Liberal Europe isn’t dead yet. But its defenders face a long, hard struggle | Timothy Garton Ash

Populism is gripping the heart of Europe. Those fighting it must reclaim the idea of the nation from the nationalists

One of the most memorable book titles in the English language is The Strange Death of Liberal England. Are we now witnessing the strange death of liberal Europe? As anti-liberal populism grips the very heart of Europe, threatening even the throne of the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, the danger is in plain view. There is a new political dividing line in Europe, at least as important as the old line between left and right. It splits existing parties and throws up new ones. It opens new fronts between nations as well as parties. On one side, there is the camp of Merkron (Merkel-Macron), on the other, that of Orbvini (Orbán-Salvini).

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