Max Hastings: Navigating the perils of populism – A call for truth in a divided world

In the aftermath of World War I, Field Marshal Sir William Robertson imparted timeless wisdom to schoolboys: "Tell the truth. Think of others. And don't dawdle." Today, however, a distorted reality prevails, with truth subjective and dawdling hailed as work-life balance. Populist leaders exploit division, threatening democracy in the US and Europe. The rise of fake news, amplified by social media, and the erosion of trust challenge the foundations of liberal democracy. Amid this tumult, a collective commitment to truth-telling becomes the antidote to the perils of populism.

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How the Populists Learned to Love Their Nations' Enemies: Max Hastings

By Max Hastings

Shortly after the First World War, Field Marshal Sir William Robertson delivered a speech at a school prize-giving. Robertson was an unusual man, the only soldier to have risen from private to the army's highest rank. Moreover, in the recent cataclysm he had been one of the few military leaders to have shown some imagination.

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