Superb, it will teach you how to listen.

Whatever you think your political leanings are, put them to one side and with an open mind listen to this treasure of thought and the arguments that are derived and put for the listener to consider. At times it is heavy going and I found my self going back to get a better understanding. A great listen that should be read or listened to by all that want to have a better understanding . Roger Scruton is a man and product of our time, compellingly brilliant.

11 people found this helpful

excellent book

we'll put together, very interesting and particularly compelling. there is a lot to think about in just this one book.

great read.

6 people found this helpful

There's still some sanity in the world ...

This is a timely and moving account of why Conservatism is both reasonable and humane. Roger Scruton takes a clear-eyed look at some very big issues that affect all our lives - the EU, immigration, the environment, human rights, religion etc. Please read this book.

18 people found this helpful

An education

This was an excellent read. His language and references are so highbrow, that I constantly had to to look things up! This heavy topic is interspersed with humor and cynicism. Scruton breaks the book down in to analysis of nationalism, socialism, capitalism, liberalism, multiculturalism, environmentalism, internationalism and conservatism. He looks at the modern conservative in today’s materialistic society amidst the wave of ‘liberalism’ sweeping the nation.

The most telling quote is below:

“But many who call themselves liberal today have little understanding of what that virtue really is. Toleration does not mean renouncing all opinions that others might find offensive. It does not mean an easy-going relativism or a belief that ‘anything goes’. On the contrary, it means accepting the rights of others to think and act in ways of which you disapprove.”

2 people found this helpful

Let there be light!

after listening to this I think most Brits are essentially conservatives..helpful and clear, well read

2 people found this helpful

This book helps no one

I came to this book looking to broaden my horizons and perhaps give greater consideration and empathy to a political stance which, on the face of it, is generally opposed to my beliefs. Given world events such as the direction of the Brexit vote and Trump's enduring support in America I was conscious that there might be something that I, personally, was missing in the view of the Conservatives of the world.

Needless to say this book disappointed. Scruton's views were delivered in a manner akin to having a conversation with an eloquent, but talkative, closet-racist. I'm not calling him a racist, as he feels the need to dedicate a large portion of the book to saying he isn't one, I'm saying it is analogous. He will make a point, sometimes accompanying this with facts, laws, and supporting data, then build to a hyperbolic and laughable crescendo which uncovers his true opinion. Each time, just enough rope to hang himself. As an example, when discussing the integration of immigrants into British society he claims that liberals go as far as to be accepting of forced marriage and female genital mutilation for fear of causing offence. Interestingly, he has no supporting evidence for the liberals who are sympathetic towards FGM. A second example,which casts light on his viewpoint, is in discussing the "PC agenda" of discrimination, in which he condemns the anti-discrimination laws which result in the Catholic Church being prevented from allowing adoptions rather than the Church's backwards stance on homosexuality which the laws expose.

I actually feel that his bigoted views don't speak for the majority of Conservatives and as such I am back at square one. Having said this, my concern now centres on the number of 5 star reviews for the book listed here, reviews such as "There's still some sanity in the world" and "I think most Brits are essentially conservatives". Clearly there are plenty of people that do agree with him.

1 person found this helpful

Ana spéisiúl

ceapaim go bhfuil an teideal beagánín míthreorach. Phlé an t-údar coincheap tábhactach ach nuair labhraíonn sé faoi Rawls, Hagel, Marx, etc, tá ort stopigí chun tagairt

Is maith liom an leabhar, agus léfaidh mé arís agus arís eile é.

1 person found this helpful

Superb insights for our times

Roger Scruton delivers deeply thought through responses to the major challenges of our time with the integrity and erudition of a mature philosopher. He provides a very refreshing perspective for anyone troubled by the rise of identity politics and the shallow depth of political debate that has become the norm.
The performance is good. I dropped a star because I prefer to hear the author narrating.

1 person found this helpful

A tad too wistful for my taste

Clearly Roger Scrutin was a highly educated man, with the ability to strung together multiple themes to make his arguments. And I appreciated many of them. But the nostalgia of looking back on the days when lemonade bottles has a deposit on them and - in particular - the almost unquestioning love of the institutions of the past put me off. Dixon of Dock Green was a great series, but it didn’t represent the thuggish police who waded into peaceful revellers at Stonehenge every year. I will not agree that banning cruel sports is an imposition of the state (bear baiting, anyone?), nor that the more accepting treatment of homosexuality is a retrograde step. If the past was simply better, what of the desperation of inner city families in Manchester - or Wigan Pier, come to that. Erudite, yes, and perhaps I’ve been tainted by four years of Trump in the US; but I found this just a little too romanticized.

Very good

I read this book in order to better understand the success of ‘conservative’ politics in the western world.

I think Roger Scruton does in this book what few other authors have achieved which is to articulate the ineffable sense of home and belonging which ties us to our place and country and place of birth. The writing is clear and often profound.

There are some important insights onto what we have lost, on the importance of respecting the past and our ancestry and also the painstaking process that has bought us to where we are today. It also sheds light on the importance and ongoing relevance of the Christian message in a secular society.

I found it a tad partisan at the outset, hence 4 stars.

The concluding chapter is beautifully written and very profound. Unfortunately I very much doubt that those who would benefit most from reading this book will bother but I certainly learned a lot.