How To Be A Liberal The Story of Freedom and the Fight for its Survival

How to be a Liberal is a non-exhaustive (by Dunt's own admission) but thorough exploration of liberalism's journey from early thinkers such as Rene Descartes and Benjamin Constant all the way through to 21st century liberalism and the urgent crisis it now faces in its battle with nationalism and populism. The beauty of this book not only stems from the intrinsic beauty of the ideals of liberalism, but from Dunt's presentation of the logical progression of the history of ideas in a way that makes this book accessible to anyone who wishes to apply liberal principles to the rather mad world in which we currently live...

As one moves through the book, Dunt's political philosophy becomes increasingly clear. His ability to write on issues of the day was clear before this book, but when this is combined with the intellectual force of the previous chapters, the final chapters become a devastating polemic of the current success of nationalism across Europe and America. Targets of this polemic include Viktor Orban, Boris Johnson and the pushers of identity politics. His criticism of both nationalists and those who play the game of identity politics is fundamentally the same – they reject the importance of the individual and instead rely on homogenous and rigid assumptions about the nature of particular groups (in spite of the good intentions of those on the left). These assumptions fail to consider the complexity of human relationships and thus, according to Dunt, ultimately fail. There is also pointed, and perhaps surprising given Dunt's political history, criticism of the EU. One gets the sense that this criticism stems from Dunt's disappointment at the EU in failing to stand up to nationalism (Libyan refugee crisis and Hungary) and the institutionally liberal principles upon which it was created (Eurozone Crisis).

This book is an urgent restatement of principles that have been missing from political discourse in the UK, Europe and the USA over the last few decades. At the heart of these principles is the importance of individual liberty and how all rights flow from this. Although the picture may not currently be overly bright, Dunt strikes a fundamentally optimistic tone about the strength of institutional politics (particularly in the UK) and the ability to push back against the dark wave of nationalism currently flooding through Europe. Essential reading.