- Theresa May, former prime minister of the U.K., on Tuesday spoke at Lehigh University
- It was part of the university's "Compelling Perspectives" lecture series
- May spoke about threats to national security and the importance of compromise in politics
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Theresa May had two words for Lehigh University students and other young adults considering a career in politics.
“Do it,” said May, former prime minister of the U.K. “It’s important that we see young people involved in politics that are interested in politics … But, above all, always remember — you must go into politics for the right reasons, and that must be public service.
“Because, as a politician, you are about changing people’s lives, about improving people’s lives. That’s about being a service to the people you represent.”
May spoke at Lehigh University Tuesday evening as the first lecturer in a new speaker series, “Compelling Perspectives,” at Zoellner Arts Center. Officials said the goal of the series, which has a national security theme, is to present diverse viewpoints on pressing social issues, with another speaker slated to give an opposing viewpoint later in the semester.
Over the hour-long event, May discussed the intersections of politics and technology with national security, touching on current events, before taking about a half dozen questions from the audience.
“Engaging respectfully with diverse viewpoints is pivotal for cultivating a healthy and productive society,” said Joseph J. Helble, Lehigh’s president. “Through programs like Compelling Perspectives, we aim to facilitate an exchange of ideas that not only promotes critical thinking but also nurtures an understanding and openness among our students, faculty, staff, alumni and our community.”
Who is Theresa May?
May served as the U.K.’s prime minister and leader of the conservative party from 2016 to 2019 but had been involved in politics for several decades prior. She was the second woman to serve as prime minister of the U.K.
“As prime minister, Mrs. May led negotiations with the European Union after the country's historic Brexit referendum,” according to Lehigh’s website. “She also oversaw the largest ever cash boost to the U.K.'s National Health Service and the largest expansion of mental health services in a generation.”
She also launched a 25-year environment plan, introducing legislation to end the U.K.'s contribution to global warming, according to the university. She established the first-ever Race Disparity Audit and published a Modern Industrial Strategy, helping to ensure that the jobs of the future are created across the country.
“During her time in Downing Street, the U.K.'s national debt fell; there were more people in work than ever before, and taxes were cut for 32 million people,” according to the university.
‘A slightly different way’
Asked, in her opinion, the greatest threat to national security that Western democracies face, May said, “I could spend the entire evening talking about this topic.”
“I think it’s very tempting, with a question like that, to leap immediately to an answer that relates, perhaps, to a country,” May said, citing Russia and China. “But I think we need to look at this issue in a slightly different way.”
First, officials need to be wary of “the potential impact” of tensions in the Middle East, especially in the wake of Hamas’ surprise attacks on Israel.
The Oct. 7 attack killed 1,400 people and has since led to more than 5,700 Palestinian deaths in Gaza, according to the Associated Press.
She also cited polarization in politics as a threat.
"Very often when you’re dealing with complex issues, you cannot be absolutist in your answers; you have to be able to compromise.”Theresa May, former prime minister of the U.K.
“I think there are some threats to democracy in the way you see the polarization of politics around the world, an absolutist view of politics,” May said. “And I think there’s a threat to national security in increasing isolationism around the world.
“In part, this was encouraged by the COVID pandemic. Countries withdrew within their own borders to deal with the pandemic rather than work together to deal with it.”
Defense depends for many countries on interdependence, she argued.
“If we were to see any withdrawal of countries from NATO, from that collective security, I think that would threaten national security,” she said.
Politics, she said, is based on compromise — the antithesis of an absolutist view.
“It’s part of this polarization that we see — it’s a sort of absolutist attitude,” she said. “ … You have to understand the values that underpin your politics, the values that underpin your decisions.
“But, very often when you’re dealing with complex issues, you cannot be absolutist in your answers; you have to be able to compromise.”
She worries about a world in which not only politics are absolutist, but the ability of social media become an echo chamber for a person’s views, showing them only what they already believe to be true.
“In politics, you need to debate things, you need to discuss things,” she said. “You need to respect somebody else’s opinion, but you have to argue your case with them respectfully.”
