There were no Momentum mugs left. “Everything we had has gone ‘just like that’. Do keep checking the website, though”.
Whatever you think about the various political successes and failures of the past years, it is sobering for Conservatives to recognise that their party’s unrest could lead to Corbyn in charge.
It’s notable that criticism of it, and of nationhood, typically comes from the privileged, within the most economically and politically secure nations.
Of course it is not sufficient to condemn violent racism, like that in Charlottesville, because it is unkind. But history teaches us that we must watch for signs of a loss of empathy for others.
Much of the 20th century fight for liberation involved explaining that it was wrong to discriminate on the grounds of someone’s unchangeable nature.
In the current climate, this controversial announcement seems reasonably unsurprising. The issue is by no means straightforward, however.
Unresolved questions about refugees, debt crises, security, and general financial instability will force these questions on more people, and not just Britons.
This is important not only because without arguments we are weak in the face of our adversaries, such as Corbyn, but also because we must keep checking that we’re right.
Often, the disagreements between the two old camps are less substantial than the disagreements erupting within each camp’s own tents.
Justified calls for a national government’s overthrow are usually confined to those in which there is a serious threat of tyranny or the breakdown of civil order.
The Conservative Party has long been the natural home of libertarians and classical liberals. That relationship might be about to get less comfortable.
Was your vote in the EU referendum a vote for yourself, your family, your neighbourhood, your country, Europe, or the world? For the short-term or the long?
It remains highly likely that Emmanuel Macron will beat Marine Le Pen. But France’s growing euroscepticism should not be ignored.
If the parties support campaigners appropriately, then there will be good to be gained from this election.