyranny and ordinary activists against vanguard arrogance. In a soaring narrative that stretches from the English Civil War to the 2008 financial crash and the rise of populism, Ian Dunt tells the epic story of the development of liberal thought. Drawing on his years of experience as a journalist and political commentator, Dunt argues that liberalism is not just a set of abstract principles, but a practical guide to living a good and meaningful life.

A multinational, multiracial, multi-religious country like the United States is to a much greater degree defined by its politics. As can be clearly seen form the image, the subtitle is absent from the front cover (in fact I'm not sure it was in the pages inside either). For example, a recent book by Michael Sandel (2020) gives a much more insightful explanation of Western anger and our current lack of faith in political institutions. Identity politics usually follows from a narrow focus on group interest, but it is aided and abetted by an illiberal communitarianism.This powerful storytelling comes to life fully in Dunt’s coverage of our global immigration crisis and the human cost of nationalist policy. I was particularly moved by the description of Mill and Taylor’s famous “Harm Principle”, that the restriction of anybody’s freedom should come with careful consideration on how it effects the rest of society.

It appears liberalism was splintered in more recent decades and fear of being labelled woke has prevented some to think along the lines of their values rather than against the grain of the many (or at least the loudest on social media). But what makes How to Be a Liberal truly unique is Dunt's emphasis on the importance of humor and irony in the defense of liberalism. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch videos of political analysis and access an archive of past events and recordings.You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. From Viktor Orban in Hungary, to Brexit in Britain, to Donald Trump in America, nationalists have launched an all-out assault on liberal values.

Losing an election leaves you still possessed of all your civil rights—including the right of opposition, which carries with it the hope of victory next time. So far, I'll say this: for every person who fears for the state of our world, How to be a Liberal paints a straightforward picture of exactly how we got here, and what lessons we might learn from the light and dark moments across history. The world changes; new inequalities emerge in place of old ones; we never stop arguing among ourselves; socialist politics is steady work.I think that despotism can be enlightened, as some eighteenth-century despots claimed to be, but not liberal. Where he does engage with the dilemmas a liberal may face his analysis is often so shallow it would struggle to wet a mouse.