Sir, – Your pessimistic editorial ("Democracy in retreat", December 29th) on the state of western democracy is misjudged, and the mistake is predicated on a single assumption: that a swing to the right is somehow, in and of itself, "regressive". Thus, you ask, "has democracy had its day?", when what you really mean is, "has socialism had its day?" Maybe it has, and maybe it hasn't, but the two are not synonymous. – Yours, etc,
DAVID SMITH,
Artane,
Dublin 5.
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Sir, – The conclusion reached in your editorial of December 29th about the “retreat” of democracy that “not all hope is lost” is complacent.
The all-powerful internet media brought us Trump, Brexit, the revival of European fascism and the expansion of totalitarianism world-wide.
That is set to continue, and the present generation does not have the perspective to realise that we are repeating the mistakes of the 1930s.
The future does not look good. – Yours, etc,
A LEAVY,
Sutton,
Dublin 13.