The audience at the Thinking Class event in London last month were given the chance to ask David Goodhart, Harrison Pitt and I questions following my provocation on England’s ills, the screening of a preview of my travelogue The Call of England, and our post-screening discussion,
An early questoon came from someone who argued the film was slanderous, that the English are the authors of modernity, not the charming country bumpkins I was allegedly presenting. He is, of course, right that we are the inventors of modernity but the argument I was making is that the same Faustian capacity became unmoored from the civic and religious frameworks that gave it direction and has consumed us. The financialisation of the United Kingdom, which he championed, for example, has hollowed us out. I didn’t make that response clearly enough.
There are four exchanges within the video that are particularly interesting, including that particular challenge, the question of whether the right has become incapable of discussing anything beyond demographics, the question of fertility and faith, and what Harrison (and Restore Britain) thinks would be possible when communities resist the deportations his party has proposed.
This is the edited highlight of an hour-long Q&A (it was meant to be half an hour) following a screening of Episode 4 of The Call of England and a panel discussion with David Goodhart and Harrison Pitt.
This conversation covers:
— The early challenge: are we celebrating white flight from cities (frankly, I’m quite puzzled as to where he got this notion from)? Are the English charming country bumpkins or the inventors of modernity and can both be true?
— Is the British right incapable of discussing anything beyond demographics and what comes after demographic security anyway?
— Could looming demographic change actually trigger a spiritual and fertility recovery or is that wishful thinking?
— What happens when communities physically resist deportation? Harrison Pitt’s unfiltered answer.
Find David Goodhart’s work:
- The Road to Somewhere: https://amzn.to/4dxVILh
- The British Dream: https://amzn.to/4ndzW3N
Find Harrison Pitt’s work:
- Restore Britain: restorebritain.co.uk
- The European Conservative: theeuropeanconservative.com
About Thinking Class: Thinking Class is a long-form interview podcast exploring the cultural, historical, and moral forces shaping England, Britain, and the wider Western world. Hosted by John Gillam, the show features serious conversations with thinkers, historians, and commentators grappling honestly with the condition of our civilisation.
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