Emmanuel Macron sounded like a man in grief. Not angry, not defiant, just a little triste. Europe, he lamented, was suffering a “degeneration of democracy”. Many threats emanated from outside, from Russia, from China, from powerful US tech companies and social-media entrepreneurs, France’s president said. “But we should not be naive. On the inside we are turning on ourselves. We doubt our own democracy … We see everywhere that something is happening to our democratic fabric. Democratic debate is turning into a debate of hatred.”

Squeezed between vituperative extremes of right and left, Macron knows of what he speaks. But “ungovernable” France is not alone in its bitter, intractable divisions. Across Europe, in the UK and the US, distrust and grievance daily deepen political dysfunction and social discord. Macron’s words apply, in fact, to almost any country espousing democratic principles. Belief that democracy is the form of governance best suited to the modern world is dwindling, especially among younger people. Meanwhile, the public space grows coarser and more violent. Macron was speaking at an event marking the 35th anniversary of Germany’s 1990 reunification, a moment of great optimism. Yet, like France, today’s polarised Germany faces an acute crisis of political faith.

Just look around. In elections last weekend, the Czech Republic followed Poland, Austria and other EU states in lurching towards the populist hard right, swept along on a rising tide of anti-establishment negativity. Support for opportunistic bigots who feed on fear, resentment and loss – while lacking credible policies on complex issues such as migration – is not an........

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