In Poland, liberalism is not very popular. Liberalism is a project that is best descibed as distanced. Every attempt to bring it closer to the people is therefore as challenging as trying to get closer to the sun. Is it therefore possibe to present liberal ideas in such a way so that Poles might stop fearing it?
I am surprised that “mostly young people and families” and other people who do not support racism, xenophobia, hatred towards “the other”, nor aggressive radical nationalism, still march with people who support these ideas. They can always celebrate the Independence Day in a different way.
Poland cannot allow to have its law go downhill nor to have sect-like religious behaviors promoted. The former puts paid to the accomplishments of the Polish Round Table Talks of 1989. The latter, on the other hand, disgraces the sheer idea of religion.
The narrative of the whole debate is not about freedom, but about the right to travel. Probably not all people should have the right to live wherever they want, but everyone should have the freedom to try it. And, after all, data show that immigrants are beneficial to the economy.
In 2017, the looming threat of communism has not vanished completely. According to a poll conducted by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, 44% of American youth would prefer living under socialism, 7% under communism, and only 42% chose capitalism.
The magic of the Harry Potter franchise lies not in all the wand waving, but rather in the strong willingness of the protagonists to fight for liberty. Be it as small as opposing nonsensical school rules, or as grandiose as combatting the authoritarian Ministry of Magic, the main characters are there to step up for their freedoms.
The German Constitution guarantees freedom for private schools – comparable to Article 14 (3) of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Especially for private schools, however, there is an important rule to be observed – the ban on segregation (the so called “Sonderungsverbot”).
We need to have in mind that democracy is not a given; it is susceptible and fragile. Many societies of the European countries (and the US too) confirm the thesis that democracy is in crisis and the elite are desperately looking for the cure. How to stop populism and the threat of authoritarianism in Europe (and elsewhere)?
Imagine a world in which everything has to be approved by the parliament, and only then that thing might actually happen. In such a world, there would be no innovations. In a different kind of world, things change first and the laws follow. Recently, the news that the General Advocate has advised the Court of Justice of the EU to recognize Uber as a standard taxi service appeared online. First, we should probably admit that the attorney was doing his job conscientiously. He…
Few ideologies have changed the contemporary world to such an extent like liberalism did. Liberal demands for the rule of law, democracy, and market economy have been introduced to some extent in all highly developed countries. This, however, does not mean that liberalism, as political philosophy, became redundant in public life.
