Nigel Biggar: 'The left doesn’t mean what it says' | SpectatorTV

Nigel Biggar, from the University of Oxford, says a new progressive has emerged, which is far more cynically-motivated than the old kind. These new progressives back fashionable, left-wing causes for money, and because their thinking is founded in a kind of warped Christianity. To explain, Nigel joins Cindy Yu.
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[@peterforsythe3643]

As a Honggkonger for 40 plus years, I can say that the people here definitely preferred the “horrid colonialists”, than the Motherland..... Around 09:25 ADDED: Hong Kong ONLY exists because of the Brits...

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

Travelled extensively through Africa several decades ago, from London to Cape Town, and the old timers all said exactly the same thing: It was much better when the British were around.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

There was a lot of good will towards Britain: all destroyed over the last ten years by the BBC.

[@Stock--Rosso]

Creating the illusion of injustice in pursuit of control, is justified as righteous by every dictator throughout history.

[@hazelwray4184]

'is justified righteous'?

[@GrumpaGladstone1809]

Short for "justified as righteous" probably.

[@frankgradus9474]

Well worth a read: Who sympathizes with the Palestinians and how? Andrzej Koraszewski

[@GrumpaGladstone1809]

​@@frankgradus9474❤

[@brianmidmore2221]

We need to be humble enough to accept that aspects of the British Empire were good. Its only the proud that wallow in false humility.

[@Marktb363]

Nigel is a gentleman and a scholar! 🙂

[@gerardgearon4206]

😀

[@micahdembo5140]

Very interesting. I have had very similar experiences at Boston U. We are long gone down a very dark avenue. I am pessimistic.

[@williamvorkosigan5151]

The British Empire was the greatest net force for good the world has ever seen.

[@mayankimmortal]

lie to yourself

[@philiplindley7384]

And has been instrumental in creating the most advanced civilisation yet to be seen on this planet.

[@mayankimmortal]

@@philiplindley7384 😂 😂 😂 😂

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

@@mayankimmortal- Can you name a better force for good than the British Empire? No, thought not.

[@mayankimmortal]

@@sirrathersplendid4825 haha, good for Britain you mean?

[@MountainRhode]

Time to wrestle the microphone away from these immature ideologues now.

[@user-cd9zp5tn7s]

The lives of the "colonised" were no different than most of ours, ignored for the most part and certainly forgotten, embroiled in poverty while being subjects of the largest and wealthiest empire the world has ever seen.

[@oliverc1961]

This is an exceptional interview. Congratulations, Nigel. Your book is marvellous.

[@sebastianverney7851]

This man is outspoken. He tackles the virulent hypocrisy raging through our societies today. We need him right now.

[@buchanfoulsham6314]

😂🤣

[@sebastianverney7851]

@@buchanfoulsham6314 thanks for providing such a perfect illustration.

[@michaelcoward1902]

Boris Johnson was outspoken...Liz truss was outspoken...Cummings was outspoken. When are you idiots going to stop falling for this stupid trick that keeps getting played on you?

[@turbolevo8703]

@@buchanfoulsham6314 Emoji are glyphs for the inarticulate.

[@mrb1380]

The British Empire was awesome... end of! Yes it did terrible things, but it also achieved much and civilised the modern world we live in today. It has been a net force for good and during the time of Empires much better be part of Britain's than say the French, Spanish or Belgian equivalents.

[@nottheonlydreamer9512]

What the Belgians did with the Congo Free State was truly evil. And look at where the EU HQ is located now... amusing coincidence

[@martycrow]

I really admire and appreciate Cindy Yu's preparation, careful and nuanced questioning, and open manner. Well done!

[@anyakirby2014]

Just finished the Nigel Biggar’s book. Absolutely brilliant ! I learnt an enormous amount and lots of completely misleading cliches were crushed. Highly recommend to anyone. Very academic though. Lots of other views are represented too.

[@SuperLkelley]

very good interview - thank you.

[@scatton61]

If we are all responsible for all of the bad things our empire did in the past then it makes sense that we are all responsible for all of the good things as well. We are not complaining of the impact of the Roman Empire because we are intelligent enough that we can see how we have benefitted from it.

[@NorfolkSceptic]

19:00 It is deeper. It's that old, old problem! Tolstoy, 1898: I know that most men - not only those considered clever, but even those who are clever and capable of understanding the most difficult scientific, mathematical or philosophical problems - can seldom discern even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as obliges them to admit the falsity of conclusions they have formed, perhaps with much difficulty - conclusions of which they are proud, which they have taught to others, and on which they have built their lives. Unfortunately, most of those with the responsibility and influence have Arts and Humanities degrees, oblivious to any scientific, mathematical or logistical obstacles to their reasoning.

[@Shadow_Surge]

Tbh, I agree that they were a fair amount of positive aspects to the British Empire, and I'm Irish. That should tell you something, even if a lot my countrymen don't want to admit it.

[@niguel4438]

Excellent interview thank you. Especially as it ends on a positive note. Let’s hope the worm is starting to turn.

[@carltaylor6452]

Biggar namechecks the positive developments of the Free Speech Union and the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act. There is also the proliferation of the groups Academics for Academic Freedom (AFAF) and Alumni for Academic Freedom, which are expanding into universities across the UK.

[@granthayter-menzies8602]

Fascinating book and most enjoyable interview - thank you.

[@rustshoo5068]

I sat down with a good old mug of tea to watch this, and I immensely enjoyed it. The interviewer was excellent, has a lovely turn of phrase in her concise building-up to a question, and it looked as if Mr Biggar, crikey Professor, enjoyed himself. Probably relieved that the youth of today, his interviewer, are a great hope , still, too. It’s shocking, however, that good old academics in times past, when they used to reminisce about their naughtiness at school, now are being castigated as if they are back in time, back at school. There seemed to be a flash of pain very briefly etched across Prof Biggar’s face when he twice or thrice referred to that December 2016 or 2017 moment when he was ganged up on, not by the big bad boys, but by the big bad fellow teachers and all their haughtiness. I recently watched Shadowlands with Anthony Hopkins playing C.S. Lewis in his years as an Oxford professor, and the hearty talk he and his fellow academics had in the local wood-panelled pub. There was good cheer to be had. Do these types today still have good cheer? Or are they all divided into hard-wired cliques? Anyway, it seems as if our good professor here performed a tactical retreat, recovered, and counter-attached. Just like Blighty in 1940/41!

[@rustshoo5068]

I’ll just add that Prof Biggar’s description of a trip near Mount Etna was a surprise: as he recounted it, I was anticipating an ancient Roman or Greek ruin to be highlighted for whatever significance it might bring to our modern vexed discourse on power and privilege and sin and guilt and all the rest. But no, it was the engraved message on a young Canadian soldier’s headstone that, as it turns out, speaks volumes, not just about the truth of things, but about our utter foolishness.

[@asturianaenmuros]

Excellent interview, many thanks to The Spectator and to Professor Nigel Biggar. And I have the book. Bought it months ago.

[@joedennehy386]

Speaking from the colonial outpost of New Zealand, life expectancy has doubled here, i dont see a problem

[@ThatMans-anAnimal]

Perhaps that is the problem? No, probably not.

[@helentarry2692]

Excellent interview. Exceptional.

[@johnwoods7650]

The Scots asked to join the English and Welsh in their empire.

[@fraserbailey6347]

Exactly. But when you inform Scots about the Darien Scheme that bankrupted Scotland, and which led to their asking to join the UK, they are totally unaware of this basic historical fact, the most important fact in Scottish history. But nobody know anything anymore. The results are all around you.

[@martycrow]

We need to to challenge and dismantle this new (30 years +?) brand of grievance based politics underpinned by weak, misguided or misdirected understanding of the real issues. He is right in addressing how there is 'brass in muck'.

[@ozachar]

Amazingly interesting perspective. The broader history of imperialism. Was Helenism all bad and wrong? Was the Assirian empire all wrong. Where the Roman empire all wrong doing? Where the 18th-19th century Othoman empire all despicable? Then, with all mistakes and various historical period off putting values (as all ancient periods are to us today), why look at Western 19th-20th century colonialism in different ways?

[@omahhumvajragurupadmasiddhihum]

Outstanding conversation. Also, i really love the accent of the Spectator's hosts 😸

[@johnmoorefilm]

Very interesting man , expert.

[@4greendeep6]

The study of history is very important. But rehashing all the mistakes of past human experience and assigning blame is a deeply insane framework for addressing current problems of today’s societies. This is all being pushed by the Progressive Left, who are affluent and adrift, looking for a purpose.

[@joycegifford8826]

Colonialism A Moral Reckoning is an challenging book to read. Challenging ones worldview is always a difficult thing to do. However, it is a worth while endeavor. Thank you.

[@danhall9197]

0:08 Please change the title to The View From 22 with Cindy Yu. It rolls off the tongue much better!

[@christopherbrookfield4785]

Cindy Yu. She is sweeter and nicer and far, far superior and worthwhile than any amount of chocolate, or ice cream, goo. I love her! That first bit kind of rhymed a bit. I shall await my T S Eliot Poetry Prize. ❤❤❤

[@TimCCambridge]

👍👍Violent-Kindness... some folk just want it both ways.

[@murkzmontana]

Why is it okay to accept that the empire did good collectively but not collectively accept the bad

[@adriennefried5368]

Interesting

[@michaelcoward1902]

"I know you are but what am I" - the spectator 2023

[@patriciayeiser6405]

Oh yes it does. It does what it says it is going to do.

[@williebobs3830]

r u drunk ?.

[@i.m.gurney]

For me, the underlying drive stems from a desire to redirect, or at least slow, academic revelation, the continuing enlightenment of humanity. A desire to defend the concept of deity.

[@i.m.gurney]

Academia is set to & arguably already, furnishing humanity with the comprehensive knowledge of everything, omnipotent knowledge. This why I argue humanity is in its adolescent phase, set to step out from under the supervision of, the protection of, a or many deities. I believe we are speciating into what I like to call, Homo Nekton.

[@nograviti2388]

If Empire was so benign? why did former colonies all seek without exception to throw of the yoke of such a benevolent Empire? 😂

[@joanr3189]

Down with scholarship, up wth sloganeering.

[@peteradaniel]

Does somebody need a wambulance? Wa wa wa wa

[@martinwyke]

Title is total projection, nothing he says proves that claim.

[@ThatMans-anAnimal]

That's not what "projection" means.

[@mattliamjack3293]

He needs to read more widely. Stop going over the same arguments. Class? He has no idea , its all been said. Build a future for all.

[@AnonymousanonymousA]

Hot af accent, the lady

[@davidhill3595]

she sounds like an AI generated voice

[@shelleyscloud3651]

It’s been studiously acquired

[@xa-12musk8]

Whatever you do,don't switch the first letters of his first and last name around!

[@buchanfoulsham6314]

Grumpy gammon

[@doslobos2989]

He actually has the gall to say British colonialism brought a sort of Pax Brittannica to Tasmania, named specifically! Oh dear,...

[@joedennehy386]

What was the tasmanian life expectancy before cook?

[@mattliamjack3293]

The spectator loves lightweights regutgitating nonsense. Trying to prove an opinion.facts and opinion are seperate. Douglas murray😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@billbogg3857]

If you say that facts and opinion are separate then it is pointless offering an opinion of your own. You contradict yourself before you even say anything.

[@artemisjuno]

Send me details of your latest work of scholarship and I promise to read it.😂😂😂

[@shelleyscloud3651]

That was shockingly amateur. The interviewer was not remotely engaged, punctuated each response with an ‘um’ (of what? Disapproval? Boredom?!) and was robotically focused solely on moving on to the next pre-scripted question, always laced with irrelevant, clever sounding but ultimately empty throat clearing.

[@specialforces4947]

The interviewer isn't remotely interested in the subject matter. Probably worried that she'll be cancelled if she says the wrong thing. Misuse of per se too.

[@specialforces4947]

2:30 ffs

[@ThatMans-anAnimal]

Diversity hire, most likely.

[@RDHamel]

U people r weirdos. ‘No one will publish my book- I’ve been cancelled!’ Maybe they didn’t like the book… ?

[@carltaylor6452]

You did listen to this, didn't you? Bloomsbury agreed to publish but dropped it after pressure from younger members of staff. This is not the first time that has happened in publishing recently, or in the theatre or in museum or gallery curation, etc. I don't think it's a question of a publisher not liking a book so much any more, as staff ideologically disagreeing with it. The online harassment Biggar received from other academics was clearly motivated by ideology, too. It's of extreme concern that respectful academic disagreement about a subject - in which critical thinking is brought to bear - has descended into a form of tribal intimidation. Biggar wasn't cancelled, fortunately, because another publisher stepped in; but it's clear that the ideologues had a bloody good go.

[@adagietto2523]

@@carltaylor6452 Well said! The fact is that Biggar is an eminently reasonable man, one can agree or disagre with what he says, but one has to be a certain kind of ideologue to throw one'e hand up in horror at it, and to want to prevent him from being able to publish it!

[@mattliamjack3293]

Just opinion here. The planet needs you to move on.

[@saraa6040]

In my opinion, this is an attempt to move on.......to allow discussion of these matters and make an honest appraisal of the lessons we can find when we question past events. Your comment would be better placed on an upload that refuses to do this and instead demands that average British citizens are to blame for everything wrong in the world. These channels exist and they stiffle true progress by admonishing some individuals of personal responsibility whilst villifying others. They do so with extreme prejudice, thereby creating division and anger without scrutiny. Are you suggesting that we should all accept such a situation and just allow misplaced emotion to dictate our 'progress'?