These are among the most important political battles of our time, and the adjective “liberal” is our most important weapon. Many Liberals of the past declared “universal” rights while notably being deaf to those who they excluded before like slaves, ethnic minorities, those without property and homosexuals. The fact that Dunt barely mentions the humanism of the Renaissance or the anti-authoritarianism of the Christian Reformation just goes to show that his history of liberal thought stands on shaky grounds. Liberals instead should be out, proud and optimistic in their capacity to help shape the future for the better.

It's actually a hell of a lot more engaging than the (often) dry original texts from key thinkers and philosophers, and a great starting point for someone who wants to dip their toes into the political theory and evolution of Liberalism.

It is held together by the commitment of its citizens to a certain political regime and by their recognition of the authority of founding documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Indeed, the adjective “liberal” guarantees that everyone is in fact brought in—as they mostly haven’t been in the history of actually existing democracies from Athens to the United States. Liberalism met a kind of hubris and crisis moment during the 1970s and now in the age of populism is besieged by the twin threats of identity politics and resurgent populist Nationalism. There would be only one class of equal citizens: one class, one set of interests; nothing important to argue about. He specialises in issues around immigration, civil liberties and social justice and appears as a pundit on BBC TV, Sky News and Al-jazeera.I think that despotism can be enlightened, as some eighteenth-century despots claimed to be, but not liberal. Russian disinformation programs have turned democratic processes upside down eschewing values and beliefs in the west through a program of annexation of Ukraine as they attempted to thwart its entry into Europe. From that perspective is the book Liberalism : The Life Of An Idea of Edward Fawcett a much better choice.

Where would workers rights be without the trade union movement, or women’s rights without the Suffragettes and feminism?Perhaps unsurprisingly, given modern conditions, Dunt's greatest enemies are populists and nationalists who generally emanate from the political right. But this audiobook argues there still is a liberalism out there, one which has been unreasonable trashed upon, one which the baby has been thrown out with the bathwater, but if we continue using it it's still the most useful tool we have so all of us can live together and not die together.

It's almost heartbreaking hearing some of the story of liberalism read in such a normal, steady voice. As liberal democrats set limits on the power of triumphalist majorities, and liberal socialists set limits on the authority of theory-obsessed vanguards, so liberal nationalists set limits on the collective narcissism of nations.Dunt balances a detailed mastery of complex issues with a compelling and highly readable style that keeps you turning the pages.