I've always been a fan of the Overton Window. It's not a piece of glass but a political theory named after the conservative American political analyst, Joseph P Overton. He argued that for leaders and campaigners there are certain policy ideas that the general public finds completely outside a "window" of what is acceptable to debate. Such ideas are seen as crazy or extreme, but with courage and political skill, that can change. In Saudi Arabia, the idea of women driving cars was once clearly outside the "window". Now Saudi leaders have moved the "window" of what is acceptable, and their new policy may result in many other changes.
For American and European leaders the last big shift in the "window" of acceptability came in the 1980s. Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher argued against big government spending, the power of trades unions and for the privatisation of nationalised industries. Reagan said he wanted not merely to "contain" Russia but to roll back what he called its "evil empire." These ideas were once thought extreme, but as a result of Reagan-Thatcher leadership, they became mainstream. Thatcher correctly pointed out that her biggest triumph was not that her ideas were accepted by her allies on the political Right, but also by her opponents on the Left.
And now the window is moving again. The strong showing of Alternativ für Deutschland (AfD) in the recent German elections means the unthinkable: a far-right German political party now has a large parliamentary presence in the Bundestag (even if most Germans still find the AfD utterly unacceptable). In Britain, the Labour party is proposing a massive programme to renationalise what Thatcher and her successors privatised -- British state-controlled assets such as the railways, public utilities and so on. Such policies were once described as "looney left" but are now quite popular in Britain.
But something else has shifted, and it is the window of acceptability not merely for policies but of behaviours once regarded as extreme or crazy. Donald Trump has so far failed to turn his policy ideas into law, but he has succeeded in shifting the window of what, apparently, is acceptable to say. It used to be unthinkable for a president of the United States to describe some protesting US football stars using derogatory terms. Not any more. The right wing cable news anchor Tucker Carlson claimed in the past week that "calling someone a racist used to be a big deal". Not any more, he seems to think. And American commentators are struggling to think of any precedent for a president threatening, in the case of North Korea, not just to destroy a regime, but to destroy and entire country.
In Britain the window of what is regarded by some as acceptable language has been shifting too. A former colleague, Laura Kuenssberg, currently the BBC's political editor, received so many threats on social media that the BBC was forced to assign a bodyguard to keep her safe at the Labour party conference last week. Other prominent women in public life including female MPs from different parties have been targets for despicable abuse including threats of rape and murder. All this behaviour was unthinkable just a few years ago.
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The "window" of acceptability has moved in other ways too. It's hardly new that ever since Niccolo Machiavelli published The Prince in 1532, political leaders have been known to lie. But never has deceit, spin and falsehoods seemed quite so shameless and when compared with the facts even absurd. A British trade union leader told the Labour party conference last week that they "won" the 2017 general election. They didn't. Labour won many votes and many new friends but lost the election. Donald Trump's staff chose to tell the world about enormous crowds at his inauguration. Anyone watching on television could see that the crowds were lower than previous years. Britain's foreign secretary Boris Johnson has been repeating simply incorrect claims about the amount of money Britain contributes to the European Union. His misuse of statistics has repeatedly been corrected by others. Most worrying of all, some research suggests that when experts, statisticians and others do correct these factually wrong claims, many voters simply do not care. The Overton Window appears to have moved so far that facts are not important to millions of people. That's a great pity.
We need to move the Overton Window of what's acceptable back to facts, to politely disagreeing rather than being abusive, to ending intimidation of women and others in public life. We need to create a sense of shame about racism, and about leaders who deliberately mislead and lie. If Saudi Arabia can, at its own pace, embrace a very significant reform, surely it cannot be too much to expect other countries to move the Overton Window too? We have moved towards ignorance and violent language. The time has come to move the window back to a more civilised public discourse.
Gavin Esler is a journalist, television presenter and author
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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'C'mon C'mon'
Director:Mike Mills
Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman
Rating: 4/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday, February 8 v Kenya; Friday, February 9 v Canada; Sunday, February 11 v Nepal; Monday, February 12 v Oman; Wednesday, February 14 v Namibia; Thursday, February 15 final
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'Peninsula'
Stars: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Ra
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Rating: 2/5
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
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