Ill Fares the Land

Ill Fares the Land, by Tony Judt

Summary
A loud criticism of the modern left more than of the modern right. Judt argues that in the 60s and since the left in the US and UK has become so interested in individual freedom and liberty that it has lost sight of its original rallying cry - collective action for the collective good. He decries the success that the right has had in making the very notion of collective action a taboo subject in modern political discourse by loudly ridiculing every failure or inefficiency of government action, and downplaying the inefficiencies of privatization and the market.

Judt gives a brief summary of how social democracy (his shorthand for collective action) arose, out of the Depression and the wars, how it triumphed, and what has happened since. Long on details of the rise, and short on answers for how to pay for all of this when the demographics sit as they do rather than as they did, it is nevertheless an impassioned argument for public goods provided by government.

Reaction
A polemic but a persuasive one. We have lost faith (I have lost faith) in government's ability to achieve anything productive. I personally was blown away at the passage of a pretty mediocre, uninspired, health care reform program through Congress - it was far beyond what I thought our elected officials could achieve, even in its pasty imperfection. Judt argues that the ideologues of free market faith have done a master's job of instilling this mind set in me. I would counter that there has been plenty of good reason to think this way but that's not an excuse for giving up on collective action for humanity's good - a position I've taken too often.

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I really enjoyed Judt's writing style and intend to read more of him.