fulbright lecture 2017 - university of oxford

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FulbrightLecture2017

LouiseRichardson

UniversitiesinanAgeofPopulism

King’sCollegeLondon,Edinburgh,Oxford.June12,14,16,2017

IwonderwhatSenatorFulbrightwouldthinkifhewerealive

today.Ithinkitfairtoassumethathewouldfindhimself,ashesooftendidin

thecourseofhislongcareer,outoffavourwiththemainstream.Hiswasnota

philosophyof“AmericaFirst.”Acommittedmultilateralist;hesupportedthe

establishmentoftheUnitedNations.Hesoughttobreakdown,noterect,

barriersbetweenpeoples.Hepromotedexposureto-ratherthanretreatfrom

-foreigncultures.Heoncesaid:

“Therapprochementofpeoplesisonlypossiblewhendifferencesofcultureand

outlookarerespectedandappreciatedratherthanfearedorcondemned,when

thecommonbondofhumandignityisrecognizedastheessentialbondfora

peacefulworld.”

Fulbrightwasaremarkableman,aSouthernDemocratwholived

throughmostofthetwentiethcentury,from1905to1995.Hebecame

PresidentoftheUniversityofArkansasattheageof34,butgaveituptorun

forCongress,andafteronetermranforSenate,whereheservedfrom1945to

1974.Hebecamethelongest-servingChairmanoftheSenateForeignRelations

Committee.HeisrememberedforhisoppositiontoMcCarthyism.Hewasthe

onlysenatortovoteagainsttheappropriationsforthePermanent

SubcommitteeonInvestigations,chairedbyJosephMcCarthy.Heisalso

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rememberedforhisearlyandvocaloppositiontotheVietnamWar;herailed

againstthepopulistimpulsesand“angrymoralism”thatledtothewar.

Itisworthremembering,however,thatnotallofhisviewsoractions

wouldfindfavourtoday.FulbrightunseatedHattieCarraway,thefirstwoman

everelectedtotheUSSenate.Hewasasegregationistwhosignedthe

SouthernManifestoagainsttheSupremeCourtjudgementinBrownvsBoard

ofEducation.ThiswasthelandmarkcaseinwhichtheUSSupremeCourt

declaredthepracticeofestablishingseparatepublicschoolsforblacksand

whitestobeunconstitutional.Hefilibusteredthe1964CivilRightsAct,andhe

votedagainstthe1965VotingRightsAct.Whatdowemakeofamanwhoheld

viewsweadmireandthosewedespise-doweteardownhismemorials?Or

doweacknowledgeboth,acceptthattheworldisacomplicatedplace,that

evenourheroesarefallible,andtrytofocuson,andbuildupon,thepositive?

WeareheretodaybecauseofsomethingelsethatSenatorFulbrightdid.

In1946hefoundedtheFulbrightProgramwhichcreatedscholarshipsfor

AmericanstostudyabroadandforeignstudentstostudyintheUS.The

Programwasintendedasaprotectionagainstpopulism.Heexplained:“The

simplepurposeoftheexchangeprogramistoerodetheculturallyrooted

mistrustthatsetsournationsagainstoneanother.”Hedraftedlegislationthat

requiredthegovernmenttosellsurpluswarsuppliesandusetheproceedsto

fundtheprogram.TheUSgovernmentcontinuestofundtheprogramtothis

day.(AlthoughtheTrumpAdministrationhasproposeda47%cutinits

budget.)Therehavebeenover370,000recipientsofFulbrightscholarships

including43NobelLaureatesand37HeadsofState.Studentsfromover160

countriesparticipateeachyear.

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AtOxford,weareproudofourlinkswithSenatorFulbright.Hestudied

inPembrokeCollegeasaRhodesScholar.HewasthefirstRhodesScholarto

entertheUSSenate.HealsoservedasrefereeforWilliamJeffersonClinton

whenheappliedforaRhodesScholarshipfromArkansas.Fulbrightstudiedat

OxfordaftercompletingahistorydegreeattheUniversityofArkansasand

beforegainingalawdegreeatGeorgeWashingtonUniversity.Hewasa

memberoftheFoundingCouncilofOxford’sRothermereAmericanInstitute

andtoday,rooms,lecturesandvisitingprofessorshipsbearhisname.

Fulbrighthasbeendescribedascourtly,aloof,andpatrician.He

despairedoftheroleofpublicopinionininfluencingforeignpolicy,andsaidof

thethenPresident,JohnFKennedy:“Healone,inhisroleasteacherandmoral

leader,canhopetoovercometheexcessesandinadequaciesofapublicopinion

thatisalltoooftenignorantoftheneeds,thedangers,andtheopportunitiesin

ourforeignrelations.”TherewouldnotbemanytodaywhoseeKennedy’s

successorasateacherormoralleader,butmanywouldsharetheviewthat

publicopinioncanberousedtohaveanill-informedanddeleteriousinfluence

onforeignrelations.

Facedwithanarousedpublic,Fulbrightdidnotseektoaccommodateto

populism,toharnessitforhisownpoliticalends,nortoretreatfromit.Rather,

heenergeticallysoughttocreateanalternative.Thereisamodelforushere.

Fulbrightbelievedthat“theessenceofinterculturaleducationistheacquisition

ofempathy,theabilitytoseetheworldasothersseeit,toallowforthe

possibilitythatothersmayseesomethingwehavefailedtosee.”Thiswashis

antidotetopopulismandIbelieveitremainsthebestantidotetoday.

Weareheretodaytohonouramanwhoisknownforhaving-oftenat

someconsiderablepersonalcost-stoodupinthefaceofpopulistsentimentin

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favourofMcCarthyismandlaterthewarinVietnam.Hisresponsewastohold

hisgroundandtosupportaliberalinterconnectedmodelofglobaleducation.I

willarguethiseveningthatweshoulddothesame.

Populism

Thetermpopulismhasenjoyedaconsiderablerenaissanceinrecent

yearsthough,aswithmanynewphrases,peopleareoftennotentirelyclear-

andcertainlynotconsistent-inwhattheymeanbyit.Inshort,itmeansa

popularmovement-whichcanbeoftheleftorright-thatopposesthe

establishment.Inthepast,universitieswereoftenatthevanguardofsocial

movements-thinkofthe1960sintheUS,France,GermanyandItaly-butnot

thistime.Thepopulistmovementsoftodaydrawonlongtraditionsofanti-

intellectualismintheUSandtheUKthatconsignuniversitiestotheranksof

theself-servingelite.

Thetermpopulismhasbeenwidelyusedsincethe1890swhenan

agrarianmovementthatemergedfromtheKansasFarmersAllianceusedthe

termtodescribethepoliticalviewsthey-andotheralliancegroupsinthe

WestandSouth-weredeveloping.Atthetime,bothRepublicansand

DemocratsdelightedintheprogressofAmericanfinanceandindustry,while

farmerssufferedadevastatingdropinprices.Farmpricesfelltwo-thirdsinthe

MidwestandSouthbetween1870and1890,atthesametimeasmonopoly

railroadsraisedthecostoftransportingfarmproduce,andsalarieswere

threatenedbylowwageimmigrantsfromChina,JapanandItaly.ThePeople’s

PartywasfoundedinthebeliefthatbothDemocratsandRepublicanswerein

thegripoftheplutocracy,whereastheyrepresented“thepeople”or“the

plainpeople”whowerebeingleftbehind.Ifthissoundsfamiliar,it’sprobably

notacoincidence.

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WhileJacksonianDemocratswantedtorestorepopulardemocracyby

eliminatingtheroleofgovernmentintheeconomy,thepopulistswantedthe

governmenttointervenetocountereconomicinjustice.Inthe1892election

thePeople’sParty,notwithstandingtheirrelativelackofresources,received

8%ofthevoteandcarried5states.Twoyearslatertheywon10%ofthevote

electing4Congressmenand4Senators,21stateexecutivesand465state

legislators.Themajorpartiestooknoticeandcontrivedtostealtheirclothesby

incorporatingsomeoftheirplatform,sothatinthe1896electionthepopulist

votemigratedtothetwomajorparties.(Mainstreampartiesincorporatingthe

platformofasmallerandmoreextremepopulistpartyinordertoremove

themasanelectoralthreat,again,thisdoessoundfamiliar,doesn’tit?)

JohnJudishastracedpopulistmovementsintheUSsincethen,suchas

HueyLong’s“shareourwealth”campaignintheearly1930swhichpressured

Roosevelttoaddresseconomicconcerns.Thetermenjoyedarenaissancein

the1950sasitwasappliedbroadlytodescribebothfascistandcommunist

movementsinEuropeaswellasrightwing,anti-communistMcCarthyitesand

ArgentinianPeronistas.Academicsinthesixtieshadvariousexplanationsfor

thephenomenon.Somesawitascausedbyangeratdecliningsocialstatus,

othersattributedittonationalistnostalgia,andotherstoauthoritarian

politiciansseekingsupportfortheirdesiretounderminedemocratic

institutions.IntheUS,GeorgeWallace’spopulistcampaigninfavourof

segregationwasdesignedtopreserveworking-classneighbourhoodsandwas

followedontherightbyPatBuchanan’sReformPartyandmorerecentlythe

TeaParty.OntheleftwehaveseentheOccupyWallStreetmovementand,in

thelastelection,theunanticipatedpopularityofBernieSanders.

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CasMuddewroteina2002bookintheOxfordUniversityPressVery

ShortIntroductionSeriesthatpopulismisa“thinideology”whichistosaythat

itissimplyaframeworkratherthanaworldview,aframeworkthatsetsup

“purepeople”ontheonehandagainsta“corruptelite”ontheother(as

comparedwithpluralismwhichacceptsthelegitimacyofmanydifferent

groups.)Hearguesthatthis“thinideology”canbeattachedtoallkindsof

“thickideologies”suchassocialism,nationalismorimperialism,andsoon,in

ordertoexplaintheworldandjustifyaspecificagenda.

Thisexplainshowthetermpopulismcanbeascribedtosuchdiverse

politicaloperativesastheDutchGeertWilders,asecularnationalistwho

demandsacrackdownonIslamindefenceofgayrights,aswellasJaroslaw

Kaczynski,areligiousnationalistwhopushedforaCatholictakeoverof

Poland’sinstitutionsfromtheelitesecularliberals,andtheanarcho-socialists

inSpain’sPodemoswhodemandthetakeoverofvacantbuildingsownedby

“lacasta”(theelitecaste)andtheirdistributiontothe“gente”thepure

people.

Populistsholdthatonlyonegroupislegitimate,thepeople,however

defined.Muddearguesthatthepopulistviewoftheirmissionisessentially

moral.Thedistinctionbetweenthepeopleandtheeliteisnotyourwealth,but

ratheryourvalues.Theythereforemaintainthattheyalonerepresentthe

people.Theymaynotwinalltheirvotes,butbelievetheywinallthevotesof

decenthardworkingpeoplewhohavebeenexploitedbytheestablishment.

PrincetonacademicJanWernerMullerarguesinWhatisPopulismthat

populistsonlylosewhenthe“silentmajority”alsoknownasthe“realpeople”

havenothadachancetospeak,hencethepopularityofconspiracytheories

amongthesegroups.Ifthepeople’spoliticiandoesn’twin,theyhavebeen

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cheated.IntherecentUSelectioncandidateTrumprepeatedlyclaimedthat

theelectionwasbeingriggedbyhisopponent.(Itturnsout,ofcourse,thathe

mayhavehadapoint,itmayindeedhavebeenrigged,butinhisfavourandby

theRussians!)TwothirdsofTrumpsupportersbelievedthecampaignwas

beingriggedwhile80%ofClintonsupportersand57%ofallrespondents

believedtheelectionwasfair.

Curiously,evenwhenpopulistsentergovernmenttheystillhave

somebodytoblameandmanagetoconveythemselvesasvictims.Rightwing

ErdoganinTurkeyblamesGulenandhisdomesticsupporters,whileleftwing

HugoChavezinVenezuelablamedforeignenemies.Onsomeoccasions,faced

withtherealityofgoverning,populistsmoderateandlosetheirappealas

outsiders,aswithSyrizainGreeceandtheTrueFinnsinFinland.Inothers,they

takeaimattheinstitutionsofthestatewhichtheyperceiveascountervailing

powers.Theattackonnon-compliantjudgesintheUSandtheUK,the

descriptionofjudgesasenemiesofthepeoplebytheDailyMailintheUKand

PresidentTrumpintheUSisaforetasteofHungary’sOrbanloweringthe

retirementageforjudgesinordertofillthenewpositionswithloyalists,and

mostextreme,Turkey’sErdogan’swholesaleattackonthejudiciary.

Ominously,bothErdoganinTurkeyandOrbaninHungaryhavetaken

aimatuniversitiesseeingthemascountervailingsourcesofpluralismand

perceivingintheirautonomyathreattostatemonopoly.Orban’seffortsto

shutdowntheCentralEuropeanUniversityinBucharest,whichwascreated

preciselytosupportthedevelopmentofliberaldemocraticvaluesintheregion

wassurpassedonlybyErdogan’swholesaleattackonacademicsand

universitiesinthewakeoftherecentcoupattempt.

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Generally,accordingtoMuller,populistsdefine“thepeople”asthose

whoagreewiththem.Hearguesthatpopulistsputwordsintothemouthsof

whatis,afterall,theirowncreation.AsanexampleofthishecitesNigel

Farage’sassertionthatBritain’svotetoleavetheEUwas“avictoryforreal

people”asifthe48%ofBritishpeoplewhovotedRemainwerenotreal

people.Mullerbelievespopuliststobedefinedbytheirclaimthattheyalone

representthepeople,thatallothersareillegitimate.Hedistinguishesbetween

inclusiveandexclusivevarietiesofpopulism.Exclusivepopulism,exemplified

bysupportersofTrump,butmorecommoninEurope,focusesonshuttingout

stigmatisedgroups,likemigrants.Inclusivepopulism,moreoftenfoundin

LatinAmerica,demandsthatpoliticsbeopeneduptostigmatisedgroups

ThesurpriseelectionofDonaldTrumpisseenasavictoryforpopulism

andcertainlyitcameasasurprisetotheestablishment(aswellas,apparently,

tothecandidatehimself).DonaldTrump,however,didnotsetoutasa

populist,butthankstothestrategyofSteveBannon,hebecameone.Thiswas

crucialtohisultimatevictory.Trump’sinitialmessagewasnotoneofthepure

peopleagainstthecorruptelite,ratheritwasthebrilliantdealmakeragainst

thecorruptelite.Whenheannouncedhiscandidacy,Trumpusedversionsof

theword“I”256times.Bycontrast,inhisinauguraladdress,heusedit3

times.Hiscampaignrhetorictransitionedfromclaimingthathealonecouldfix

thebrokensystem,to:hewouldbethevoiceoftheforgottenmenandwomen

ofthecountry.BythetimeofhisinaugurationTrumpwasbeingconsciously

modelledonthepopulismofAndrewJackson.Hedeclared:“January20th2017

willberememberedasthedaythepeoplebecametherulersofthisnation

again.”AsMuddehasargued,Trumpshiftedfromsellinghimself,to

presentinghimselfasavehicleofthepeople,sothathissupporterscouldbe

partofsomethingbiggerthanTrump.

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ThatTrumpcangetawaywithclaimingtobeavoiceforthepeople

confirmsthatpopulismisaboutsharingvalues,noteconomiccircumstance.

Thankstohisrefusaltodisclosehistaxreturns,wehavenoideahowrich

Trumpactuallyis,buthehasalltheaccoutrementsofbeingveryrichindeed,

andyetheisacceptedbymanymillionsofUSvotersasoneofthepurepeople.

Moreover,itisworthrememberingthatthemajorityofvotersearningless

than$50,000actuallyvotedforSecretaryClinton.

WhilePresidentTrump’snarcissismislegendary,hisclaimsinthefaceof

overwhelmingevidencehaveanideologicalexplanationtoo.Asmyformer

colleague,PippaNorris,haswritten:“Thelegitimacyofpopulistscomefrom

massopinion.Trumpdoesn’thavelegitimacythroughthepopularvote.He

doesn’thavelegitimacythroughexperience.Hedoesn’thavelegitimacy

throughtheParty.Soheclaimsthismythicallinktothepeople.”Asthechosen

emissaryofthepeopleTrumphasdifficultyinreconcilingthisrolewith

relativelylowturnoutathisinauguration,withweakpollnumbers,thelossof

thepopularvote,massprotestsbypeopleclaiminghedoesn’trepresentthem,

andmediacriticismofpoliciesforwhichheclaimstohaveamandate,like

banningMuslims,buildingborderwalls,eliminatinghealthinsurancefor

millions,andsoon.Ashehashimselfsaid:“Partofmywholevictorywasthat

themenandwomenofthiscountrywhohadbeenforgottenwillneverbe

forgottenagain.”

PresidentTrump’spreoccupationwith“fakenews”hisacceptanceof

“alternativefacts”andhisgeneralflagrantdisregardforevidenceisquitean

extremeexampleofthelongtraditionofanti-intellectualisminAmericaandto

alesserextenttheUK.(BurkewasnopopulistbutheelevatedtheveryBritish

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notionof“commonsense”overthemoretheoreticallydrivenideologyofhis

continentalcontemporaries.)

RichardHofstadterbrilliantlydescribedtheAnglo-Saxonapproach

markedbypragmatismandempiricisminhisPulitzerPrizewinningbook“Anti-

IntellectualisminAmericanLife”publishedin1964.Hewrote:“Whatusedto

beajocularandusuallybenignridiculeofintellectandformaltraininghas

turnedintoamalignresentmentoftheintellectualinhiscapacityasexpert.

Oncetheintellectualwasgentlyridiculedbecausehewasnotneeded;nowhe

isfiercelyresentedbecauseheisneededtoomuch.”

WhereasJohnFKennedyfamously,butbriefly,brought“thebestand

thebrightest”intotheWhiteHouse,HofstadtersurveyedtheMcCarthyera

andtheEisenhowerPresidencywhenappointmentstendedtogotothosewith

connections,notexpertise.HeprovidesanillustrativeexampleofaSenate

ConfirmationHearingforMaxwellGluckasAmbassadortoCeylon.MrGluckis

askedifheknowsthenameofthePrimeMinisterofIndia.MrGluckreplies

“Yes,butIcannotpronouncehisname.”Hewasthenasked:“Doyouknowwho

thePrimeMinisterofCeylonis?”Gluckreplied.“Hisnameisunfamiliarnow.”

MrGluckwasappointedanyway.IncidentallytheSenatoraskingthequestions

wasnoneotherthanSenatorWilliamFulbright.

OftenRepublicanleadershavesoughttoappearlessintelligentthan

theyare.WhenaidesexpressedconcernaboutEisenhowerfacingapress

conferencehereassuredthem:“Don’tworry”hesaid“I’lljustgooutthereand

confusethem”.RonaldReagandescribedhimselfasan“ordinaryAmerican”

notsome“littleintellectualeliteinafardistantcapitol.”GeorgeBushtoldthe

“CStudents”inaCommencementAddressatYalethat“youtoocanbe

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President.”CandidateTrumpfamouslysaidatacampaignrallyinNevadain

February:“Ilovethepoorlyeducated.”

I’msuremanyofyouhaveheardthequotewrittenbyHLMenckenin

1920,I’venoideawhyitcomestomindnow,andIpresentitwithout

comment:

“Asdemocracyisperfected,theofficeofthePresidentrepresentsmoreand

moreclosely,theinnersoulofthepeople.Onsomegreatandgloriousdaythe

plainfolksofthelandwillreachtheirheart’sdesireatlastandtheWhiteHouse

willbeadornedbyadownrightmoron.”

Thisdisdainforexpertsgoeshandinhandwithpopulism.Forme,andI

expectmanyothers,themostmemorablelineoftheReferendumcampaign

lastyearwasthatexpressedbyMichaelGove(educatedatmyuniversity,

sorry)that“Wehavehadenoughofexperts”.A2016YouGovpoll

demonstratedthat2/3ofLeavevotersand¼ofRemainvotersbelieveittobe

wrongtorelytooheavilyonexpertsandthatitisbettertorelyon“ordinary

people.”IntheUS87%ofScientistsintheAmericanAcademyofArtsand

Sciencessaythatclimatechangeiscausedbyhumansyet50%ofallUSadults

believethis.SimilarpercentagesofScientistsbelieveGMOsaresafeas

comparedto37%ofthepublic.A2012NationalScienceFoundationsurvey

foundthat26%ofAmericansdonotknowtheearthrevolvesaroundthesun.

A2015PewResearchSurveyfoundthat35%ofUSadultsdisagreewiththe

theoryofevolution.

Populismfeedsdistrustinexpertsandthecorrosiveeffecton

democracieswhenthathappenshaslongbeenforeseen.Hayekwroteaboutit

(perhapsapprovingly)in1960.“Thegreatestdangertolibertytodaycomes

fromthemenwhoaremostneededandmostpowerfulinmoderngovernment,

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namelytheefficientexpertadministratorsexclusivelyconcernedwithwhat

theyregardasthepublicgood.”Theriskisthatwefindourselvesinavicious

cycle:votershavedisengagedfrompoliticsandarenotinformingthemselves

adequatelytomakereasonedjudgements.Intheabsenceofaninformed

citizenship,technocratsandexpertsbecomedominant,trustbreaksdown

betweenvotersandexperts:expertsretreatfromthedebateandtalkonlyto

oneanother.Thedutyofuniversitiesisnottoretreat,wehaveacrucialroleto

playinbridgingthisgap,butmoreonthatinamoment.

Beliefinthefaceofcountervailingevidenceisnotthesolepreserveof

PresidentTrump’sbelovedpoorlyeducated.74%ofRepublicansintheSenate

and53%intheHousedenythevalidityofclimatechange.17%ofUSadults

believeparentsshouldbefreenottovaccinatetheirchildren.Theanti-vaccine

movementinboththeUSandtheUKexistsindependentlyofanypopulist

politics,butithasthesameantecedents.Italsohighlightsthefactthatanti-

expertsentimentisnotconfinedtothepooranddisenfranchised.The

rebellionagainstvaccinestookoffmostforciblyineducatedsuburbanareas

likeMarinCountywhere8%ofparentsrequestedexemptionsfortheir

children.Today,campaignsagainstexpertsareoftenledbypeoplewhohave

thetoolstoknowbetter.Itisdifficulttoescapetheconclusionthatthe

internetisanessentialelementinnurturinganti-expertattitudes.Theinternet

rarelygeneratesthewisdomofthecrowd.Moreoftenitfeedsconfirmation

biasamongthelike-minded.Toofrequentlyitisusedtoclaimaveneerof

knowledge,enoughtoclaimexpertise,andtochallengetheexpertiseof

establishedothers,butnotactuallyenoughtobecomeanexpert.

TherecentsurgeinPopulismisnotauniquelyBritishandAmerican

experience,ofcourse.PopulistmovementshavebeenthrivingacrossEurope.

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InFranceinthe1950sPoujadistsfoughtforthedefenceofthecommonman

againsttheeliteandthestateandhad400,000members;amongthemwas

Jean-MarielePenwhofoundedtheNationalFrontinthe1980s.Hisdaughter,

MarinelePen,justwonalmostathirdofthevoteinFranceintherunoff

Presidentialelections.InTheNetherlands,rightwingPimFortuynwas

succeededbyGeertWilders.InSpainleftwingPodemos,hasbeengarnering

popularsupport.ItalyhastheFiveStarMovement,advocatesofdirect

democracy.TheTrueFinnsgarnered18%ofthevotein2015,althoughthey

arerunningintodifficultiesthisweek.InPolandtheLawandJusticePartyhas

becometheright-winggovernment,ashadtheFideszPatyinHungary,ledby

ViktorOrban.InAustriasupportfortheAustrianFreedomPartygrewfrom5%

in‘83to27%in‘99.InGermany,theAlternativeforGermanPartyhasbeen

pollingat15%ofthevote.ThisweekendinFranceweappeartohaveseenthe

trouncingofmostofthetraditionalpartiesinthelegislativeelections.

ThecollapseofUKIP,thedefeatofMarineLePenintheFrench

PresidentialElectioninMay,andthefactthatGeertWilders’FreedomParty

didlesswellthanexpectedintheNetherlandsinApril,hascausedsometo

concludethatthehigh-watermarkofpopulisminEuropehaspassed.Itmay

have,buttheevidenceisnotclearcut.Recentdefeatsconcealthefactthat

populistpartieshavemadesizeableincreasesoverpreviouselections.LePen’s

defeatwasareliefformanybutstillrepresentedadoublingofthesupport

gainedbyherfatherwhenhecontestedthe2002presidentialelectionand

gained17.8%ofthevote.Wildersmaynothavedoneaswellasexpectedbut

hisanti-immigrationpartydidincreaseitsseatsfrom15to20.Inglehartand

Norrishavedemonstratedthatonaverageoverthepast50yearspopulists

increasedtheirshareofseatsfrom4%to13%.

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Someconsolationisderivedbyopponentsfromthefactthatthosewho

supportedtheBrexitcampaignandcandidateTrumparedisproportionately

oldandtheconclusionisdrawnthatsupportwillnaturallydecline.Againthe

signsarenotsoclear.50%ofyoungvotersvotedeitherforLePenorthehard

leftJeanLucMelenchoninthefirstroundoftheFrenchPresidentialelection.

In1995,16%of16-24yearoldsintheUSthoughtthatdemocracywasabad

waytorunthecountry.Thatfigurein2011was24%.Thereissomeevidence

tosuggestthatMillennials,resentfulofthestarkereconomicrealitiesthey

face,arelessattachedtodemocracythantheirparents.Apaperpublishedin

JanuarybyFoaandMounkchartedtheriseinsupportacrosstheworldover

thepast25yearsfor:“havingastrongleaderwhodoesnothavetobother

withparliamentaryelections”.Lastweek’sgeneralelectionhascertainly

demonstratedthepoweroftheyouthvote-almost70%of18-24yearolds

appeartohavevotedforLabourwhetherinsupportoftheanti-establishment

Corbyn,orinoppositiontoBREXIT,orboth,isnotyetentirelyclear.

TheclaimbyNorrisandInglehartthatpopulismrepresents“acultural

backlash,aretroreactionbyoncepredominantsectorsofthepopulationto

progressivevaluechange”issupportedbyarecentanalysisbyPodobniketal.

Theyexaminetheeffectofimmigrationonanti-globalistsentiment.Analysing

polldatainEUcountriesaffectedbytheimmigrationcrisis,theyfindthatthe

percentageofright-wingpopulistvotersinagivencountrydependsonthe

prevalenceofimmigrantsinthiscountry’spopulation,aswellasthetotal

immigrationintotheEU.Moreover,theyfindthattheincreaseinright-wing

voterssignificantlysurpassesthelevelofimmigration,implyingthatifthe

processcontinues,right-wingpopulismislikelytoprevailpolitically.

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SteveBannonisseenastheevilgeniusbehindDonaldTrump’svictory.

HeorchestratedthetransformationfromTrump,theself-promotingdeal-

maker,toTrumptheself-promotingpopulist.Hehasdescribedhisroleinteam

Trumpas:“ThomasCromwellinthecourtoftheTudors”.Thisisnotan

auspiciousallusionforuniversities,asitwasCromwellwhoorchestratedthe

dissolutionofthemonasteriesandthevisitations(orpurges)ofuniversities

andcollegesin1535,leadingtothedestructionofagreatmanybooks,and

leavingOxfordwithoutalibrary,untilThomasBodley’sdonationin1602.

Inthepresidentialelection,theoldadagethattruthisthefirstcasualty

ofwarmayhavebeendisplacedbytruthbeingthefirstcasualtyofpolitical

campaigns.OxfordUniversityPressnamedtheterm“post-truth”theWordof

theYear.Emotion,notevidence,appearstohavebeenmoreinfluentialin

swayingvoters.Trumpvoters,forexample,believedbyamarginof69to12

thatthemultiplewomenwhoaccusedDonaldTrumpofmakingunwanted

advancestothemwerelyingtohurtthecampaign.Clintonsupportersbelieved

thembyamarginof83to7.InarecentinterviewChristianeAmanpourasked

HillaryClintonwhethershethoughtmisogynyplayedaroleinherdefeat.

Googlesearchesforthewordmisogynypromptlyrose10,000%.AsClinton

incredulouslysaidtoareporter:“Sixmonthsafterthepresidentialelectionand

peoplestilldon’tknowwhatmisogynymeans!”Confrontedwithevidence,for

exampleonthesizeofthecrowdsathisinauguration,Trumpsimplydismisses

inconvenientfactasfakenews,andhisfollowersbelievehim.Thisisa

dangeroustime,andnotjustforexpertsanduniversities.

OneofthemoststrikingfeaturesoftheUSPresidentialelectionandthe

UKReferendumonmembershipoftheEUistheanalysisofvotingpatterns.

ThesinglebiggestpredictorofavoteforBrexitandavoteforDonaldTrump

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wasnotincome,ageorracebuteducationalattainment.IntheUKonequarter

ofuniversitygraduatesvotedtoLeavetheEUwhereasthreequartersofthose

withnopost-secondaryqualificationsvotedtoLeave.Similarly,75%ofwhite

peoplewithnocollegedegreevotedforDonaldTrump.ANovemberheadline

intheAtlanticMagazinecapturedthereality:“America’sEducationalDivide

PutTrumpintheWhiteHouse”.

Evencontrollingforraceandincometheconcentrationofcollege

degreeswasthestrongestindicatorofwhetheracountyvotedforTrump.

Educationlevelmatteredmorethananythingelse,evenwhencontrollingfor

economicfactors.MorecollegegraduatesinacountyhurtTrump’svotemore

thanhavingalargerAsianpopulation,morethanhavingalargerHispanic

population,morethanhavingalargerblackpopulation.Educationcouldbea

proxyforeconomicfactors,ofcourse,buttheeducationgappersistedeven

whencontrollingforacounty’smedianincome,itsindustrialbase,and

whetherithadlostlocalmanufacturingjobs.Whilewhiteworkingclassmales

hadlongbeenTrump’sbaseofsupport,moneyandracedidnotdecidethe

election,educationleveldid.

SimilarpatternsappliedintheBrexitvote.Thosewithpostgraduate

qualificationsvoted75/25forRemain.Thosewholeftschoolwithout

qualificationsvoted73/27forLeave.Classandagemattered,buteducation

matteredfarmore.Ingeneral,areaswitholderandpoorervoterstended

towardsLeavewhilethosewithmoreimmigrantsandmorecollegeeducated

voterstendedtoRemainbut,byfarthestrongestindicatorwaseducation.This

isanentirelynewphenomenon.Thiseducationaldividecouldhaveportentous

ramifications.Ithasthepotentialtounderminethebondsthathold

representativedemocracytogether.Thesebondsrelyontrust,andassume

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certainsharedvalueslikerespectforknowledge.Ifknowledgeisperceivedas

simplyaperkoftheplutocracytheunderlyingconsensus,thebasisoftruston

whichdecisionsaremade,couldbeerodedevenendangered.

Universities

WhatareUniversitiestodointhissituation?

Inshort,Ibelievethatuniversitiesshouldrespondbystandingourgroundand

doingwhatwedobest:pushingatthefrontiersofknowledgeandeducating

thenextgeneration.Indoingso,however,wemustbemoreengaged,more

willingtopersuade,andremainirrevocablytruetoourprinciples.

Itisover150yearssinceCardinalNewmansetoutargumentsforaliberal

education,argumentsthatarerepeatedtoday.HisbookTheIdeaofa

Universityisoftenincorrectlythoughttomakethecaseforacloistered

university,apureseatoflearningseparatefromtheworldaroundit.He

wrote:

“IfthenaUniversityisadirectpreparationforthisworld,letitbewhatit

professes.ItisnotaConvent,itisnotaSeminary;itisaplacetofitmenofthe

worldfortheworld.Wecannotpossiblykeepthemfromplungingintothe

world,withallitswaysandprinciplesandmaxims,whentheirtimecomes;but

wecanpreparethemagainstwhatisinevitable;anditisnotthewaytolearn

toswimintroubledwaters,nevertohavegoneintothem.”

Newman,likeJohnStuartMillwritingaroundthesametime,believedinthe

moralpurposeoftheuniversity.MillwroteeloquentlyinhisRectorialaddress

atStAndrewsoftheelevationofspiritthatattendseducationandofthe

purposeofaUniversitybeingnottoproduceskilledlawyersandshoemakers

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butthoughtfulandcivilizedmenwhowouldmakethemselvesgoodlawyers

andshoemakers.

Todayuniversitiestendtoshyawayfromanexplicitacknowledgementoftheir

moralpurposeandsomecritics,suchasRogerScruton,arguethatuniversities

havelostsightofitaltogether.Idon’tbelievewehave,thatweshould,orthat

wecan.

Universitiesinculcatealoveoflearningandthirstforknowledge,weraise

aspirationsandvalueachievement.Weareaplaceofcommunity,of

belonging,ofdiversityandoftolerance,aplacethatembracesratherthan

fearsdifference.Partofourrolemustbetoexportthesequalitiestotheworld

throughourstudents.

Wearealsoacommunitythatcelebratesfreedomofspeech,sowemustbe

preparedtodefenditagainstallchallengers,whethertheseareourown

studentsdemandingarightnottobeoffended,orourgovernmentdemanding

thatnon-violentextremistsbepreventedfromspeaking.Wemustdefendthe

expressionofalllegalspeechandbepreparedespeciallytodefendspeechwe

findobjectionable.Wemustnot,however,beshyaboutchallengingspeech

withwhichwedisagree.

DuringtheUSpresidentialelectionmostofusstoodaghastasweread

expletive-ladenbannersandlistenedtochantsof“lockherup”.Politiciansdid

notobjectforfearoflosingfavour,andintheknowledgethattheywouldbe

dismissedaspartisan.Themediadidnotobject,nodoubtinpartbecausethey

benefitedfinanciallyfromthecontroversy.Universitiescouldhavebeena

voiceappealingforthekindofrobustcivilitythatprevails,orshouldprevail,on

alluniversitycampuses.

19

IseethefactthatthevictoriesfortheBrexitandTrumpcampaignscameasa

surprisetomostofusinuniversitiesassomethingofanindictment.Weshould

nothavebeensurprised.Ifwearetoplaytheroleweclaiminidentifying

loomingsocialandpoliticalissues,andinseekingsolutionstosocietal

problems,weshouldbethefirst,notthelast,torecognizetheirimpact.We

mustbedeeplyengagedintheworldaroundus.

Manyofourgreatuniversities,andcertainlythisone,makelegitimateclaimto

beglobalinstitutions,yetwearealsocivicandnationalonestoo.Wemustbe

engagedinourlocalcommunitysharingthebenefitsofourresources,likeour

librariesandmuseums,ensuringthatourlocalcommunitiesseeusastheir

universitytoo,andensuringthattheyrecognizetheeconomicandcultural

contributionswemaketothelocalcommunity.Fortoolonguniversitieshave

consideredthesebenefitstothecommunitytobeself-evident,butwemustbe

altogethermorefocusedonensuringthatourlocalcommunitiesparticipatein

andappreciateourcontributions.Insodoingwebringourselvescloserto

thesecommunitiesandtokeenerunderstandingofthedevelopmentstaking

placearoundus.

Wemustalsoensurethatacrossthecountryambitiousstudentsandtheir

familiescanaspiretoattendourmostselectiveuniversities.Wemustshatter

themyththatourmostselectiveuniversitiesarethepreserveofanyparticular

sectorofsociety.Itisnosecretthatthishasbeenaparticularchallengefor

Oxford.ThefactthataSuttonTruststudytellsusthat43%ofstateschool

teachersdonotrecommendOxbridgetotheirsmarteststudents,thatfocus

groupstellusthatparentsthinkwearemoreexpensive,thatmostofour

studentsareposh,polo-playingandprivatelyeducated-thesearefailuresof

communicationonourpart.

20

Universitiesserveasdriversofsocialmobility.Wemustensurethatour

communitiesknowthis.Weserveasenginesoftheeconomy.Wemustensure

thatourcommunitiesknowthis.Wealsoserveasguardiansofourcultureand

generatorsofnewideasandinnovativepractices.Ifwecontinuetodoallthis,

andcontinuetoensurethatourcommunitiesunderstandourrole,wewill

continuetoplayourpartasfoundationsofourverydemocracy.

ThepopulistvotesforBrexitandTrumpareoftenexplainedastherevengeof

thosewhoarelosingouttoglobalization.Certainlywehaveallstoodbyand

watchedsilentlyasthegapbetweenrichandpoorinoursocietyhaswidened.

Itistruethatatagloballevelhunger,poverty,illiteracyanddiseasesareatan

all-timelow,butthatisoflittleconsolationtoBritishandAmericanvoterswho

seetheirjobsoutsourcedtoanothercountryorseetheirfactoryjobstakenby

lower-paidimmigrants.Noneofuswerepayingattention,confidentthatthe

influxofmigrantsimprovedtheculturalfabricofoursocietiesandenjoyingthe

benefitsoflowcostimmigrantlabour.Wewere,ineffect,toodisengaged.

Ouruniversitiescontributetoindividual,localandnationalwealth.Male

graduatesintheUKearn28%morethannon-graduatesandpay£264,000

moreintaxes.Femalegraduatesearn53%morethannon-graduatesandpay

£318,000moreintaxesovertheirworkinglives.Thebestwaytoavoid

resentmentofthisdifferentialisforeveryfamilytoknowthattheirchildren

willhaveequalaccesstoauniversityeducation.

Ouruniversities,howeverarecriticaltoourlocalandnationaleconomy.Just

myuniversityaloneadds£2.3billionoftheOxfordshireeconomy,£5.8tothe

nationaleconomyandalmost£7billiontotheglobaleconomy.A2015study

byUUKdemonstratedthattheuniversitysectorcontributesatleast£73billion

ayeartotheUKeconomyandthatforevery100peopleemployeddirectlyby

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universities117jobsarecreatedinthewidereconomy.Wecontribute2.8%of

GDPandsupport3%ofalljobs.

Universitiescanbeatthevanguardofforgingasuccessfulpost-Brexiteconomy

withanemphasisonscienceandinnovation.OverthepastdecadeOxfordhas

developedtwospinoutcompanieseverytwomonths.Overthepastyear,

thanksinparttothecreationofOSI,alargelyforeignfinancedfundof$580

milliontoinvestinOxfordIP,wehavebeenproducingspinoutcompaniesat

therateofoneafortnight.

Universitiesalsocontributetothehealthoftheindividualandthenation.

Graduatesarehealthierthannon-graduates,theyarelesslikelytodrink

heavily,tosmokeandtobeobese.A30yearoldgraduateislikelytolive

another51yearsascomparedto43yearsforanon-graduate(King’sCollege

LondonPolicyunit).Nationallywetraindoctorsandnurses.Ourmedics,

moreover,areattheforefrontofglobaleffortstofindcuresfordisease.

Criticaldevelopmentsinaddressingdiseaseandadvancinglife-saving

technologieshavebeenmadeinuniversitiesinrecentyears:coronarybypass

surgery,DNAfingerprinting,geneticengineeringandsequencing,IVF,MRIand

PolioVaccination.Indeed,arecentstudybyStephenBrintfoundthat

universitiescontributedto74%ofground-breakinginventionsandhada

leadingrolein40%ofinventionssincethe1950s.Doesthepublicknowthis?

Probablynot.Weneedtomakesurethattheydo.

Butwhatistheroleofauniversityinapost-truthworld?

Universitiesarepremisedonthebeliefthattruthisanaspirationnota

possession.Insideauniversitythereisnosuchthingasan“alternativefact.”

Factsbecomefactswhentheyaresupportedbyevidence.Butpopulismfeeds

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onmisinformationandinnuendo.Truthandopinionbecomedeliberately

blurred.Whatcanuniversitiesdotocounterthis?

Thefirstthingwecandoisteach,teachourstudentsrespectforevidence,

helpthemtodistinguishbetweenopinionandinformation,between

informationandknowledge,andbetweenknowledgeandwisdom.Equippedin

thiswaywehopetheywillentertheworldbeyondtheuniversityandbecome

advocatesforevidence-basedreason,policyanddecisionmaking.

Thistaskisbecomingmoreandmoredifficult,thankstoadvancesin

technologywhichcan,forexample,enableyouapparentlytoseeandheara

personsayingsomethingtheyneveractuallysaid.Thescaleofinformation

availableontheinternetposesotherchallenges.Sifting,analysingandsourcing

informationonthescaleatwhichitisbecomingavailable,isprovingbeyond

thecapabilityofinternetusersacrosstheglobe.Theinternetisincreasingly

outsourcingcontrolof“thetruth.”AsWikipediahasgrowntoobigforhuman

editorstomanageitstext,botshavebeencreatedtocontrolit.Insome

languages50%ofWikipediaeditsarenowmadebybots.Togiveyouan

exampleoftheimplicationsofthis.OnArabicWikipediaabothasbeen

createdwhichseeksouttheword“Palestine”andchangesitto“Palestinian

Territories”.Anotherbothasbeendesignedtoseekoutreferencesto

“PalestinianTerritories”andchangethemto“Palestine”.Ifyouweretoregard

Wikipediaasthetruth,theversionofitthatyouseewoulddependonwhich

bothadlastvisitedthesiteyouconsulted.Asinformationincreasingly

becomesdigitalthedangersofallowingtechnologiestotamperwithrecords

arereadilyapparent.

Thediscoveryofnewfacts,newtechnologies,newtruthsineffect,iscriticalto

thestatusandreputationofuniversities.Unlessuniversitiescontinueto

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operateatthefrontiersofknowledgetheirreputationwilldeclineandpublic

trustdiminish.Thethreattotheplaceofuniversitiescouldcomefroma

declineinpublicfunding,aspoliticiansreflectthepublic’slackoffaithin

universitiesontheonehand,andtheexponentialgrowthofcommercially

fundedresearch.AlreadytodaymajortechnologycompanieslikeMicrosoft,

GoogleandFacebookarebiggerplayersinresearchthantheUSgovernment

evenbeforePresidentTrump’sproposedcutstogovernmentagencies.Itis

imperativethatuniversitiesengageinblue-skiesresearchasthatiswherethe

mostimportantdiscoveriesareoftenmade,butthecommercialbenefitisfar

fromevidentatthetime.

Conclusion

Universitiestodayremainmoretrustedthanotherpartsoftheestablishment.

Weshouldtakeadvantageofthisfact.ThelatestEdelmanTrustBarometer

foundthat60%ofacademicsexpertswereconsideredextremelyorvery

credibleascomparewith37%ofCEOsand29%pfgovernmentofficials.

Universitiesmustbecomefierceandobjectiveguardiansofknowledgeand

allowopenaccesstothatknowledge.Wemustnotbeshyaboutchallenging

falsehoodcomingfromanydirection,beinganationalfactchecker,ineffect.

Theabilitytodosoiscorrelatedtothepublic’sfaithinourwillingnesstobe

objectiveandfairminded.Wemustnotbecomehandmaidensofthe

government.Itisnotultimatelyinthenationalinterestthatwedoso.We

mustpreserveourautonomyandbepreparedtospeaktruthtopower.We

must,aboveall,haveuncompromisingstandardsofscholarship

Wemusttellthetruthandbepreparetosaywhatotherswon’t.Weshould

engageobjectivelyinnationaldebates.Weshouldbepreparedtosay,for

example,thatthebiggestthreattonationaljobscomesnotfromtrade,but

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fromautomation.(AnOxfordMartinSchoolstudyrecentlyargues47%ofall

jobsareatriskofbeingautomatedinthenext20years.)Weshouldbe

preparedtotalkabouttheriskofterrorism,thenatureofrisk,andthe

likelihoodofanyindividualsbeingkilledbyterrorismasacounterto

sensationalistmediahype.Weshouldpresentevidenceofclimatechange.

Wemustalsodemystifytheotherandeducateaboutthenatureofforeign

religionsandcultures.Acravenmediaand/orpoliticianswillundoubtedlytry

todelegitimizeusifwemakeclaimsthatdon’tsuitthem,butwemustbeseen

tobeobjective.Wemustnotallowcensorshipofanykindinouruniversities.

Weshouldrecognizethatwehavebeenbeneficiariesoftherisinginequalityin

oursociety,andwehavebeenapartytoit.Weoccupyaveryprivileged

position,weshoulddemonstratethatwedeserveit.

Wemustnotonlybepreparedtospeakout,wemustfigureoutawaytobe

heard,notjustbyothermembersoftheelitebutbysocietyatlarge.

Finally,I’dliketoclosebyreturningtoSenatorFulbright.Heoncewiselysaid:

“Creativeleadershipandliberaleducation,whichinfactgotogether,arethe

firstrequirementsforahopefulfutureforhumankind.”

Andwhathesaidofhisexchangeprogrammecouldwellbesaidofuniversities

today:

“Theyarenopanaceabuttheyprovideanavenueofhope.”