The term liberalism has different permutations that render it complex.
When viewed in the European context, liberalism is viewed by many as the
driving force for the EU; it is seen as the antidote to nationalism & authoritarianism,
a panacea of sorts. A British paper, the
FT, recently wrote about an arc of illiberal politics gaining ground through Poland,
Hungary & to a lesser extent Slovakia & Austria. So much so, Hungary's prime minister, Viktor
Orban stated in a speech in 2014 that he is an advocate of "illiberal
democracy" as a response to Merkel’s comments that Hungary should pursue ‘liberal
democracy”.
“The insistence by Orbán that he is Hungarian first, and Christian, deeply offended the internationalist and devoutly secular leadership of the EU. This was deviation from the founding principles, which were less about liberal democracy and more about a certain ideology within it.”
I’ve seen
time after time, the peculiar use of illiberal as a word in discourse &
policy papers. It is often linked to “illiberal surveillance state, policy”, “identity
politics”, “regressive mindset”, or “illiberal governance”. Additionally the proponents
of ‘liberalism’ are quite vocal about seeking a raft of sanctions or outright
bans on challenges to their worldviews.
Russia
is regularly labelled as an “illiberal state”, because it contradicts the EU
ideological stance. Illiberal democracy as a concept is seen as a serious
challenge to the “European order”. The
amount time & energy that is spent by politicians & behind-the-scenes policy-makers
alike, trying to police those states that dare to show an “illiberal streak” is
mind-boggling & ultimately counter-productive.
There is a complete
inability on the part of EU elites & the MSM to deal with opposing
viewpoints with reasoned arguments. The
EU is supposed to be about having a robust policy on human rights & freedom
of expression but instead it is slipping further into a near totalitarian dogma
as evidenced by the fact that top-level decision makers are totally
unaccountable & ignore the grassroots concerns of Europeans. Moreover, even elected leaders act in a pushy
manner, antagonizing Europeans in the process. One example where Mrs. Merkel
has pertinently demonstrated this is by imposing her views to the Eastern
European states on how to implement migrant policies.
Increasingly,
EU policy-making decisions don't stand up very well to scrutiny and criticism,
as can be seen with the raft of sanctions against Russia, which has effectively
crippled large swaths of the European agricultural sector. Another example is the chaotic &
whimsical relationship between Turkey & the EU, overlooking the dramatic deteriorating
of human rights in the region. The EU by its own nature is elitist,
undemocratic & intolerant & has been steamrolling its ‘liberal values’ for
several decades now.
Many Central
& Eastern European states joined the EU with the anticipation of improved
prospects & high expectations for their citizens economically &
socially. An overlooked, issue is that most people in these countries are
still quite poorer than their Western counterparts despite all of the EU achievements
to uphold “liberal values”. However, in
recent years some countries, it could said that the people have a jaundiced view
regarding these EU values that have proved to be hollow, as well as a feeling
of having been deceived. So something
had to give. The electorate voted in
significant numbers for alternative political leaders, the MSM subsequently pulls
out of its hat the ‘illiberal’ card. The
MSM acts as a gatekeeper, by serving the interests of the elite, thus widening
the gap between the European people & EU institutions. It also steadfastly applies the EU core ideology,
based on “liberal values”, as one voice; they can easily intimidate & denounce
opponents as ‘illiberal’ that try to move away from dogmatic EU policies set in
stone.
Sidebar on freedom of speech in the EU: 1 Could Erdogan charge you for 'insult' in your country? http://goo.gl/t1EQmH
The EU 'liberals'
who are:
- cheering on the uncontrolled migrant waves into Europe; (without any consideration for upholding existing border controls & laws);
- lending their support to so-called 'moderate rebels' in Syria, hell-bent on massacring their opponents;
- shutting down freedom of expression & dissenting views, (mostly due to islamphobia concerns + due toTurkey's demands). No more placards with Je Suis Charlie).
- backing of openly neo-nazi & fascists groups in Ukraine and turning a blind eye to
extrajudicial punishments & killings.
But keep playing the broken record of "iliberal democracies"!
Sidebar on freedom of speech in the EU: 1 Could Erdogan charge you for 'insult' in your country? http://goo.gl/t1EQmH
