Recent studies in both Britain and Sweden have shown that over 20% of ‘young adults’ (18-40) would ‘prefer a dictatorship to democracy’. (For Britain, see https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jan/12/one-in-five-britons-aged-18-45-prefer-unelected-leaders-to-democracy-poll-finds; for Sweden, https://www.icenews.is/2011/06/15/young-swedes-pick-dictatorship-over-democracy/.)

Today’s US Presidential inauguration, however, seems to suggest that you can have both at the same time. Trump, who was democratically elected, has said that he wants to be a dictator, albeit only ‘on day one’. His long list of over 200 ‘executive actions’, to be announced this afternoon, may reveal what he meant by this. Part of his appeal clearly lies in people’s perception of him as a ‘strong leader’, which is halfway to dictatorship. That’s ‘populism’ for you. And a majority of Americans, as well as those 20+% of young British and Swedish adults, clearly prefer this to the indecisive, short-termist, divisive and messy results that democratic systems usually turn up. Vote for the Führer you prefer. (Or, in the USA, the capitalist.) That’s squared the circle; if, that is, your idea of ‘democracy’ is that very simple one.

I’m not sure whether SvT will be covering the US Presidential inauguration, but if not I’ll be following it on my laptop, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2L-knUrFi8. Bring out the Coors.