A building may appeal for its formal perfection, its harmony of proportion and the grammatical discipline with which it matches part to part. But it may appeal despite lacking those things, by offering enticing glimpses of the life within, intriguing apertures, invitations to enter, to explore, to imagine. 

How identity politics drove the world mad

Douglas Murray's brave new book explores the madness of modern discourse. 

We thrive on disagreement, but only if we do not also feel threatened by it. In every period of history, therefore, there have been opinions and customs that are dangerous to question, since they provide the firm foundations on which our disagreements rest. Whether religious or political, these established ways of thinking and acting have been protected by law, and embedded in the educational curriculum and the daily customs of the people.

The Architecture of Social Isolation

The evidence is overwhelming that ugly and impersonal environments lead to a sense of depression and anxiety.

If you ask why concepts like community, place and belonging have suddenly come to occupy a central place in political discourse, then you will quickly light upon the obvious fact that those aspects of the human condition are, in modern conditions, all under threat. The threat comes from a single source: globalization.

Here’s a link to UK Gov’s BBBBC commission & to a response survey. If you can, please do read & respond -

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/building-better-building-beautiful-commission

As August draws to a close, we are able to share with you a wonderful film with our 2019 Scrutopians. We would love to see you next year so please register your interest with Izzy in the office. 

Roger Scruton has been reappointed as head of a government housing body after he was sacked in April following a magazine interview in which his views were misrepresented. The letter from housing secretary James Brokenshire, who fired Scruton, is published below:

Dear Sir Roger,

Thank you so much for our conversation about the next steps on the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission. As we both recognise, the publication of the Commission’s Interim Report provides an opportunity to consider next steps in finalising recommendations to Government to promote quality and beauty in the built environment. You have already been so influential in advancing this vision and I hope you will be able to play a leading role as the Commission embarks on the next phase of its work.

As we discussed, I would be pleased to see you re-appointed back to the Commission. It was helpful to receive your thoughts on this and what form this might take – including the suggestion that I consider appointing you as the Commission’s co-chair alongside Nicholas Boys-Smith. There is no doubt that Nicholas has done an incredible job in chairing the Commission over recent weeks and in achieving consensus with his fellow commissioners on the interim recommendations. I know we both have the highest regard for him.

In the light of this, I would be delighted if you would be willing to be re-appointed to the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission as co-chair. I know that you still have so much more to give and hope this may also help to put things right after the regrettable events of recent months.

Yours sincerely,

Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP

And here is Roger Scruton’s response:

Dear Secretary of State,

Thank you for your letter offering to bring me back on to the Commission. I think the suggestion that Nicholas and I be joint chairs is a very good one, since we work together well, and we could bring the job to a successful conclusion. And I am so pleased that all has been resolved in a friendly way and we can return to the matter in hand, which is so important.

Kind regards,

Roger Scruton

The Spectator - Douglas Murray - 23 July 2019

The failure to stand up for conservative thinking is leading us into a new cultural dark age.

The intellectual scene always used to have room for great minds from the Right. Today they would be denounced for thought crime by a Left that cannot tolerate dissent.

This article was published on 20th July in The Telegraph - The full article can be read below

This is to report the good news that, in addition to the published apology from the New Statesman, Roger has now received an apology from the Secretary of State, James Brokenshire, for the hasty decision made on the basis of a false and malicious report of The New Statesman’ interview.

The letter has been published by The Spectator (13/7/19) and it can be read here. 

Here is the full text of the apology.

Dear Sir Roger,

As you will be aware, the interim report of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission is due to be published today. I wanted to take this moment to thank you for the significant contribution you have made in helping to bring this about and for your leadership in promoting beauty in the built environment. I believe the Interim Report maintains the intellectual underpinning which you set out through your work with the Commission and provides a strong platform from which further work can now continue as we look towards the final recommendations.

I also welcome that the New Statesman has now published a correction to their original article of your interview with them which did not represent your views fairly and fully in the way that it should have. As you know, I regret that the decision to remove you from your leadership role within the Commission was taken in the way that it was. I am sorry – especially as it was based on a clearly partial report of your thoughts.

Following the publication of the Interim Report I am now considering the next phase of the Commission’s work. If you would be willing, I would like to invite you to meet to discuss this work and what part you might be prepared to play in advancing this important agenda which we both care about so much.

Yours sincerely,
RT HON JAMES BROKENSHIRE MP