The Left Lack Civility
It may not presage the end of civilisation; but following the 2016 presidential election of Donald Trump, the political scene in the United States - which has a deep impact on democracies around the world - is descending into a kind of shrieking rancour which bears little resemblance to parliamentary debate.For a democracy to be healthy there needs to be not only a governing party, but also what in Britain (where parliaments originated) is termed "Her Majesty's loyal Opposition". That means that not only are the interests of the majority of citizens who voted for the party that won the election represented in the Parliament, but also that the interests of the minority who voted for other parties are not overlooked but given attention in civilised debate in Parliament.
In today's U.S. many of those who didn't vote for Trump still cannot accept that he is now their President. His election is regarded as invalid because of alleged Russian manipulation; but his opponents are not satisfied with an on-going inquiry headed by former FBI Director Robert Mueller. In their less lucid moments some even support the idea that Trump should be beheaded! Nor do Trump's opponents even have the excuse that they are motivated by love or loyalty towards America. They are deeply critical of their own country because there are so many conservatives - what Hillary Clinton referred to as "the basket of deplorables".
For those who belong to the cultural Left - that is, most of Hollywood - reaching across the aisle, even to say "God bless America", is regarded as heresy and the punishment is immediate and unrelenting. The liberal Stephen King, author of over 50 bestselling novels including The Shining and Carrie, many of which have been made into films, was demonised for suggesting that conservatives and liberals try to be cordial for at least one day on the Fourth of July.
Actor Mark Duplass faced a severe backlash from other celebrities and his fans for suggesting that his fellow liberals should read what young conservative commentator Ben Shapiro says and writes, so they can better understand "the other side". Shortly after saying that Shapiro was an intelligent conservative with good intentions, Duplass apologised for saying something nice about someone who is allegedly racist, xenophobic, homophobic, etc - the same accusations which are hurled at every conservative in America and elsewhere. He quickly deleted his tweet and apologised for daring to challenge the orthodoxy of the liberal environment.
Trump's White House staffers are even denied service in some restaurants - from the same activists who screech "Discrimination!" when some hapless baker declines to bake a cake for a homosexual wedding.
All this venom could be tolerated, if not entirely forgiven, if the Left were a political opposition loyal to America; but they are not. Identity politics has overshadowed patriotism, and so we see burnings of the U.S. flag (protected under the guise of "free speech") or disrespect towards the national anthem with millionaire football-players refusing to stand while it is played.
The cultural Left seem even to be hostile to the idea of a United States of America with their opposition to President Trump's policy of stopping illegal immigration along the U.S. southern border with Mexico. Liberals would apparently be happy for all the inhabitants of South America to enter the U.S. via California, and are busy hosting "sanctuary cities" and enabling illegal immigrants to commit voting fraud in U.S. elections.
The situation is not much better in Australia. Whenever we have conservative speakers from overseas or organise a conservative conference, there is a howling mob of Left-wing protestors who are not interested in any kind of civilised debate but are intent on ensuring the speaker cannot be heard or on shutting down the conference.
Conservative organisations such as Endeavour Forum Inc. and the Australian Christian Lobby have had to move from one venue to another until they find one that is sufficiently secure. Now there is the outrageous suggestion from the government that conservative groups should be billed for the security provided by the police from the left-wing militants intent on violence. Instead, the funds for police protection should be extracted from the left-wing groups organising the violence and creating the obstructions.
In Britain the situation is arguably worse - the British
government simply denies visiting visas to conservative
speakers who might provoke the violence of left-wing activists,
although there seems to be little restriction on radical Islamists
who have provoked terrorist attacks in Britain.
What is at stake, as a consequence of the Left's lack of civility, is the precious value of free speech - and without free speech, human rights and democracy are in great peril.
Babette Francis is national and overseas coordinator of
Endeavour Forum, Inc., an NGO having special consultative
status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of
the United Nations. 