Author Daniel Hannan has asserted that there is an asymmetry in how political opponents react to death, arguing that the left is more prone to reveling in the demise of their political adversaries than the right.
Hannan cites the public reactions to the deaths of former politician Ann Widdecombe and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as examples. He notes that while many of Widdecombe's friends, including those from the LGBT community, expressed grief, figures like Peter Tatchell and publications such as the Socialist Worker responded with criticism and animosity. Similarly, Hannan recalls the widespread celebrations and merchandise following Thatcher's death.
He contrasts this with the hypothetical response from the right to the deaths of left-wing figures like Gordon Brown or Sir Keir Starmer, suggesting such gleeful reactions would be unimaginable.
To explain this phenomenon, Hannan turns to the work of philosopher Roger Scruton, who suggested that conservatives can be friends with socialists because they view them as mistaken, whereas socialists perceive conservatives as evil. Hannan further explores behavioral psychology, referencing social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. He proposes that differences in moral intuitions contribute to these divergent reactions. While conservatives, he argues, integrate multiple moral intuitions (freedom, fairness, sanctity, loyalty), left-wing individuals are predominantly driven by sympathy for the underdog. This singular focus, Hannan suggests, can lead to a worldview where disagreement with one's own moral stance implies malice towards the groups one champions.
Hannan posits that this difference in moral intuition means that those on the left may struggle to comprehend how individuals can share their goals of improving society while disagreeing on specific issues or approaches. He concludes by questioning what the widespread negative reactions to figures like Thatcher and Widdecombe, if they were truly as terrible as detractors claim, would say about the country as a whole.
