Professor Robert Tombs is Professor Emeritus of French History at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of St John’s College. Robert is the author of That Sweet Enemy (2006, co-written with his wife Isabel), The English and Their History (2014), and the Sunday Times bestseller This Sovereign Isle: Britain In and Out of Europe.
In this episode, Robert and I think out loud about whether England and Britain are in decline, how England's national identity was formed, England's historical stability and contributions, why we should beware the rise of radical ideologies that seek to rewrite history, the importance of recognizing England's rich past in the current cultural and political landscapes, the complexities of the British constitution and whether we need a written constitution to safeguard ancient liberties, the cultural kinship between the Anglosphere and France, why we need to make a conscious effort to preserve cultural heritage, and much, much more.
I was delighted to get the opportunity to speak to Robert. His book the English and their history bowled me over and I remember him being a key influence on my own thinking about Brexit in the wake of the referendum in 2016. Robert is affable, gentlemanly, and as engaging in conversation as he is in written word.
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