ARC (Alliance for Responsible Citizenship) is based on the profound truth: politicians alone cannot solve problems of our age because they originate in cultural malaise and blunder. The frustration of the people and the ineptitude of the politicians go to deeper afflictions that must be addressed at source. No institution exists to do the job – hence ARC.

ARC’s chief executive, Baroness Philippa Stroud, sketched the scale of ambition: “Decline is not inevitable. Life can be a glorious adventure. We are at a crossroads when our nations must choose what ideas will animate our public life and philosophy in the years to come.

“The time has come for a better story; one that reconnects us with the original inspiration of our civilisation. We believe we can see families flourish, our economies grow, innovation accelerate, freedom established, a culture of responsibility restored and our civilisation set once again on the pursuit of the true, the good and the beautiful.”

The driving force behind ARC is the recognition that Western soci­eties are increasingly divided and diminished, plagued by a crisis of meaning, weakened by ineffective governments, suffering from a loss of trust in institutions and beset by a fracture between powerful elites and alienated publics.

What makes ARC unique is that it seeks to tackle the malaise at the level of culture and is an international movement because the malaise transcends borders.

It is neither a political party nor a religious movement. But under Stroud’s guidance – where she opens the cultural lens wide – it evokes the foundational idea of liberal civilisation: humans made in God’s image.

As a necessity ARC has no prescribed platform and issues no communiques.

its promotion of climate catastrophe; its renewable ideology driving soaring energy prices; its hostility to resources development; its indifference to the collapse in fertility and the coming demographic crisis;

[quote author=Frank link=1617800791/469#469 date=1747960999]
Western societies are WEIRD.  That is to say they are Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD), as described by psychologists Joseph Henrich, Steven Heine, and Ara Norenzayan in their seminal work The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous.

Western people are a psychological and cultural outlier, exhibiting traits and behaviors that diverge significantly from those found in most other cultures, particularly those traits in Muslim societies.

WEIRD individuals tend to prioritize individualism over collectivism, analytical reasoning over holistic thinking, and impersonal trust over clan-based loyalty.  These traits manifest in a cultural emphasis on personal achievement, abstract moral principles, and openness to strangers—attributes that are not universal norms.  For example, while many non-WEIRD societies, such as those in the Muslim world, emphasize familial and communal obligations, WEIRD cultures often celebrate individual choice and self-expression. This psychological orientation fosters innovation and economic prosperity but also sets WEIRD populations apart in their approach to social relationships and decision-making.
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Maybe Western WEIRDness owes something, too, to the distinctive way that the Western mind sees the world, thanks to an intellectual inheritance from three cities of antiquity; Athens, Jerusalem, and Rome.

From Athens, the West inherited Greek philosophy, which introduced the idea that reason can unlock the mysteries of the world and that natural laws govern its workings, accessible through rational inquiry.

From Jerusalem came the Jewish concept of a singular God and the profound idea that each person is created b’tzelem Elohim—in the image of God.  In Judeo-Christian thought, this imbues every individual with inherent worth, forming the foundation of individualism. It also suggests that each person possesses free will, with the capacity to align with or diverge from the divine will.

From Rome, the West received its framework of law, interwoven with echoes of Greek philosophical ideals.

This inheritance from antiquity reconciles reason and religion.  Far from being at odds, the two can coexist: understanding the natural laws that govern the universe does not negate the divine but complements it.  The existence of such laws aligns with the concept of a purposeful intelligent design.  Revelation is not opposed to reason but achieved through it.

Muslim societies have an entirely different way of looking at the world.

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The number of Muslims in Britain has doubled in 20 years, up from 3 percent of the population in 2001 to more than 6 percent today.  Projections suggest Muslims could make up 13-17% of the population by 2050.

Forty three percent of British Muslims want “the introduction of Sharia law,” while only 22% opposed it, according to a 2016 survey by Policy Exchange.  Support for Sharia was even stronger among Muslims in London (49%), where Muslims now make up 15 percent of the population.

If America had the same proportion of Muslims that Britain now has, with a similar percentage in favor of Sharia law, there would be 9 million Muslims in America wanting Sharia, a number larger than the population of most US states.

A Henry Jackson Society Poll in 2024 found that 32 percent of British Muslims would like to see Sharia law within the next 20 years.

Australia had 1 million Muslims in 2024. If 40 % of them wants sharia, that is 400,000 people. More than the population of Tasmania or the ACT or Newcastle or Wollongong.