Society has not “given up on policy” as Robin Harding suggests in his column (“Welcome to the winter of the wonk”, Opinion, February 28). Society has simply never been convinced only by policy. The “Third Way” only worked because its main figureheads — Bill Clinton and Tony Blair — were convinced of it. It acted as a sort of ideology — to them and to their voters. Today, the Third Way is fizzling out fast. It gives no meaning to politicians or to their voters. As a result, citizens have turned to populists or — more simply and even more dramatically — to disengagement.
As the article rightly puts it: “Decline of the wonk was partly due to their own failure.” The author unfortunately goes on to claim that the wonk has not been present in the past decade. This is simply untrue. Democracies have become increasingly technocratic. But technocracy misunderstands the general voter.
This is not to undermine the importance of experts and expertise in policymaking. We must however not forget that we are in a democracy. In a democracy, technocratic ideals will always end up failing when they take the cover of being democratic.
Indeed, the often-used cover in the last 40 years of “there is no alternative” has only worsened our democratic system because it is neither true nor does it give the people confidence in the system.
Instead of focusing on policy, liberal democracy — and those defending it — must argue for it, defend it and give people reason to believe in this system which has improved all our lives since the end of the second world war.
Maël Jones
MA Student, University of Bath,
Bath, Somerset, UK
