Roger Scruton's Blog, page 14

Press Statement 12th January 2020

Announcement 12th January 2020

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Sir Roger Scruton, FBA, FRSL. Beloved husband of Sophie, adored father to Sam and Lucy and treasured brother of Elizabeth and Andrea, he died peacefully on Sunday 12th January. He was born on 27th February 1944 and had been fighting cancer for the last 6 months. His family are hugely proud of him and of all his achievements.

A Christmas message

We mark the conclusion of a most interesting year by expressing sincere gratitude to all the many people who have sent messages of support and appreciation to Sir Roger, in the wake first of the media storm and later in the light of his cancer diagnosis. Happy Christmas and warmest gratitude to you all. 

The process of recovery has begun, and we look forward to a remission. Meanwhile the good will expressed has been quite overwhelming, and has helped Roger to move back towards his desk,...

Roger Scruton: A year in which much was lost – but more gained. The Spectator- 21 Dec 19

Despite everything, I have so much to be grateful for

January
My 2018 ended with a hate storm, in response to my appointment as chair of the government’s Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission. But the new year brings a lull, and I hope and pray that the Grand Inquisitor enthroned by social media will find another target.

Sir Roger presented with the Star of the Order of Merit of Hungary

On Tuesday 3rd December, the Hungarian Ambassador Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky welcomed friends and guests to announce that the Commander’s Cross with the Star of the Order of Merit of Hungary would be awarded to Sir Roger Scruton in the presence of the Prime Minister Viktor Orbán . The Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó presented the order of the President of Hungary on the decoration of Sir Roger Scruton with the Commander’s Cross with the Star of the Order of Merit. The celebration event took...

30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution

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On Friday 15th November  Sir Roger was awarded the Silver Medal by the Senate of the Czech Parliament in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, which saw the abolition of the communist system in the former Czechoslovakia and the liberation from totalitarian control of the Czech and Slovak people. The was medal presented by the President of the Senate at a gala dinner in Prague, in the presence of the British Ambassador, and many of those who took part, both in...

Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour would crush civil society - UnHerd, 13 Nov 19

The 1989 uprising against communism in Eastern Europe was a bid for freedom, and for many commentators it was little more than that. The oppressors happened to be the Communist Party, backed up by their Soviet masters, but they might have been the henchmen of a tin-pot dictatorship or a gang of Mafiosi. The important point, for many observers, is that the oppressors had set out to control things, and the people had at last said no.

 Read the full article online HERE

Scrutopia Summer School 2020

Now running for a forth year, the Scrutopia summer school offers a ten-day immersion experience in the philosophy and outlook of Sir Roger Scruton, the British writer and philosopher who has inspired many searching people to believe in Western civilisation and its legacy. The course of study, which will take place in and around Sir Roger's home near historic Malmesbury in the Cotswolds, from Wednesday 29th July through until Friday 7th August 2020. Residents will be housed in the Royal...

Streets With Nooks and Crannies Are Beloved and Endangered - TAC, 4 Oct 19

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. 

The Madness of Crowds - Review for Unherd, 17 Sept 19

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 embedde...

The Architecture of Social Isolation- Berggruen Institute, 11 Sept 19

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.