Political debate in liberal democracies does not take place within a free marketplace of ideas, but on a playing field tilted in favour of power. In these societies, where a degree of public consent is required to govern, power means not only control over economic resources or the means of violence and coercion, but also the ability to dominate, and so shape, political discourse.
The parameters within which discourse is conducted are in many ways more important than the debate itself. Whether deliberately or otherwise, the service often provided by the corporate media, well-funded think tanks and prestigious academics is to set the terms of discussion, defining its boundaries, priorities and assumptions in a way that renders the ensuing debate safe, unchallenging, even useful.
