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Notes -
Take it from the old liberal JS Mill:
Now, hes explaining this in terms of nationality, but I think its clear that this is far from the only reason why people may fail to form a united public opinion - and indeed, the modern US version is mostly not based on it. But the point is that this idea of liberalism and democracy as a dispute resolution mechanism is an extremely novel idea that even liberals and democrats would have told you wont work almost universally until 1900, and mostly until WW2. It was clear that such a government must express a common national spirit. Political competition that is not grounded in such is not campaigning, it is Realist pseudo-international relations, because you have indeed nothing to lose but your chains in going there.
We have started to claim it is unnecessary, and then slowly the rules-lawyers have nudged us to stop maintaining it, and the US is now beginning to see the effects of this.
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