This has been a liberal weak for Europe and particularly Britain and Canada. It is only Tuesday but I feel a lot of things are going right. The mood of British thinkers was expressed over the weekend by Simon Sharma who condemned the Trump policy of taking away liberalism (and money) from American universities. We hope they get the money back and the freedom of thought but till they do we expect to see a lot of interest in grad and post graduate courses here in the UK.
British Universities are doing precisely the opposite that American Universities can do. I have written today about the LGBT movement powered by leading universities. It show what a long way we have come and a long way American Universities are being asked to return. Liberalism creates the creativity that has made America brilliant and Trump would shut it down, let it come to us!
Today we learn that Canada is not losing its Liberal parliament and a man who we welcomed into the UK as our Bank of England is now returned as Prime Minister (most unexpectedly). If you want to read my view of Mark Carney, read this blog from 2021, he kept us going through Covid. It’s called – if you want to follow one person in 2021 make it Mark Caney
What has happened in Canada is that its more powerful next door neighbour- USA – has determined to make Canada the 51st state, as they’ve determined to make the world’s biggest island (Greenland) – theirs . They want the gulf of Mexico to be renamed after them.
This may go down well mid-west but it does not go down well in Mexico, Greenland and most importantly Canada. It is important for the World that we have a liberal counterpart to the America that has emerged, not be accident, but by a second election win – a very illiberal nation.
I kind of like finding myself at a bar next to someone who turns out to be one of Trump’s friends, it is easy to recognise how he finds ways to help people who have been left behind by not so popular politicians.
But is Nigel Farage doing any good standing behind Trump, I think that even he sees that populism leads down a difficult road and that Britain is more liberal than that.
As for Liberalism as a political force, I grew up one and still call myself liberal. But there is no capital L to my liberalism. I was impressed by the liberalism of Theresa May though it was beaten out of Westminster by Boris Johnson (and his support for Trumpism). I was and am impressed by the current Government though they are learning the hard way after being out of power for 14 years.
But the rejection of the Canadian public of “51st state” policies and the support of a clearly liberal and Liberal Carney tells me that we could and should be strong in our views of what is decent. Offshore humanitarian policy (all over the world) , economic policy, policy in improving cultural standard and tolerance (LGBT at Cambridge) are examples of a success amongst those who want to organise themselves against Trumpism.
“Liberalism is the most successful idea of the last 400 years”
But its best years are behind it, at least according to some critics, such as Patrick Deenen (“Why Liberalism Failed) and Craig Smith (“Reforming Scotland: The Scottish Liberal Tradition”).
When at the Bank of England, Carney intervened in the Scottish independence debate in 2014, as we’d come to expect from
London-centric institutions like the Bank and the BBC and others.
Carney later moderated his view, insisting it would be economically possible for an independent Scotland to enter into currency unions, but stressed that it would be for others to decide if it was politically desirable.
A personal view, but he always seemed to me when over here to be very good at stating the very obvious.
From the states, an echo of past brushes with populism. https://thesciencesurvey.com/editorial/2025/03/11/echoes-of-andrew-jackson-donald-trump-and-the-legacy-of-populism/
Not the first time, and not likely to be the last either. But, as occurred with Jackson, and as they say, this too shall pass.
However, the article misses the point when it discusses the TCJA (the 2017 Trump income tax cut). The author states: “… Trump promised (and did) cut taxes for Americans across the board. While this is true, because A: the majority of the burden of paying taxes falls under working class Americans and B: the tax cut itself cut taxes more for wealthier Americans, the overwhelming benefits disproportionately help wealthier Americans.” First, wealth ≠ income. The Trump tax cuts he speaks of are income taxes (not all taxes). In the states, a significant portion of the general revenues (mostly sourced from income taxes) are used to fund entitlements like Medicare Part B and D (health coverage for the disabled and elderly), as well as Medicaid (health coverage for low income households, the elderly, and those needing long term care support services, etc.) Further, the author failed to note that ~45% of American households do not pay any income taxes – fairly consistent result since the George W. Bush changes early in the 21st Century. So, yes, those who paid the most income taxes, those who paid the highest percentage of their income in income taxes, did get the most relief in terms of nominal dollars. Why would that surprise anyone?
Immigrant settlements from Europe started in America about 400 years ago – the same time frame you mentioned. Since then, other than the migration of people from around the world into America, how many countries has the United States invaded? Yes we twice had wars with Britain, once with Canada, once with Mexico, once with Spain, but mostly, the territory of what is now America came to be via settlements, treaties and purchases – the Louisiana Purchase, Seward’s folly – Alaska purchase from Russia, Florida purchased from Spain, Oregon via treaty with Great Britain, Gadsden Purchase from Mexico, Panama Canal Zone, by Treaty, Eastern Samoa by treaty with Great Britain, Puerto Rico and Guam, by treaty with Spain, etc.)
And, absolutely no territorial acquisitions of any kind, by settlement, purchase or treaty, since 1947 – 78 years.
For comparison, during that same 400 year period, consider:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brits-have-invaded-nine-out-of-ten-countries-109283469/
So, no surprise how people react around the world when the discussion focuses on 51st state, Greenland, Gulf of Mexico. Suggests quite a change in character … supposedly all occurring in less than 100 days…
But, based on a 2022 poll of Americans at the time of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (over half of all Democrats) are UNWILLING TO DEFEND AMERICA should it be invaded … let alone any interest among Americans for any sort of an invasion of Canada, Greenland, etc. https://poll.qu.edu/images/polling/us/us03072022_ujca44.pdf
Canada has been a good neighbor, Mexico, not so much – given the illegal immigrant “invasion” through the southern border. That intentional failure by the Biden Administration to open the southern border is the #1 reason why Trump got re-elected.
Unfortunately, if Canadian’s #1 reason for voting is a myopic “not Trump” short term decision, they may end up like America’s Democrats … where Senator Sanders and Representative Ocasio Cortez seem to be in ascendancy.
Finally, before 2025, there was no mention of a 51st state, Greenland, or the Gulf of Mexico. My bet is that those won’t be topics after 2025, either.
Good points, BJ, but you seem to have just a few blindspots, eg Vietnam 1945-75.