This Friday, I have the pleasure of being in conversation on our Radix Big Tent webinar with broadcaster, publisher and author, Iain Dale. Iain is somewhat of a polymath, which makes me very jealous. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to discussing with him his new book, The Dictators.
His timing is immaculate coinciding with President Trump’s decision to describe President Zelenskyy as a dictator, making news worldwide. I believe it was meant as an insult, although with mounting evidence that Gen Z may favour ‘strong men’ (sic) over ‘democrats’ one can never be sure.
Certainly, there are a fair scattering of what might be described as “benign dictators” in Iain’s book. Chapter author, Connor Hand makes a decent case for Josip Tito, who held together a disparate and divided Yugoslavia throughout the cold war, while – according to Jack Brown – Singapore’s post-colonial leader, Lee Kuan Yew is also a decent candidate.
There are others who arguably set out with good intentions or at least high ideals, but who invariably turn to violence and repression when things start to go wrong.
And that, of course is the point: authoritarian leaders come to believe their country’s survival and prosperity is synonymous with their own, often quite literally. Anything is justified in defence of ‘Il Duce’, as to save the leader is to save the country they lead.
The case that democracy remains the gold standard for political leadership is reinforced by the need that many of the autocrats in Iain’s book seem to feel to hide behind the legitimacy of rigged elections, rather than dispense with them altogether. There are, however, few examples of dictators allowing elections the outcomes of which are not predetermined. (The occasional exceptions – such as the plebiscite that brought down Chile’s Augusto Pinochet – are the result of outside pressures rather than a commitment to the ballot box.)
It seems, however, a legitimate question to ask whether dictators will continue to feel this need to cloak themselves in democratic respectability. The new leader of the ‘free world’ seems indifferent – at best – to the mandate of his chosen partners. Indeed, there are those that suspect him of being envious of their status, even craving it for himself.
One of the most interesting findings of last month’s Edelman Trust Barometer was the revelation that the public expressed greatest trust in their governments in three autocracies – Saudi Arabia, China and UAE – and least in three democracies – Germany, Spain and Japan.
While of course it is right to be sceptical as to the reliability of such surveys (how honestly can we really poll Chinese public opinion?), it does give pause for thought. If governments are delivering economic prosperity, then the public seems less concerned as to the say they have in choosing them. In contrast, the option to change governments – Edelman tells us – is little comfort to populations that believe your prosperity can only come at my expense: a zero-growth economy is a zero-sum game. Little wonder then that many feel democracy is under threat.
Last week, I was delighted to join a gathering of senior representatives from large membership and democracy organisations at Windsor Castle. The focus of the conference was on how to make the UK democracy more resilient. We came away with an action plan and a commitment to work together to deliver it. Radix Big Tent has adopted a key convening role and looks forward to driving this work.
Over the weekend, I was discussing the event with my seventeen year-old son. He was tickled by the irony of discussing the defence of democracy at the home of a hereditary monarch. I made, I felt, a valiant defence of the importance that long-established institutions – democratic or not – could play in underpinning our values. I made the case that a constitutional monarchy provided stability and that alternative models could lead to Heads of State with more activist agendas and competing democratic mandates.
I am not sure I convinced either him or myself, but the conversation left me clear that the institutional certainties – local, national and international – that have governed our world since the end of the second world war are up for grabs.
If we want democracy to persist, it will require not stoicism in the face of growing hostility, but campaigning activism. The history lessons as to what happens when we rest of our laurels are there in Iain’s book for all to read…
Join Ben Rich and Iain Dale in conversation about The Dictators on Friday 28th February at 1pm. Register here.
