Before he faced the crowd to discuss the topic of Democracy Is Not Worth Dying For, David Runciman – the celebrated podcaster and Cambridge professor of politics – joked to me and our fellow panellist, Masha Gessen: “The answer is obviously ‘no, it’s not’ so why don’t we all just agree and go home?”
Gessen, the formidable Russian-American journalist, smiled in agreement. We were about to address the Festival of Dangerous Ideas in Sydney. Most of those in the audience had come to hear these intellectual superstars define the limits of political self-sacrifice; I cheerfully served as a bolt-on historian. Gessen described democracy as an indefinable “dream” and said they agreed with Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, (“words I never thought I’d say”) that they’d only be willing to give their life for their children.
