Guest post by Ted Malloch
Yesterday in Westminster, London a sizeable group of leading lights gathered to discuss the Future of Europe.
The opening keynote was on “The Virtue of Nationalism” by Professor Yoram Hazony, president of the Herzl Institute in Israel, that outlined how “today’s internationalists seek to break the bonds of mutual loyalty and erase the cultural inheritances that are the bedrock of individual and collective identity.”
He said, “ In the process, they have stoked revolt across the world. It is the nationalist tradition,” he argued, “that we must revive if we want to limit conflict and hate – and allow human difference to flourish.”
Followed by a panel discussion moderated by John O’Sullivan, from the Danube Institute, comments were made by John Fonte, of The Hudson
Institute and Melvin Schut of the Common Sense Society.
The discussion centered on Hazony’s primary theme that western democracies are embroiled in a fierce debate, namely: Should we fight for international government? Or should every nation retain its independence and self-determination?
The thrust of the rest of the program revolved around how the tide is turning against nationalism and in some cases toward nationalism.
With globalists arguing that it is a cause of racism and hatred, nationalism has become a dirty word. Their answer is typically global governance.
What is missed the conference presenters suggested, is that we are all inevitably shaped by the bonds tying us to our families, communities and particularly nations.
After a spellbinding rendition by the leading conservative philosopher, Roger Scruton, a second panel included political leaders, including, Anna Marie Anders, a Polish senator, Philip Blond, of ResPublica, Nile Gardiner of Heritage Foundation, Marion Smith of Victims of Communism, Balazs Orban, Prime Minister’s office of Hungary, Daniel Kawczynski, UK member of Parliament, and Daniel Hannan, a MEP for Britain in the European Parliament.
The discussion was robust about the EU, Brexit and the critical upcoming May elections, where populism is surging.
If there was a single conclusion, it would be that, Conservatives have to embrace the new nationalism and critique the globalism that progressives have foisted on world order.
