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November 2017 | Issue 5 www.theconservative.online THEA QUARTERLY JOURNAL CONSERVATIVE BY THE ALLIANCE OF CONSERVATIVES AND REFORMISTS IN EUROPE POPULISM HOW SHOULD CONSERVATIVES RESPOND? Roger Scruton Anne-Elisabeth Moutet Daniele Capezzone John O’Sullivan Alvino-Mario Fantini David Goodhart ISSN 2565-7062 9 772565 706000 IMPRESSUM TABLE OF CONTENTS THE CONSERVATIVE EDITORIAL BOARD The Conservative is a quarterly Journal in EDITOR-IN-CHIEF print and online, sponsored by the Alliance Daniel Hannan MEP of the Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE). ADVISORY BOARD Arthur Brooks Roger Kimball 18 ARGENTINA’S PERONIST 40 WELCOME TO MASS Read The Conservative online at NIGHTMARE IS OVER DIGITAL DEMOCRACY www.theconservative.online Professor Ryszard Legutko MEP by Federico N. Fernández by Douglas Carswell Rich Lowry Professor Madhav Das Nalapat Dr Andrew Roberts Professor Pedro Schwartz Professor Sir Roger Scruton MANAGING EDITOR Themistoklis Asthenidis ILLUSTRATOR Michael Daley HOW TO CONTACT US ADDRESS: Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE) 24 TRUMP: NEITHER CONSERVATIVE Rue du Trône 4, B-1000 NOR REPUBLICAN 36 IN THE SHADOW OF BONAPARTE Brussels, Belgium by Dominic Green by Anne-Elisabeth Moutet TEL: +32 2 280 60 39 WEB: www.theconservative.online EMAIL: [email protected] 5 EDITORIAL: POPULISM: HOW 24 TRUMP: NEITHER CONSERVATIVE SHOULD CONSERVATIVES RESPOND? NOR REPUBLICAN by Daniel Hannan by Dominic Green INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS 6 POLITICS NEEDS A 29 COLUMN: CONSERVATIVE ICONS FIRST-PERSON PLURAL by Roger Kimball by Roger Scruton REPRODUCTION RIGHTS: All content and materials Please address submissions and of The Conservative are copyrighted, unless otherwise letters to the editor to: 36 IN THE SHADOW OF BONAPARTE stated. For permission to republish articles appearing in 10 THE MYTH OF ‘THE PEOPLE’ by Anne-Elisabeth Moutet The Conservative, please contact the Managing Editor at [email protected]. AGAINST ‘THE ELITES’ ADDRESS: by John Laughland 40 WELCOME TO MASS DIGITAL DISCLAIMER: ACRE is a Belgian ASBL/VZW No: Editor–in-Chief, The Conservative DEMOCRACY 0820.208.739, recognised and partially funded by the European Parliament. Its views are not reflected by the Alliance of Conservatives and 15 COLUMN: CONSERVATIVE MUSIC by Douglas Carswell European Parliament. Reformists in Europe (ACRE) by Jay Nordlinger The views and opinions expressed in the publication are 45 COLUMN: CONSERVATIVE WINE solely those of individual authors and should not be regard- Rue du Trône 4, B-1000 18 ARGENTINA’S PERONIST by Iain Martin ed as reflecting any official opinion or position of the Alliance Brussels, Belgium of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe, its leadership, NIGHTMARE IS OVER members or staff, or of the European Parliament. EMAIL: [email protected] by Federico N. Fernández 2 www.theconservative.online THE CONSERVATIVE | November 2017 | Issue 5 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS EDITORIAL: POPULISM: HOW SHOULD CONSERVATIVES RESPOND? f “nationalist” is the harshest reaction depends on the truth of I word in Brussels, “populist” that analysis. When power is dif- runs it a close second. A Euro- fused, dispersed and democratised, crat will spit out the epithet like populism has a forced and ersatz a teenager who has mistakenly quality. But when power is concen- taken a swig from a beer can that trated, closed and conceited, popu- was being used as an ashtray. lism is a proper antibody. The word is rarely defined, but The conservative ideal, surely, that doesn’t stop it being bandied is a polity where populism doesn’t 51 WE COSMOPOLITANS BROUGHT THIS CRISIS ON OURSELFS 80 WHAT WOULD EDMUND DO? about a great deal. Calling a refer- have to arise, because the people by David Goodhart by Danny Kruger endum is populist. Upholding the Daniel Hannan MEP who pass the laws are properly result of a referendum is populist. is Secretary-General of the accountable to those who obey Defending your national interest Alliance of Conservatives them. To put it another way, con- is populist. Demanding tax cuts and Reformists in Europe and servatives should want a society is populist. Exposing malfeasance Editor of The Conservative. based on liberty under the law, within the governing class is pop- @DanielJHannan and on a sense of affinity one with ulist. Sovereignty is populist. The another that makes people willing one thing it seems unequivocally Should we treat the populist surge to abide by majority decisions – to mean is, “something that other as a threat or an opportunity? Are what Professor Scruton calls the people like, but I don’t”. angry and anti-systemic parties our politics of the first-person plural. The populist label can thus be adversaries or our allies? Ben John- Roger Kimball reminds us of 60 ITALIANS ALWAYS VOTE FOR REVENGE by Daniele Capezzone slapped on politicians with widely son argues that “the populist move- one of Bill Buckley’s favourite aph- divergent opinions who happen ment has the potential to become orisms – his assertion that he would to challenge the status quo. It was the liberty movement”, and urges rather be governed by 2000 people applied simultaneously to Bernie conservatives to channel populism chosen at random from the Boston Sanders and to Donald Trump, to in sensible directions. Sir Roger telephone directory than by the fac- Syriza and to the AfD. Yet, as John Scruton, by contrast, believes that ulty of Harvard University. Buckley O’Sullivan points out in this jour- representative democracy is intrin- was right. Harvard academics, like nal, if we define populism by its sically anti-populist, and that the any elite, are prone to follow false traditional characteristics – eleva- parliamentarian, as an office-holder, ideas out of groupthink. We can all tion of the leader, disdain for par- cannot in conscience follow every think of policies that commanded liamentary procedure, vagueness local whim – a position which, as the support of the Establishment, 66 CONSERVATIVES SHOULD CHANNEL PEOPLE’S ANGER 72 WE NEED A CONSERVATIVE POPULISM about policy other than opposing Danny Kruger reminds us, was laid but were utterly wrong: national- by Ben Johnson by Alvino-Mario Fantini the “corrupt old parties”, preten- down by the grandfather of conser- isation, price controls, the ERM, sions of being beyond Left and vatism, Edmund Burke. the euro, the bank bailouts. By and Right – the most successful example So which is it? Is populism a large, voters turned out to be wiser 51 WE COSMOPOLITANS BROUGHT 72 WE NEED A CONSERVATIVE POPULISM today is Emmanuel Macron, whom necessary and legitimate reaction than their leaders. THIS CRISIS ON OURSELVES by Alvino-Mario Fantini Anne-Elisabeth Moutet describes in against Left-liberal oligarchy? Or The challenge of our time is to by David Goodhart these pages as heir to the long tra- is it a menace to conservatives who narrow the rift between the people 77 COLUMN: CONSERVATIVE BOOKS dition of autocratic French move- (one hopes) believe in restraint, and their elites, between the paese 60 ITALIANS ALWAYS VOTE FOR REVENGE by James Delingpole ments – Bonapartism, Boulangism, civility, tradition, decency and the reale and the paese legale, between by Daniele Capezzone Poujadism and, indeed, Gaullism. defence of high culture? what David Goodhart in this issue 80 WHAT WOULD EDMUND DO? Despite his almost comical sense The answer depends on cir- calls Somewheres and Anywheres. 63 COLUMN: FREE MARKET ADVANCES by Danny Kruger of Führerprinzip, however, the That task cannot be accomplished by Kristian Niemietz cumstance. The essence of popu- 84 A LEGITIME REACTION French President is not called “pop- lism is a belief that those in power by the Left: we have seen that 66 CONSERVATIVES SHOULD AGAINST LIBERAL OLIGARCHY ulist” because he happens to dislike are governing in their own factional demonstrated amply. Often, it is CHANNEL PEOPLE’S ANGER by John O’Sullivan national sovereignty and favour interest rather than in the interests flunked by the Right, too. Clos- by Ben Johnson European integration. of the people as a whole. To make ing that gap is arguably the single 89 COLUMN: CONSERVATIVE CULTURE Which raises a dilemma for what might seem a rather obvious most important challenge for con- by Damian Thompson pro-sovereignty conservatives. point, the validity of the populist servatives today. 4 www.theconservative.online THE CONSERVATIVE | November 2017 | Issue 5 5 We accept to be ruled by laws and decisions made by politicians with whom we disagree, and whom we perhaps deeply dislike. How is that possible? Why don’t democracies constantly collapse, as people refuse to be governed by those they never voted for? Why do the protests of disenchanted voters crying “not my president!” peter out, and why has there been after all no mass exodus of liberals to POLITICS NEEDS A Canada? FIRST-PERSON PLURAL by Roger Scruton avoid those responsibilities, whom we disagree, and The answer is that democ- to retreat behind the consen- whom we perhaps deeply racies are held together by sus, and to cease to be gen- dislike. How is that possi- something stronger than pol- opulists recruit their fol- failure to appreciate the vir- just as much as the interests uinely accountable for what ble? Why don’t democracies itics. There is a “first-person P lowing by direct appeal, tue and the necessity of rep- of those who did. The point one does. constantly collapse, as peo- plural”, a pre-political loy- are largely indifferent to their resentation. For represen- was made two centuries ago In modern conditions, ple refuse to be governed by alty, which causes neighbours opponents, and have no tative government to work, by Edmund Burke that rep- in which governments rarely those they never voted for? who voted in opposing ways intention, if elected, of allow- representatives must be free resentation, unlike delega- enjoy a majority vote, most Why do the protests of dis- to treat each other as fellow ing a voice to those who did to ignore those who elected tion, is an office, defined by its of us are living under a gov- enchanted voters crying “not citizens, for whom the gov- not vote for them.