American libertarian academic Dr Tom Palmer took time out from a mini lecture tour to Kings College London and the LSE and gave a popular lunchtime talk at QE.
Active since the 1970s in promoting classical liberal ideas, he decried what he saw as the recent decline in American democracy, but expressed his beliefs that, with the application of optimism it can be successfully renewed, and that all democracies must constantly look to renewal to avoid decline and collapse.
In answer to questions from the boys, he also spoke of the importance of trying to undo damage done by Brexit and of cutting UK Government expenditure.
Politics teacher John Haswell said: “Dr Palmer delivered a compelling talk about the meaning of freedom and democracy, and the rise of authoritarianism. At the heart of his talk was the centrality of open discussion, the exchange of ideas and the importance of persuasion.”
The invitation to QE came about after Senior Vice-Captain Vu-Lam Le-Nguyen met Dr Palmer at an event organised by the John Locke Institute. QE’s well-attended talk in The Robert Dudley Studio was organised by Vu-Lam and his fellow Year 12 student, Keshav Aggarwal.
Dr Palmer travelled across Eastern Europe during the collapse of the USSR, facilitating seminars and distributing writings and resources. A Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and Executive Vice President for International Programs at the Atlas Network, where he holds the George M Yeager Chair for Advancing Liberty, he has collaborated with NGOs and thinktanks worldwide on topics such as free trade, civil society, and individual rights. He drew upon these experiences in a talk which, with explanations and arguments grounded in academic theory, had the feel of a university lecture.
He spoke about the nature of democracy and its importance. The majority of the world’s population do not live in democracies, he pointed out. It is not enough to call yourself a democracy, or even to hold elections if the outcome is essentially already known.
Democracies are not the natural state of mankind, he added, highlighting the “error” made by George Bush and Tony Blair when they supposed in 2003 that simply deposing Saddam Hussein would see Iraq “transform itself into Oregon or Belgium or Britain or Japan. That did not happen.”
He outlined some of the characteristics of democracy, including: a loyal opposition; no fear that if you lose an election you will be arrested or killed; limited power; freedom of speech, or equal speech. He stressed that democracy is ‘government by discussion’.
As an individual, you have to listen to the other side and understand their arguments in order to truly know an issue. He also explored the nature of the law, drawing a distinction between ‘rule by law’ and the ‘rule of law’.
A development economist by training, he explained how important it is to understand local culture and context to create appropriate policies. Local knowledge and processes might not make immediate sense to an outsider, but there are often good reasons for those processes, perhaps based on local geography. You cannot just impose western methods and expect them to work, he said.
He has a PhD in politics from Oxford University, where he was an H B Earhart Fellow and President of the Oxford Hayek Society.
Dr Palmer is the author of books including Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice and the editor of volumes such as The Morality of Capitalism, Why Liberty, and Peace, Love & Liberty. His writing spans major newspapers and academic journals, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Foreign Policy, Ethics, and the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy.
In the short Q&A at the end, he was asked what advice he would give the UK Government regarding the economy. He suggested:
- Trying to undo some of the damage caused by Brexit by reducing trade friction with the European continent. He noted that there were reasonable people and arguments on both sides of the Brexit debate, but that things had not worked out as some of the more optimistic Brexiteers had imagined.
- Cutting government expenditure. The UK government is spending too much, leading to higher taxes, which then impact growth, he said. He acknowledged it is difficult and that tough choices are needed, but it is necessary and the job of government to build the narrative.
The new independent school, which will open in August 2026, will be in Gurugram – a satellite city of Delhi in the northern Indian state of Haryana that is known as a financial and technology hub.
QE Barnet Headmaster Neil Enright said: “We are delighted to have this opportunity to offer a rounded and enriching QE education to children in India, spreading opportunity and supporting students to become the leaders of their generation. Our school in Barnet is built upon the high levels of aspiration, dedication and active engagement of our Elizabethan community, and these are values that we think will resonate strongly in Gurugram.
Caroline Pendleton-Nash, Chief Executive Officer of Queen Elizabeth’s Global Schools, said, “The opening of Queen Elizabeth’s School in Gurugram is another landmark moment for our organisation.
Head of Digital Teaching and Learning Michael Noonan said: “We recognise the importance of digital literacy and critical thinking – and this competition is very effective at developing both.
“Their QE journey has been a fantastically successful one; they have been chosen to be form captains, sports captains, junior prefects, and now senior prefects. Their talents were obvious from their first year with us, and they have picked a number of prizes at our awards ceremonies over the years.”