LETTERS Time will tell
Sir: Implicit in Francis Pike's article (`There's a smile on the face of the tigers', 15 March) is that the Asian example has something to teach Europe.
It has become tediously fashionable in conservative political circles in recent years to seize on 'the Asian challenge' as a weapon to attempt to browbeat those in Europe who believe that the sort of liberal social democracy that constitutes, to one degree or another, the European model, is a useful and advanced political model. It is true that an investment banker would find plenty of support for his own disaffection with this notion from the ruling class of Asia who currently enjoy all the advantages of the European ruling class of the late 19th century (cheap servants, great wealth, dynastic succession). However, whether this carries lessons for European public policy must surely be questionable.
It must be obvious that high growth rates in Asia are the greatly-to-be-welcomed sign that these people are enjoying the benefits of the same industrial development that has had such positive results in the West (greater longevity, lower infant mortality, less disease, more leisure time). It seems likely, however, that, notwithstanding cul- tural differences, as they become richer they will encounter some of the same prob- lems now faced by developed countries. Population growth will slow, the population will thereby age and women will gain eco- nomic power and probably choose to rene- gotiate their traditional role with all the attendant consequences. Political interest groups (unions, students, women) will gain in power and assert their interests and the current unchallenged legitimacy of the power structure will be called into question. Individualism (and probably its unattractive flip-side, selfishness) will grow, institutions (and institutional rigidities) will evolve and old buildings will no longer be torn down.
It is natural that the tycoons of Asia should be proud of their success and at the same time experience some schadenfreude at seeing their European ex-masters grap- pling with economic and social problems. It is not clear, however, that either Asia or the United States offer obvious lessons to Europe in its attempt to build a more just and prosperous society for the future.
David Harding
23 Elm Park Road, London SW3
Previous page
