The Failure Of Supporters Of Western Democracy To Invest In Ideas
The Western Democratic Tradition by LJM Cooray

In the western educational system, little effort is made to explain the democratic tradition — a tradition which has been responsible for a period in human history of unprecedented material prosperity, technological achievement and freedom. Not only is this not taught or inculcated, but along with other connected values and institutions, it is frequently subjected to down-grading and unfair criticism.

Each year, millions of dollars (most of it taxpayers' money) are being spent by government departments and agencies, trade unions, media and educational institutions and "new class" interest groups to propagate and inculcate ideas which are critical of the democratic tradition.

In the propaganda war and battle for ideas, for every dollar being spent to explain and defend the western tradition, one hundred dollars are being spent to criticise it. This is not an exaggeration if the amount of money being spent is analysed. For one word of explanation of the tradition there are one hundred words of criticism.

Why are big government, new class, socialist and progressivist forces dominant in the western world? This ascendancy is the consequence of a long, determined and aggressive campaign of spreading ideas. A savage attack has been mounted on the values and institutions of the western tradition. An unreal and impractical alternative based on enforced equality and social justice has been established. This campaign has enabled "reformist" the forces to be influential in education, the media, politics and society.

Ideas have been important in every generation. They have never been so important as in this age when ideas are conveyed by print and electronic means.

Change and evolution in society are inevitable. Their direction is being influenced by competing forces

people of common sense who value freedom and moral values who are relatively uninfluential in education and media versus elites with minority support who wish to fashion a new order based on egalitarian values.