The US has a very different intellectual tradition arising from a deliberate act of rebellion and a fairly static constitution. Many European countries have a h

The US has a very different intellectual tradition arising from a deliberate act of rebellion and a fairly static constitution. Many European countries have a history of fascist dictatorship. Britain has neither, so in my view is somewhat lackadaisical about the risks of state power. We’re rightly proud that we didn’t succumb as Italy or Germany did, but of course that means that dictatorship is something that happens to other people or comes from Brussels. It’s true that our electoral democracy is relatively safe (redrawing of constituencies is normal, new ID card requirements are dubiously motivated) but that leaves a lot of scope for far more intrusion with far less constitutional oversight than many other Western liberal states. Notably, there is less scepticism about state power in other democracies where there is a similar lack of scepticism for historical reasons—e.g., France, where the legacy of Vichy is often downplayed relative to the resistance, or Japan, which never really confronted its past.