Sunday Thoughts: Britain's Monastic Origins, solar (panel) storms, and the question of tolerance
Dear class mates. I’m back from pilgrimage and walking the Camino de Santiago. My spirit is lifted, my head cleared, and my jaw returning to its normal position after dropping upon seeing first hand the lives and legacies of two of Europe’s greatest cathedrals in Leon and Santiago de Compostela. The latter, and the many camino routes to the city, are a stark reminder that it was Christianity, and the Catholic church, that built Europe as we know it (or perhaps knew it until the 1960s).
On pilgrimage, you are frequently greeted by he European Union’s ‘European cultural itinerary’ signposts every 10 kilometres or so, which gives the false impression it takes stewardship of European cultural history seriously. Over and above your own spiritual reflections, it is possible to feel the civilisational importance of the pilgrimage route, particularly given that it is so close to many sights of the ‘Reconquista’, where northern Spanish Christian Kingdoms began the re-Christianisation of Spain following years of Arab and Islamic rule.
On the topic of civilisation, some of the best essays I read in the last week came from Sebastian Morello at The European Conservative on the influence of St. Benedict and his followers through the ages on the foundations of England, Britain, and, indeed, Europe:
Anyhow, I digress. As usual, in this week’s post you can find some interesting articles I’ve come across this week continue to chronicle the preoccupations of the political class and business leaders, and their effects. You’ll also find the popular Thinking Class clips of the week.
Please like, subscribe, share, re-stack any and all of what you like. The more of you who do, the faster the show grows.
Before we get going, a couple of testimonials on comments sections across various platforms.
Testimonials
On the episode with , which you can watch or listen to here on Substack:
@ashalivarma4623
1 day ago
Why do these shows not get a million. Viewers?
Why not help me get this to 10,000 views. My YouTube is currently at 3000.
On the episode with , which is popular this week, and you can watch here or listen to here on Substack.
@synesthesiagirl
Thank you so much for this fascinating and thoughtful interview! I'll definitely be checking out Dr Furedi's books!
Links and recommendations
Culture
The future belongs to right-wing progressives: conservatism is finished | Mary Harrington in UnHerd
Woke is not the problem - it is the symptom of something far worse |
on his Substack- on ending tolerance for the intolerant | GB News / X
- , who is frequently published in ’s Substack, are my other ‘must-reads’ of the week. All five essays are linked to the top of the first.
Two-thirds of young British Muslims oppose Israel’s right to exist | UnHerd
Government
Brussels conference hosting Farage and Braverman switches venue after ‘political pressure’ | The Telegraph
Economy
Storm damages world’s biggest floating solar plant | Times of India
Aerial Footage Shows Hundreds of Solar Panels Smashed by Hail in Texas | Yahoo News
The Half-Life of Local Support for Nuclear Power |
by and .
Education
Podcast
This week’s episode was with Paul Morland on falling birthrates and why it is not only political solutions that hold the key to demographic destiny in the West and beyond. Listen to the show here or watch the full episode here.
Here are some clips from the show.
Elizabeth Braw on the defence/military blindspots of ESG advocates was a popular clips this week. Listen to the full show here on Substack or watch it here:
The state of Britain seems to be on people’s minds right now. The conversation with Lionel Shriver’s is enduringly popular.
Lionel shares why she left Britain, why she feels sorry for Britons, and why she feels guilty about moving on. Listen to the show here, if you’d prefer. Otherwise, check out the YouTube show below:
What’s coming up next?
The next two podcasts to be released on the remaining Fridays of April are with David Goodhart on the preoccupations of the thinking classes and the future of the political landscape in Britain, and
on the prospect of a less authoritarian society.Next month, among other guests, you can expect to hear from Emma Wells on the lives and legacies of the greatest cathedrals in Europe and what drove the cultural elites who built them, and Sebastian Milbank, executive editor at The Critic, on the importance of self-governance and liberalism’s dark side.
Where else you can find me
Until next time, class mates.