The Age of Authoritarian Liberalism
10th February 2024
Few would have contended, just some years ago, that it would come to this. Armed with Rawlsian gibberish, the liberal establishment has finally decided to do away with the masquerade. Liberalism’s own altarpieces of political liberty, freedom of the press, and the rule of law have finally been cast aside with liberating frankness.
The examples are, by now, too many and too egregious to describe in detail. It likely began in France, that nation of liberty so adept in the ugly art of persecution. Many were surprised when, in 2017, France’s leader of the opposition, Marine Le Pen, had her European parliamentary immunity rescinded on the shamelessly bogus charge of ‘publicizing ISIS.’ She had, instead, tweeted gruesome images of the Salafist group’s crimes precisely in order to denounce it. Having enjoyed this first taste of judicial abuse, the international establishment took note and readied itself for more. It was not long until what had once been taboo became the new norm. In the U.S., President Trump had to undergo the ignominy of having his Mar-a-Lago home searched by the FBI. Democrats have, more recently, been playing judicial games to bar him from the 2024 Republican ticket.