Sentence:  A state theatre, where it exists in a democratic country, is always a legacy from an autocratic past. If it be a worthy and well-managed theatre, to which popular sentiment is habituated, it is no doubt a highly desirable legacy. But for a democracy, and especially an Anglo-Saxon democracy, to set about creating such a theatre would be, I think, a <WSD>countersense</WSD>. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A nonsensical idea; a contradiction in terms; something that contradicts an established principle, architectural or musical style, etc.