Liberal democracies are in trouble, and they need our help

Across the globe, people are growing increasingly hostile toward liberal democracy.

At the same time, populists and autocratic leaders are on the rise everywhere — in the U.S. with Donald Trump, in Europe with a series of right-wing leaders and right here in Ontario, first with Rob Ford and now Doug Ford.

The latest victory for right-wing populists occurred April 8 when Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban won a decisive third consecutive mandate, which many see as yet another omen of tough times ahead for the future of democracy in that country, as well as other parts of Europe.

Orban ran on an anti-immigrant platform aimed primarily at Muslim immigrants, championing himself as a defender of Christian “values” and dismissing his critics and opponents as “elites” who were out to ruin traditional Hungary.

Indeed, liberal democracy as we have come to know is now in serious danger.

That stark reality is the basis of a new book, “The People vs. Democracy,” by Yascha Mounk, a Harvard University lecturer on government, that is receiving rave reviews in the U.S. and Europe.

Liberal democracy, as Mounk describes it, includes “a promise to the masses to let them call the shots; a promise to minorities to protect their rights from an oppressive majority; and a promise to economic elites that they will be allowed to keep their riches.”

But in recent years, the percentage of people who believe it is “essential” to live in a democracy is falling rapidly.

That’s especially true for young people. For example, among Canadians born in the 1980s, only 45 per cent of those surveyed consider democracy “essential.” Worse, 14 per cent say democracy is “bad” or “very bad.”

Mounk argues there are three main reasons for the drop in support for liberal democracy.

First, social media and the internet have allow the spread of fake news, extremist views and hate speech.

Second, many people aren’t seeing any improvement in their living standards, and their future job prospects look grim.

Third, mass immigration has caused increased anxiety among people who feel the ground is shifting under them both culturally and socially, thus opening the way for someone strong enough to restore the comforting past.

Doug Ford is a classic example of a populist feeding on that anxiety. The millionaire Ford portrays himself as the only politician who can represent “the little people,” seeing anyone who suggests otherwise as “the enemy” and blaming the media and “elites” even within his own Conservative party for what he sees as the ills that plague Ontario.

In his book, Mounk says citizens have “grown restless, angry, even disdainful. Voters have long disliked particular parties, politicians, or governments; now many of them have become fed up with liberal democracy itself.”

Despite this rising populism, Mounk believes our democracy is worth fighting for and offers some ways governments and citizens can join the fight.

For governments, it means ensuring middle- and lower-income families enjoy some of the fruits of economic growth, spending more money on education, making housing more affordable, actively promoting multiculturalism and forcing Facebook, Twitter and other social media to stop the spread of fake news and hate speech without going to outright censorship.

For citizens, it means having the courage to stand up to the right-wing populists, to urge mainstream parties to pursue ambitious economic programs that aim to provide better futures for everyone and to leave nationalism behind.

It will be a tough fight, but given recent trends in Europe, the U.S. and here in Ontario, it’s one we must start right now.