[Part 5/5] Debate Q&A: What makes Britain so great?

[@A_massive_wog]

I want Will and Peter to start a podcast.

[@yuchoob]

It could be called The S-Word.

[@ralphdavidson9542]

Such a shame that ms Warsi accused the guys of racism and sexism. Peter Hitchens was right to tell her she lowered the tone. She tried to be subtle about it but she lacks their sophistication. It was brutal.

[@Natural_law_lawyer]

welcome to the difference of political hacks and intellectuals

[@domrice8628]

The moderator is shocking

[@Alianger]

Fabulous

[@davidgreen7849]

That was like listening to a couple of engineers talking about the reality of a failing factory whilst the marketing department go on about window dressing and history.

[@HAZIDEAD]

Peter Hitchens is planets ahead in terms of depth and intelligence.

[@susannamarker2582]

True. Is that your real name ?

[@HAZIDEAD]

@@susannamarker2582 it should be...but it isn't....lol

[@deepzepp4176]

Warsi is a conservative. That says all you need to know about how conservative, the “conservative party” is.

[@seanthompson3938]

I struggle to see your point, on an honest note what do you mean?

[@seanthompson3938]

@Greyfox 99 Ahhhhhhh I understand now thanks for the explanation, I must say I completely detest the conservative party, I wish they did run on those tenants could finally have them out of power sick of them always found conservativism to mean 'stagnation' and they all look like Jacob Rees Mog and lie like Boris Johnson

[@roknroller6052]

Yeah the Tories are left wing egalitarians...

[@susannamarker2582]

Calm down.

[@ahmedshah2145]

Pakistani Conservative 😳

[@SagaciousFrank]

As soon as Peter Hitchens speaks up, the host squeals, "Okay, enough, enough...". It's him who needs to be quiet and neutral, not stirring things up in favour of the two female speakers.

[@susannamarker2582]

Is that speaker a man or a woman ?

[@lukebarton5075]

@susan Can you really not tell? Perhaps a visit to the opticians would help.

[@jjosephs6521]

The moderator is one of the most obnoxious people I have ever heard speak in my entire live, she's supposed to be the moderator not a participant.

[@SagaciousFrank]

Don't you mean, "He"?

[@jjosephs6521]

@@SagaciousFrank I shouldn't of said he or she, I don't know how this person identifies, if I missgender them the police might turn up at my house. Lol.

[@SagaciousFrank]

@@jjosephs6521, ha indeed, in these crazy times, anything is possible!

Voice of the moderator is so grating

[@mchmch6185]

Bit of a strangely-balanced debate: two politicians - making political-rabble-rousing-type speeches - on one side and two intellectuals on the other.

[@SagaciousFrank]

Warsi is annoying.... this is fact.

[@kiwitrainguy]

Oh thank goodness, I thought that it was only me with that view.

[@CK-jd1kf]

Speaking as an American, Britain is really great at not thinking that they're the greatest country in the world any more.

[@douglasmilton2805]

That moderator’s voice is one of the most ghastly sounds I’ve ever heard. How on earth did he get the gig and not me?

[@lukebarton5075]

I wonder…………….

[@pricriminal8891]

I love seeing will and Peter grinning at one another

[@R00365]

I enjoyed this, but you put 2 intellectuals against 2 political hacks. A painfully unbalanced "debate".

[@SagaciousFrank]

Peter Hitchens doesn't class himself as an intellectual, and I'd agree. Instead he's a well educated, intelligent and cultured man, with a great understanding and experienced command of his trade (journalism), and has over a lifetime accumulated both a wealth of knowledge of life through personal experience, travel, and reading. But an intellectual? No. I'd class theoretical physicists like say Albert Einstein or Niels Bohr as intellectuals.

[@fosphor8920]

@@SagaciousFrank Ummm the definition is along the lines of "a person possessing a highly developed intellect." and your explanation tells us that Hitchens through a lifetime of accumulated knowledge is an intellectual...

[@SagaciousFrank]

@@fosphor8920, perhaps so, but Peter Hitchens disavows any such description of himself.

[@fosphor8920]

@@SagaciousFrank Well, that he does not want to be called an intellectual is not something that I should decide or question.. But the definition suits him pretty well

[@lyes-ot6it]

@@SagaciousFrank Intellectuals are not searchers in physics or science, i fact an intellectual is more into philosophy and human sciences, you will at least consider Jean-Paul Sartre and Noam Chomsky intellectuals?

[@benz.]

Quite an amusing 40 minutes of my life, not bad.

[@BadlandsVideos]

Women on 5he right of screen ," we can go to so many types of restaurants run by so many exotic people...we have such a vibrant and gender diverse culture." Men on the left of screen ," vast amounts of school children are illiterate, it takes so long to build an aircraft carriers that it's already obsolete before it's completed.. We are facing serious issues that aren't being addressed." Who do you want running the country?

[@kiwitrainguy]

At the beginning of your comment I thought that you were referring to the separation of the sexes in Muslim and Jewish cultures.

[@TheSionThomas]

The moderator clearly bias in the debate. Also not really listening 3:19 Self states men and women and the moderator takes it as sexist? How when he’s been equal.

[@suzimonkey345]

Our charming, self-deprecating humour has been propagandised into bitter self-loathing! I, like many, am truly sick & tired of turning on my television to be chastised for being racist, homophobic, Islamophobic, sexist & bigoted!!

[@aquilatempestate9527]

Racism is what traitors call loyalty.

[@seanthompson3938]

well stop being racist, homophobic, Islamophobic, sexist and bigoted and people will stop calling you it I find.

[@seanthompson3938]

@@aquilatempestate9527 What?

[@alexanderwinn2896]

@@seanthompson3938 What constitutes those things is certainly up for debate, and unfortunately people are now calling things racist, islamophobic, sexist, bigoted, homophobic etc. that simply are not.

[@seanthompson3938]

@@alexanderwinn2896 couldn't agree more they are over used terms and in a lot of cases wrongly used, but have a quick look through the comments on this video and you'll find most of them have been hit pretty hard.

[@harrytd]

Jeeezus! I can't watch this. That moderator is appalling. IQ2 needs to get its act together.

[@jameshoward7496]

hes awful, and he doesn't let the panel answer the audience's questions

[@lucaswilliams3806]

I think he’s alright he’s understood each panelist’s stance quite well

[@SagaciousFrank]

Whoever thought that asking a bunch of questions in a row to be either answered or ignored was a good idea? I see this method used so many times in Q&A sessions, and I find it as awful as it is illogical. Surely, one question should be put forth to be answered before the next questioned is asked. This is largely why this Q&A session, along with so many others I've seen, is so messy and underwhelming.

[@kiwitrainguy]

The question about the declining standards of the NHS and Education was completely ignored.

[@smokeymcpot9887]

Does the moderator not know that Gaunt's Richard II speech was not actually written by him?

[@SagaciousFrank]

"Was that a sexist comment?" Where the hell did that question come from? And in any case let's hand it over to the two females speakers to pass judgement on whether or not it was, especially the hysterical Warsi to begin slighting and slurring her opponents. This is embarrassing, and she is arguing that Britain is great whilst behaving like an accuser in a kangaroo court.

[@juliusseesaw5450]

Would be nice to see a version with the other three edited out

[@lee4171]

We live in the carcass of a once great country and in the tail-end of a once great time. Get over it as there is no going back.

[@SmithWinston-rz8fk]

The English, The Irish, The Scottish & last but not least, the Welsh are what makes Britain Great.

[@thomasadams3082]

6079 Smith Winston ...only some Irish, I think you’ll find.

[@kiwitrainguy]

I would put the Scots higher up the list.

[@Jacob011]

man: **looks at woman** woman: **SEXIST!!!**

[@EIixir]

I'm disappointed that the definition of 'Great' wasn't detailed in the opening minutes of the first video and was never even agreed upon at the end.

[@lallyoisin]

Has britain redefined what a 'debate' is?

[@Atamanxxxvii]

9:45 there is a reason why popular rhetoric is backward looking. It's because a lot of people feel something is missing, as if we've thrown the baby out with the bath water. Ironically his statement actually eludes to the blind march forward, with language like "backward" very much being language of the anointed.

[@janball1383]

The chairman is utterly awful....

[@design7054]

Usually the best part of these events, had to turn off a few minutes in due to the moderator. Complete arse.

[@maxmullen6337]

It’s simple. Britain was a great country, and it’s possible the English were the greatest people in history, but that is the past. Today Britain is a nothing country, dependent on foreign countries for practically everything and whose future is now Islamic.

[@thejdogcool]

15:52 I never thought I'd hear a Rodger Miller reference from Peter Hitchens. Strange times.

[@smithjones1906]

I enjoyed the moderator, even the debaters seemed to. Odd reading the other comments.

[@billybobobenner]

At 15m30s Peter Hitchens stressing of the word "you" sounds just like his elder brother Christopher. Both Hitchens brothers in their different ways are invariably interesting to listen to.

[@electronomic2745]

Will and Peter!! GREAT👌

[@gardenroom65]

Used to be Headteacher of Wellington school. 😤😀🤯

[@unabashed26]

Regardless of the opinion on this feed but the moderator was brilliantly satirical and the whole thing was great fun. Thanks for putting this online.

[@annette2653]

We're not comparing Britain to countries like Pakistan, but advanced countries. Interesting to consider Switzerland and Japan. Dangerous workaholism in Japan though.

[@wildsurfer12]

Considering their Birth rate is lower than Britain’s they’ve got the same demographic time bomb that a lot of Europe has. They also have a debt burden which is far worse than Britain’s as well. But the difference is that they are still proud of their traditions and aren’t taught to be ashamed of them. That’s why they pressure their children so hard to strive to be better than the best they can be.

[@marcomagrin7611]

Japan is poorer than even my country, Italy. I think he was talking about Japan's culture and its strong sense of self.

[@mohsinrao4334]

Peter Hitchens doesnt know what he stands for. In one breath he says that he has no intention to go back to the Britain of the past and in another he waxes lyrical on the nobility of victorian values. Will Self is the only one here to express a consistent ideology that isn't naively conformist (like Warsi and Hoey) or one that consistently lapses into "golden age" nostalgia (Hitchens). The fact that Self doesn't deliver his speech in a way that conforms to the BBC newsreader aesthetic is why people never attempt to engage with his ideas without feeling repulsed.

[@jacklondoner4579]

Nice to see the CGI Charles Hawtrey finally chair a debate.

[@Arateenteras]

Wonderful debate

[@johnpatterson6448]

The question is not whether Britain is ‘Great’ or not. The question is: what is the direction of travel? Is GB better today than it was 50 years ago? 20 years ago?

[@lallyoisin]

I'm lost.. the rational side won?!

[@Jubilo1]

Hitchens rules supreme !

[@Rosebud100]

How about some Welsh and Scottish on some of these IQ2 debates?

[@chairrdkarm7686]

Thought Kenneth Williams had risen from the dead to chair this. Will Self was doing what sounded like a Kenneth Williams voice at the start. No-one else reminded me of Kenneth Williams.

[@davidmellings6997]

god this discussion devolved so quickly. yes Sayeeda is correct that we are now very culturally rich and we have made great leaps and bound in terms of diversity. However the discussion got bogged down in the very thing that Peter Hitchen was warning about. Our constant delusion of saying we are the best in this, the third best in that means we are not striving for greatness like we used to. We must recognise what our weaknesses are so we can improve and potentially reach greatness again, touting Harry potter as the third best movie franchise does not negate the fact that we have one of the worst public deficits, education, debt levels and inequality in the advanced world.

[@TheSolidJake]

Skip right to 9 minutes. Christ what was that at the start?

[@roelofjacobs5807]

'There's Not Much Great About Britain,'... The best openings statement against that motion: Sayeeda Warsi The best openings statement in favor of that motion: Kate Hoey I found those two speakers most compelling. Both on the same team, yet both leading me towards a different end result. Does anybody else have the same sentiment? I myself think it is due to the different approach. "Britain in realistic statistics, by Sayeeda Warsi" versus "Britain as a religion, by Kate Hoey". Look at the statistics, and Britain is doing alright, appearing somewhere in the top 30 of most good lists. But when it becomes a religion, a story of (current) greatness people like to tell each other, you get an "bind and blind" aspect. Although the binding aspect is not bad, my personal belief is that the blinding aspect is damaging the UK a lot. I guess that is the reason I find myself being persuaded by Kate Hoey to vote for the motion instead of against. Will Self and Peter Hitchens,.. nice speeches and some nice insights,... but both not as compelling to me as Kate Hoey (I am aware that I might have a somewhat unique response).

[@NPipsqueak]

Did she have to have a dig at the Brexit result and show her total distain for the referendum and for Boris.? The arrogance and subjectivity of this academic is horrifying and an example of what is wrong with our so-called centers of excellence and objectivity. Sadly this lack of objectivity is all too apparent a feature of our modern society. In a previous KZbin video I heard Peter highlight the amount of talent that was lost as a result of WWI. Interesting thought.

[@abhimanyukarnawat7441]

Warsi is an English conservative? Isn't she a Muslim? How can you believe in both Muslim and British principles at the same time?

[@alexs5723]

Why did the speakers attack each other personally? Where was the moderator to address this? Great topic though

[@ovnar818]

What an Awful biased Host.

[@yussepig6629]

Both sides had good points. Sayeeda’s speech was great. Will a close second.

[@Shamino1]

The moderator should be banned from any future intelligence squared discussions.

[@vietimports]

the sad thing about people who criticize their home country is that idiots think they hate it, when in reality they love it so much they want it to be better

[@ivormectin9889]

If you have 2 politicians on the same side of a debate, whatever motion that side represents has to be piffle q.e.d.

[@tc98826]

Wow, worst moderator EVER.

[@kevinashcroft2028]

Ironically some people would express that the dualism we have witnessed here ; in all its glory , makes Britain " great " whilst others are befuddled as to why it exists which in turn would concur with the befuddlement because that too makes Britain great. An Englishman would say ; it's all pointless

[@bobsaver500]

I really wish Warsi had nothing to do with politics whatsoever. Equally as the system fails and forgets it propels and shines those undeserved.

[@philipdavies5195]

This is one the worst debates I have ever heard. Moderater is awful. Will Self is his typical up his own arse thinks he is cleverer than he actually is self. Howie and Warsi both can’t make a decent argueent and end up using jargon as so many politicians do. Only person with any decent points is Hitchens even though I disagree with him on many things at least he can argue well just like his Brother used to be able too.

[@stepchicken3238]

As one of them mentioned, GB came into effect by a political union between England and Scotland (1707). That's all it really means! Often confused with the UK. The British Isles is a geographical description, though the Irish won't have it - not much used nowadays, anyway. The proposition was invalid, and the somewhat camp and shrill moderator(?) ensured it was a pointless debate.

[@frederickmiles327]

Well in the 1945 -1980 period quite a lot of parallels existed in Britains warfare NHS state with the Soviet Union, Russia and the USA accelerating decline since the end of the cold war with its rotting navy and nuclear aircraft carriers, poorly manned floating slums and 30 year old barely serviceable or navigable cruisers, characteristic of the USSR in the 1990s, USA of Obama and Trump. In the 1950s,60,70 Britain built an extraordinary number of poorly constructed steam and diesel locomotives, railcars, DMU and shoddy cars Lotus elite, elan, MG, Austin, Rover, Jaguar saloons post the 3-8 ,(4.2, S & X) - appalling compared with German, Italian, American or Australia's own Falcon variants and Holdens. Let's look at the decline of the RN, no anti aircraft weapons on the post war frigates other than 1940s Bofors and oerilikons and few of them. Worthless missiles like Seaslug and Seacat with zero capability, before post 79 Thatcher and Harrington deported the Soviet spies and businessmen and got the Seawolf and Sea sparrow. Britain's aviation industry produced numerous planes but only a few were good the Hunter, Sea Hawk, Bucannear, Sepcat Jaguar, Hawk. Most were mediocre and shortlived . In the 1960s we were led to believe the second generation fleet air arm Scimitar and Sea Vixens gave us a credible navy. Only in the PR. They were worse than as starfighter lethal only to their grew. In the mid 1950s British shipyards started the hard left practice of taking a decade or two to build ships that were so unreliable from the start, they resembled modern industrial practice. HMS Ark Royal ( Liverpool built 1942-55) was commissioned in terrible condition and was possibly the first sign of hard left rot, never really ready for hard steaming and running.

[@pastyman001]

Great Britain was originally Greater Britain, after it took on Scotland. Great was an abbreviation.

[@goodyeoman4534]

Had to press 'L' every time Baroness Warsi started to talk.

[@janed5197]

Respect for politicians you can't lose what you never had in the first place .. democracy is a myth

[@R00365]

Democracy is not a myth. It's just an ideal which nobody has yet completely pulled off. But go tell someone who lives in a dictatorship that democracy in UK is not real: they'll teach you a lesson.

[@ajmalsarwar2939]

Care to elaborate on that.

[@janed5197]

@@ajmalsarwar2939 Commenting in the point Peter H made that we can no longer trust our politicians ... Most of us never have trusted them and if so blindly

[@tomarmstrong1550]

The most childish debate I have ever witnessed.

[@mohsinrao4334]

6:00 Quoting Dr. Johnson. Akin to throwing pearls to swine really.

[@unabashed26]

Peter and Will! Amazing. Holidaying together - you have to love the English!

[@InfoSopher]

11:07 either the guy used a very special shampoo, or he's trying to dig his brain out of frustration.

[@jontydenton1898]

Degration? Denigration...i think...so education on the slide...for sure

[@goodyeoman4534]

Will Self and Peter Hitchens on the same team? Who'd have though it? The moderator needs to take a chill pill, though.

[@fitzroy7054]

Could of been a great debate if it wasn’t for the Buffon sitting in the middle hosting it Next time please find a better more suitable host

[@bobsaver500]

Drugs are fine Kate, just depends on who’s taking them.

[@alexsaynor6717]

Ridiculous Q&A - why can't he just ask for one question at a time? The questions themselves are largely incoherent and by the time the panellists get to speak, they don't know what to say. Seldon keeps trying to words in their mouths too - farcical.

[@mogznwaz]

That a question like this is being debated is hugely insulting and, dare I say it, racist. Can you imagine a debate like this being had a lot any other country? Perhaps only the USA gets as much open contempt as we do and it's disgraceful.

[@SuperRichTee]

The MP is what is wrong with this country and her team is a joke (a bad joke)

[@geraldp.5260]

yes there are cities in germany that are even more fucked up as london which is not really an argument, is it ?

[@rondon9897]

Remember Seldon coming to our school to talk for an enormous fee and boring the arse of everybody.

[@sticksman1979]

Very irritating voice to boot.

[@nikhilprem7998]

1:41 9:33 23:07 27:27 very true specially young generation. 33:06

[@baholomaphiri9396]

Will Self is brutal.......wow...very intelligent.....

[@Adolphout]

Peter Hitchens typifies the British gentleman - that’s what’s so great about Britain. It’s an endangered species , but there’s hope in Jacob Rees mogg ( May his tribe increase)

[@davidwhite4874]

Will Self and Christopher Hitchens seem very strange bedfellows, initially. But then you realise they are both of Levantine stock. They both only go so far.

[@tryingtoconvincepeople4295]

Christ, does anyone else think will revealed himself at the end there with that joke? Why is it that he’s exactly what a nazi would expect him to be like?

[@Alianger]

37:50 lol

[@barneyrubble8590]

Presenter is awful🤮

[@roknroller6052]

Warsi is stereotype, of everything that is wrong. Not of the country, but the entirety of the Western world. Will and peter are the only intellectually competent people in the room, and the other lady (baroness?) was good. Plus the moderator is awful...

[@fisher1907]

I’m with Kate. Pessimism is such a sad way to live your life. But I agree with Peter we need to open our eyes and be better.

[@pastyman001]

UK 6th largest economy in the world". Soon to be pushed by France into 7th, recently overtaken by India 5th, then after that the UK falls out of the G7, the world economic top table

[@pastyman001]

Incompetence in government ignoring science with record breaking Covid deaths and much business closed and in debt, added to by a disgraceful brexit with no notice or information on the changes and huge costs loaded on business and consumers

[@richardmiller2049]

Is it the THOUSANDS OF RAPES? Mosques? For gods sake people.

[@l3enz0]

Britain is so great because of its size relative to the rest of the British Isles . Intelliegence Squared ... lol

[@marionreynolds7080]

This is execrable

[@williamdeasy4501]

Culturally rich means no culture.

[@alexanderwinn2896]

Debate drinking game, take a shot everyime time Warsi says fact.

[@ParcelOfRogue]

Dodgy dealers from all over the world can come here (UK) to dispute their shitty deals and we will be an honest broker? Great! W.Self

[@Adam10Burt]

I like Japan, cos of Anime and Hatsune Miku. These things also made me into Japanese things.

[@louisburlingham6249]

This could be a Marxism meeting with the same contributions . So much for revolution

[@weepingcamel1]

"I want you all to walk off in a huff" the host of debate is the best in a long time