How To Be A Liberal

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The fightback against populism begins with this work explaining liberal values 'Required reading for anyone interested in politics and philosophy' ¿ Prospect magazine How To Be A Liberal is a bracing, beautifully written history of liberalism ¿ and a practical defence of liberal democracy in an era of nationalism, culture wars, and post¿truth politics. Political journalist Ian Dunt (author of How Westminster Works and co¿presenter of the Origin Stories podcast) takes you from the scientific revolution to the present day, tracing how the idea of individual freedom became the most radical programme in modern politics. Along the way you'll meet rebels, philosophers, campaigners, and iconoclasts ¿ and see why liberalism still matters to anyone who cares about human rights, reason, and a plural society. Dunt begins where our current crisis starts: the rise of nationalism and its seductive simplifications ¿ attacks on institutions, diversity, and even the possibility of objective truth. He shows how liberalism answers those pressures: by insisting that people are individuals before they are tribes, by defending free enquiry and evidence, and by protecting the space each person needs to live, love, and think as they choose. Inside you'll find: A compelling narrative history of liberal thought¿from Descartes and the birth of modern reason, through revolutionary arguments about rights and consent, to the debates that shaped the modern world. A clear explanation of liberalism's core principles: individual liberty, equal rights, democratic restraint, and the institutions that keep power accountable. A modern guide to today's conflicts¿identity politics, anti¿truth, and the new nationalism¿and what a renewed, radical liberalism could look like. Whether you're a student of political philosophy, a reader of the history of ideas, or simply looking for a sharper way to understand liberalism and liberal democracy, How To Be A Liberal is an essential, hopeful book: a reminder that freedom is not a slogan, but a practice¿and that it begins with the individual. Reviews 'A tour de force; a mighty trumpet blast for the forces of liberalism and enlightenment in the face of a global tide of ignorance and populism.' ¿ The Secret Barrister 'This is a history of ideas as it should be written ¿ brilliant, vivid storytelling about the people who shaped liberalism, the challenges it has faced over the centuries, its commitment to the truth and why it's now more important than ever to defend it.' ¿ Caroline Lucas MP 'How To Be A Liberal is required reading for today's political debates.' ¿ Anne Applebaum, Twilight of Democracy 'I'm loving How to be a Liberal. It's really great. I mean breathtakingly good. Bravo.' ¿ Dr Ben Goldacre About the Author Ian Dunt is a journalist, newspaper columnist and co-presents the Origin Story podcast.  His first book, Brexit: What the Hell Happens Now? (Canbury Press, 2017), about Britain's challenge in leaving the European Union, was a bestseller. In How To Be A Liberal (Canbury, 2020), he tells the epic story of personal freedom, with panache and a panoramic sweep. Buy the book and start reading

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About the Author Ian Dunt is a columnist with the I newspaper and presents the Origin Story and Oh God, What Now? podcasts. His first book, Brexit: What the Hell Happens Now? (Canbury Press, 2017), on Britain's challenge in leaving the European Union, was a critically-acclaimed bestseller. In How To Be A Liberal (Canbury, 2020), the journalist tells the epic story of personal freedom. Ranging across history, politics and economics, it makes a powerful case for a radical, egalitarian liberalism that can safeguard individuals while looking after us all. His third book, not yet released, is How Westminster Words (And Why It Doesn't) Dunt looks at the rise of nationalism around the world, and outlines the threat it poses to the freedom of the individual. This is how he explains the nationalist blueprint of Viktor Orbán's Hungary: Extract The New Nationalism Liberalism had been weakened by the financial crash, the rise of identity war and anti-truth. Then, in 2016, nationalism punched through its defences with breakthroughs in Britain and America. For many people, this was the start of the nationalist takeover. But in fact its momentum had been building for years. Hungary's leader, Viktor Orbán, had blazed the trail. He demonstrated how a nationalist agenda could create a narrative of division, amass vast executive power, and subvert and manipulate democracy. Orbán's ascent had begun a decade earlier with an audio recording that changed the direction of Hungarian politics. In 2006, comments from the Socialist prime minister, Ferenc Gyurcsány, to party members were secretly taped and released to the public. 'We have fucked it up,' Gyurcsány could be heard saying. 'Not a little but a lot. We have obviously lied throughout the past one and a half to two years. It was perfectly clear that what we were saying was not true. We did not do anything for four years. Nothing. I had to pretend for one and a half years that we were governing. Instead, we lied in the morning, at noon and at night.' It is hard to think of any political communication, in any country, in living memory that had a more devastating impact on an incumbent leader. Gyurcsány had shredded his reputation and that of the Socialist party. Riots erupted in the street, but he struggled on in power for several more years. Then the financial crisis hit. The collapse of the banking system battered eastern Europe. Before the crisis, around $50 billion of investment flowed into the region every quarter. In the last quarter of 2008, that had reversed into an outflow of $100 billion. Domestic currencies plunged and the cost of servicing international loans spiralled. In a matter of weeks, many Hungarian families saw their mortgage or car loan bills surge by 20 per cent. Hungary was forced to seek an emergency package from the IMF and EU. The terms were actually relatively generous, but public opinion inside the country viewed it as a humiliation. Nationalists branded the requirements attached to the loan an act of neocolonialism. They compared it to the Treaty of Trianon after the First World War, when Hungary was stripped of two-thirds of its territory. Orbán, the leader of the far-right Fidesz party, took the spoils. He swept into power in 2010 with two-thirds of the parliamentary seats ¿ a super-majority that allowed him to do almost anything he wanted. And what he wanted was to destroy liberalism in Hungary. Buy the book and start listening

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