The Monocle Minute

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) used to be a meeting of supposedly traditional evangelical US conservatives that dictated its priorities to election candidates – not the other way around. But when Donald Trump walks up to the podium as the headline speaker on Saturday evening, he’ll be addressing a transformed gathering, one that largely caters to his whims.

CPAC’s previous status made it matter to conservatives. When I first attended the conference in the run-up to 2012’s presidential election, it was a proving ground for Republican hopefuls. Mitt Romney, who was then in a close race against Rick Santorum, referred to himself as “severely conservative” as he worked the audience. His victory in a straw poll of attendees helped to revive his candidacy.

This year the event might just about get a coup if Trump were to endorse a national ban on abortion after 16 weeks of pregnancy. But beyond that, does anyone expect Trump to extol the virtues of marriage and family values? Not to mention that the straw poll this time will likely be overshadowed by a new polling question – who should be Trump’s vice-president? – that presages the outcome of the first. His rival Nikki Haley appears not to have been invited, while Liz Truss, Nigel Farage and Javier Milei are among the curious assortment of international attendees.

This focus on the populist strand of conservatism should matter even more in a two-party system. Whether liberal or conservative, every ideology (and the various competing factions within it) deserves to be heard. Neoconservatives, evangelical conservatives, free-marketeers, libertarians and, last but not least, pro-democracy activists should have the opportunity to challenge their party’s candidate, not take his views lying down. The problem with the US political right today is that it has been hijacked by a dismissive populist who isn’t above ridiculing opponents within his own party, let alone those on the other side. CPAC needs to stand up and be heard.

Christopher Cermak is Monocle Radio’s senior news editor. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

Australia has announced plans to build 15 new warships and increase its defence spending by an additional AU$11.1bn (€6.7bn) over the next 10 years. The plans will upgrade the navy’s fleet from 11 to 26 ships, its largest number since the end of the Second World War. The announcement comes during a time of geopolitical tension between the US, Russia and China in the Indo-Pacific region.

The latest funding would bring the total cost of Australia’s defence spending to 2.4 per cent of GDP, which is above the 2 per cent target set by its Nato allies. Though the country is ready to expand its naval fleet, past defence projects have often been beset by policy changes and government U-turns. Let’s see whether it manages to turn the boat around.

The Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport in Salerno, Italy, will begin operating as a commercial terminal in July. The site, which has previously been used as a military base and flying school, will be updated to include new passenger facilities and an extended runway.

Though locals fear that the coastal destination could become overcrowded, the improved connections will at least relieve some of the pressure on Naples International Airport, which processes more than five million tourists heading to the Amalfi Coast every year. It is also the main point of access to Italy’s islands. The airport is expected to be under development until 2043, when it will be able to process six million passengers a year.

For more on the Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport, tune in to ‘The Globalist’ on Monocle Radio at 07.00 London time.

We head to London’s Tate Modern gallery for Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind. The UK’s largest-ever exhibition on the work of the artist and activist, it brings together her performances, films, music, photography and more. Robert Bound speaks to its curator, Juliet Bingham, arts journalist Andrew Male and broadcaster Jennifer Lucy Allan.