Dissent is currently under systematic attack across the political spectrum, with governments globally increasingly trying to curtail opposition to their policies from either their political adversaries or the public realm in general. Ideological authoritarianism is very much on the rise and in the process dogmatism, prejudice and bigotry are playing an ever greater role in public life. The signs of this cultural shift have been building up steadily for some time now and we cannot assume it is a mere passing trend: it needs to be confronted now and with a sense of urgency. Donald Trump may have been voted out of office, but the ideas he stood for are still in circulation and maintaining their hold on his large support base. There is a politics of dissent and at the moment it has been taken over by the autocratically minded and exploited for their own devious purposes: it should be about scrutiny of authority, not suppression by it; frank debate and constructive criticism of authority’s actions rather than uncritical belief that licenses them to do whatever they want and to refuse even to listen to the arguments of others. This situation raises a series of questions that will be addressed over the course of this book’s argument:

• • Why is dissent necessary?

• • Why is dissent being opposed?

• • Who gains from that policy and why?

• • Where should dissent be encouraged and implemented?

• • What can we do individually to aid the cause of dissent?

With these in mind, this first chapter will go on to consider the various ways in which dissent is currently under threat in contemporary society.

The turn against dissent

What is most striking about the turn against dissent that we are currently witnessing is the way that it has become so widespread in Western democracy, constituting a serious threat to its ideal of the free and open exchange of opposing political outlooks that is so basic to that system. Roland Bleiker sees modern-day dissent as a ‘transnational phenomenon’ that can resonate globally, but so is the turn against dissent and none of us is safe from its reach and its lack of qualms about doing whatever it takes to assert itself: ruthlessness is built into its calculations.