It’s interesting to see how both the USA’s and the UK’s ‘Conservative’ parties seem to be collapsing today. That’s because the word ‘conservative’, literally and historically, must mean ‘conserving’ things – or keeping them roughly as they are; and neither American Republicans nor Britain’s Tory party want this any more. Both have members or rival parties that have turned radical recently, and are desirous of substantial change in a ‘Rightist’ direction – usually a reactionary one, rather than strictly conservative. In America they’re represented by ‘MAGA’ loyalists; in Britain by Farage and his ‘Reform UK’ party, which is beginning to attract old Tories across to it by the shovel-load. In both cases this shift reflects a general dissatisfaction with traditional politics, often for understandable reasons; as well as indicating the resurgence of ancient prejudices, or comfortable ‘certainties’ that people can clutch on to in changing and confusing times.

But the ‘Left’ is confused as well. Whatever else this development is, it’s clearly a wide-ranging phenomenon – probably an international one: we’re seeing it here in Sweden too; and likely to pose a challenge for the more Leftish parties in both the US and the UK. In Britain Starmer’s Labour government has chosen to meet it by veering to the Right on issues like social expenditure and immigration. Regarding America itself, I’m not sure how the Democrats are reacting, but only because I’m less familiar with the situation over there. (Here’s one analysis, however: https://theconversation.com/the-top-democrats-leading-the-fight-against-trumps-agenda-254869.) In Sweden the ‘Liberal’ Party is currently flirting with the extreme-Right – indeed, ex-Nazi – ‘Sverigedemokraterna’; which makes one wonder what was ever ‘Liberal’ about it. (You couldn’t imagine Ed Davey getting into bed with Farage.) The main issue here, as in most countries, is immigration. If I hadn’t secured my Swedish citizenship when I did, shortly after Brexit, I probably wouldn’t be tolerated here today.

I don’t know the answer to this. I’d like a return to the more ‘consensual’ and ‘wokeish’ politics of my youth, but don’t know how it can be brought about. There’s plenty of protest in Britain and the US against the new Right-wing politics – ‘No Kings’, for example – but it’s all rather negative. What we require instead are strong positive messages to re-invigorate both the Centre and the Left; and maybe new leaders to express them. The latter don’t need to have ‘charisma’. Britain has had enough of that, with the charlatan Boris. And the admirable Mark Carney in Canada shows how you don’t need to be flamboyant to be convincing and effective. So: what we need is another Carney, with the popular following among the young that Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders had, and with popular ‘progressive’ policies to push back the proto-Fascist tide. Is there such a man – or woman – in Britain, America or Sweden?