The English arouse the admiration of many: from its history, its culture, its way of conducting itself, its political system, its literature, its cinema… However, lately the island has given off a rotten aromajust like the Denmark of Hamlet.
In fact, if you review the last few years, in the United Kingdom the most that have occurred are nonsense. One behind the other. Whether its idiosyncrasy is known or not, and whether its historical successes are recognized or not, that such a prestigious nation is immersed in a rosary of calamities It should not only lead to lamentation, but also to wonder if all those who, in the face of the latest political movements, announce that the world is changing are not right.
No need to sign up pessimistic philosophy of history and knowing that the fact that the world is changing is obvious — when hasn’t it changed? what is history if not that change or disturbance of things?–, it is worth paying attention to the voices that have delved into the British crisis to see if similar wounds are beginning to open up in other latitudes as well.
It seems unbelievable that the feud of liberal thought, of constitutionalism, in the best and most egregious sense of the word, has become a trompe l’oeil of politics, a parody of civility
The facts are known. At this point, it is not necessary to write a complete chronicle. The ordeal launched at the time by the conservative government of Cameron It was, in the opinion of many analysts, the beginning of the end. Then the referendum on the Brexit in a campaign in which post-truth emotivism made its appearance. Surely, when the result was known, the faith of many in what could be expected from an ancient empire characterized -almost always- by its pragmatism and common sense began to shake.
Johnson It has been a disaster, but neither its successors nor other parties have done better. It seems unbelievable that the fiefdom of liberal thought, of constitutionalism, in the best and most egregious sense of the word, has become a trompe l’oeil of politicsin a parody of civility.
But let’s move from the level of anecdotes -of facts- to that of causes and consequences. In this regard, the analyzes of Mathew Godwin. He coined the term “national populism” some time ago to refer to the irruption in London of a new affirmation, much more exclusive and exaggerated, of the English. Although controversial, in his latest book, titled Values, Voice and Virtueexplores the reasons for the decline suffered by English society and politics.
don’t think that Godwin It refers to issues or issues specific to the island. No: the disintegration of society it is not born from the abandonment of autochthonous customs, such as drinking tea or the death of an immortal queen. Godwin he believes that the problem is the configuration of a new elite that lives in a space and time different from that of ordinary citizens, that is, the people.
And he is right. The only thing he is wrong about is thinking that this is a exclusively English symptom. It is happening in many Western countries and it is also one of the reasons why Europe is abandoning its position in the geopolitical vanguard. It actually happens that the political good is not defined by the interest of the population, by its values or its problems, but, on the contrary, by the interests, values and problems of this new Martian elite.
Today the political good is not defined by the interest of the population, by its values or its problems, but by the interests, values and problems of this new Martian elite.
Let’s think about the situation of the middle class or the middle and lower class. When there are difficulties to make ends meet, there is no access to subsidies, the jewel in the crown – the public health systemthe well-known NHS – loses quality and ages or, for example, it feels that there are imperfections in the infrastructure, you are likely to wonder why the hell are professional politicians arguing about sexual identities unsuspected or dismiss a teacher who ignores the opinions woke.
Put more clearly: today politicians are not representative. And they are not in the most direct and plain sense of the term: they do not share the concerns of ordinary mortals. That leads society necessarily to the precipice because both the political agenda as the decisions They are not aligned with the needs of the population. The risk that is run is not only that of foolishness, such as discussing veganism or promoting the gender transition of minors, while the quality of the educational system plummets or unemployment increases, but also that citizens give back to politicians and seek salvation in other hands, something that is more disturbing.
On the other hand, public opinion also aligns with that class, so that the hottest issues to one sometimes seem frivolous and even hurtful. Whether or not you agree with Godwin, the truth is that its diagnosis is interesting to venture the paths of the crisis we are going through and seek solutions to it. With a little thought about what happens to ordinary mortals, one would feel that voting could be useful for something.
