When Does Opposition Become Loyal?

Modern democracies often describe organised opposition as essential to liberty. Earlier political traditions were far more suspicious: faction could mean private interest, sedition, civil war and the collapse of political authority.

Paul de Rapin de Thoyras wrote at a turning point. After the Glorious Revolution, Whig and Tory divisions appeared permanent. Rapin did not celebrate factional passion, but he suggested that historically rooted disagreement could become compatible with liberty when moderated through constitutional institutions.

Read and listen first

Read: Rapin: The Forgotten Historian of Party on The Intellectual Historian.

Listen: Continue with the Beyond the Text episode, “Moderation and Memory: Rapin de Thoyras and the Making of English Party.”

Opening question

When does opposition strengthen a constitution, and when does it begin to endanger the political order it claims to defend?

Discussion prompts

• Does loyal opposition require agreement on constitutional fundamentals?
• Can intense party competition restrain power, or does it inevitably place party before the public good?
• Who decides whether opposition is legitimate criticism, obstruction or sedition?
• Is moderation primarily a matter of institutions, political character or both?
• Does Rapin’s distinction between regulated disagreement and destructive faction illuminate politics today?

Use these questions as a starting point, or bring your own interpretation. No account or prior expertise is required to contribute.