Is British democracy seriously threatened by extremism, as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has alleged? If it is, then something must be done about it. But a touch of scepticism is always a useful antidote to knee-jerk government action, especially when policymaking is increasingly dictated by party politics rather than by what is best for the country. Indeed, democracy could just as easily be undermined by misconceived actions designed to curb extremism – or to please the voters, or to embarrass one’s opponents – rather than by extremism itself. Moral panics pass.