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Meaning
This reads as a plea for serious dissent as a safeguard against self-satisfied power. Hitchens is saying opposition is useful when it is strong and principled, because it can expose bad decisions before they harden into policy. It lands in politics or any institution that grows insulated, where criticism is not noise but a necessary check.
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Who It Was Said To
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Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
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About Peter Hitchens
English author, broadcaster, journalist, and commentator
Peter Jonathan Hitchens is an English author, broadcaster, journalist, and commentator. He writes for The Mail on Sunday and has 105 quotes on this site. He worked as a foreign correspondent in both Moscow and Washington, D.C., and has also contributed to The Spectator, The American Conservative, The Guardian, First Things, Prospect, The Critic, and the New Statesman. His writing and commentary appear across politics and public affairs.
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