STARKVILLE — When former United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron recalls flying once on Air Force One with former United States President Barack Obama, he remembers how tired he was.
“It was 3 a.m. in the U.K.,” Cameron said. “I hadn’t slept for about 18 hours. He said, ‘David, you look a little peaky. Why don’t you use my bed?’ And he opened a door in the front of the plane to reveal a double bed in the nose of Air Force One. I lay down on the blanket emblazoned with the White House crest, and he proceeded to tuck me in. I’m not making this up. He says to me as he did, ‘I bet that (Franklin) Roosevelt never did this for (Winston) Churchill.’”
Cameron served as the U.K. prime minister from 2010-16 as leader of the conservative party. He championed Scotland staying in the U.K. and was against Britain leaving the European Union.
On Tuesday evening, Cameron visited the Magnolia State for the first time when he spoke at Mississippi State University as part of its Student Association’s Global Lecture Series, the first installment of the event in two years.
Roughly 1,000 people filed into Lee Hall’s Bettersworth Auditorium to hear the former world leader speak about the value of democracy and the next generation of leaders.
Cameron said though the free world’s democracies seem steady and strong, the modern form of democracy could be more delicate than thought, and it is only valuable if everyone in the democracy has a voice.
“Democracy, full-on democracy, is really worth fighting for,” Cameron said. “Think of the birthright you have as Americans. You choose your leaders. You can speak as you choose. No one can take away your life, liberty or property without due process. These things are incredibly valuable, but here’s the thing: They are only truly valuable if they belong to everyone in your country, including people who don’t look like you, don’t think like you, don’t agree with you. Democracy isn’t just about your team winning. It’s about how we conduct politics, how we respect one another, how we respect rules and uphold standards.”
The former PM then gave four tips for preserving democracy: Don’t give up on international collaboration, on free trade and the global economy, on seeing good in political opponents and reaching across the political aisle, and on the truth.
“I know you are tired of being the world’s policeman,” Cameron said regarding international collaboration. “Do you think the cost of intervening overseas has been high? I can tell you this: The cost of pulling up the drawbridge is even higher. Yes, we are paying the price for helping Ukraine and punishing (Vladimir) Putin — high gas prices, bigger utility bills and maybe more taxes as we support the country with military hardware and resources. But if we gave up and let Putin win, he wouldn’t stop there, and the war we’d end up fighting would be even more costly in dollars and human life.”
Cameron said social media has positives, such as connecting people in unimaginable ways, but it also has a dark side. Because of the widespread use of social media, people see what they want and start to believe what they want. But there is no alternative truth, he said.
“There is no ‘my truth’ or ‘your truth,’” Cameron said. “There is only ‘the’ truth. There is fact, and there is fiction. There’s plenty of great fiction — this is the home of John Grisham, after all. But there are no alternative facts.”
In a question-and-answer session moderated by Sid Salter, MSU’s chief communications officer, Cameron spoke more on the Russia-Ukraine War and how it has unified the Western world with countries supporting Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.
He said it is important to stick together with other countries against Russia’s force against Ukraine, or it would be the same as giving in to Adolf Hitler in the 1930s.
Cameron said relations between the U.K. and U.S. have always been important and as the world changes it is up to the next generation to continue the relationship.
“We have our arguments — not every president and every prime minister is going to get along, but ultimately the things we care about … are the same values, the same principles,” Cameron said. “… In my speeches, I always talk in America about how much we need you to stay involved because it must be so frustrating and annoying for you to have to pay the price, to bear this burden. Without you, the world would be a much more difficult and dangerous place.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 44 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
