The Dream of Rome

The ARLT blog reminded me I’d missed the first part of The Dream of Rome and it’s rather a shame because the second programme was fun.

Boris Johnson in The Dream of Rome

I really only know Boris Johnson from his guest appearances on Have I Got News For You, so I was expecting a bumbling rambling account of what Rome was. I was pleasantly surprised because what it actually was was a coherent passionate examination of the use of the Roman unification of Europe in modern Europe particularly with reference to the current constitutional problems faced by the EU. I was told by one of the MAs that his view in the first programme was dated and his treatment of Barbaricum was a little simplistic. But that’s not an entirely fair criticism as he was talking about the modern uses of Rome, which also have tended to be ham-fisted.

What I liked about the programme was that it was an example of using classics to examine a modern problem. In an era where people learn something at university of no use to their later career as a management consultant, it’s refreshing to see someone using their education as a lever into modern problems. He talked to experts, but there was no real sense of faux-ignorance about him in an attempt to appeal to the viewer. His presentation skills were hugely impressive.

It was a very personal argument, but hardly one-sided. Boris appears to be a reluctant Eurosceptic which I can sympathise with, being barely Europhile. He view is that it’s not that a united Europe is doomed to failure, but rather that the current model is. His conclusion, that re-making the Roman Empire would require a new Caesar, is a fair comment. The ARLT blog notes “You don’t have to agree with Mr Johnson’s political viewpoint to find him an amusing and informed talker.” I wholeheartedly agree. I hope he does a few more.

There’s a brief review of the book at the Observer.