Description
Hetherington gave three lectures: (1) The Political Aspect; (2) The Educational Aspect; (3) The Commonwealth in Africa. In his first lecture, he gave an overview of the issues confronting liberal democracy in Britain, including the tendency of politicians to battle for offices, not causes, thereby sacrificing the long-term good of the country for their own electoral gains. He also argued that while men's equal claim to consideration and rights must be a goal, it is only a goal and is not capable of full realization in the actual world. Addressing the function of government, he noted that experienced politicians understand that they must compromise to avoid impeding the functioning of government, living by two rules: government must be able to govern and opposition must not be ignored. He also outlined three other lines of power within the democratic state: impartial law court system, highly professional civil service, extensive and reliable news agency. These are all part of the democratic process. The problem, as he saw it, was that there was a growing amount of work for all three, and while the court system had readily adapted, in the civil service and the media the increased workload led to decreased standards. As a result, the press fails to show political and moral responsibiliity, only publishing what will see, and therefore losing its power as a political force. The safeguard against this, he stated, was the moral and intellectual fibre of the individual citizen, which depended upon public education. He further developed the improtance of education in democracy in his second lecture. Finally, his third lecture addressed the ongoing work of decolonization in Africa. He argued that the new nations of the continent required not only material support from the Commonwealth, but also to learn from others' experience in self-government and education. He particularly highlighted the work of universities established in Africa under the oversight of the University of London in the 1940s as both a symbol and instrument of independence, while warning against any attempts to recreate English universities in Africa. He advocated for Commonwealth scholars to dedicate some time to teaching in Africa, until that educational system became self-sufficient.
