Patrick West

#Habermas imagined a society where ideas competed through "the non-coercive force of the better argument." An ideal worth striving for, or an impossible dream? @patrickxwest on one of the world's most influential contemporary philosophers: philosophynow.org/issues/174…

Wow, that huge audience adulation for Brand! Virtue signalling idiots, every single one of them.

Few people will be surprised to hear that Andy Burnham has indicated that the forthcoming deals with the European Union – over food and farming, emissions trading and youth mobility – will be just the start of a longer process. As the Prime Minister told the Sunday Mirror yesterday, ahead of next week's EU-UK meeting which will finalise the details of Britain's EU reset: This summit will show what we can achieve together – but it doesn't need to be the end of our ambition. Working more closely with Europe could drive growth, make our country safer and give us more tools to tackle illegal migration. That's a conversation worth having. Few will be surprised because the Labour party has been itching to reverse Brexit ever since it returned to power two years ago, and this summer it finally got a leader willing to make it happen. ✍️ Patrick West Article | spectator.com/article/prepar… | @patrickxwest

Labour has fallen for the two dumbest Remoaner myths. Soaring immigration and a decrepit economy have nothing to do with Brexit. They have everything to do with weak politicians who are terrified of UK sovereignty, says Patrick West buff.ly/QDCOWyR

If the recent convulsions in France have reminded us of anything, it's that the radical, post-literate left seems far more interested in causing disruption than engaging in rational argument. It prompted us to recall that here in Britain we also have our own variety of ultragauche militants. And that reality was made evident on Friday at Cambridge University, when students stormed a lecture being given by James Orr, the former head of policy at Reform UK, and accused him of spreading fascism and hatred on campus. Orr, an associate professor of religion at Cambridge, is known for hosting meetings for postgraduate students at his home on the outskirts of the city, which the Financial Times recently described as 'an alternative Cambridge college – a refuge from the liberal academy,' a venue where 'Orr's brand of Christian nationalism' is discussed and disseminated. ✍️ Patrick West Article | spectator.com/article/let-ja… | @patrickxwest | @jtworr

It is commonly understood that when dealing with those who wish to harm or exploit you, that you never show weakness. This basic survival strategy is grasped by those who live closer to nature, who counsel that displaying fear to angry or predatory animals can be fatal. It was also a principle inherent to the political philosophy of Niccolo Machiavelli, who took humans to be animals similarly governed by amoral, self-interested instincts, creatures who were 'pitiless in the face of weakness, implacable before blunders.' Machiavelli used to be mandatory reading for aspiring politicians who needed to know that in order to climb the greasy pole, much cunning, craftiness and dissimulation was required. ✍️ Patrick West Article | spectator.com/article/andy-b… | @patrickxwest

Their analysis of 74 studies from across the world concluded that three- to twelve-year-olds permitted to do ‘thrilling and exiting’ activities, such as ride a bike fast downhill or climb a tree, or are even just allowed to walk to school unsupervised, become fitter and more independent than their mollycoddled equivalents who are walled up at home, glued to their screens. Yet long before academics told us of the benefits of taking risks, and self-help books advised us to confront life's necessary challenges, Friedrich Nietzsche was exhorting his readers to overcome others and themselves. ✍️ Patrick West Article | spectator.com/article/nietzs… | @patrickxwest

Patrick Stewart was a working-class Yorkshireman who learned to sound like the English establishment. In doing so, he became a better version of it. buff.ly/zqAuEHJ