I remember when a Right-wing conference was Neil Hamilton selling copies of the Road to Serfdom out of a Ford Fiesta, but Arc held next to the O2 arena shows how far our movement has come. Were talking posh nibbles, tablecloths and a girl tinkling Debussy between panels. And get a look at those guests! Historians, Hungarians, former PMs, temporary MPs and holding court on a white sofa the comedian Jimmy Carr!
Whats he doing among a bunch of conservatives? I asked my friend Clovis, as he tipped a plate of brioche into his briefcase.
Well, hes a Cambridge grad who avoided his taxes, said Clovis. Fits right in.
Into what, though? The name Arc is ripe for Carr-style satire (imagine if Noah only saved the dinosaurs) but expresses the conviction that the end is nigh, the waters are rising, and we need to rescue the Western culture from which our politics is downstream. Join us on this journey from lament to glory said Baroness Stroud in her opening speech, her eyes dazzling with faith, her blond hair topped by a halo of pearls.
It was like attending a religious meeting, but I couldnt place the denomination or understand what was being said because I hadnt read the foundational text. For example: a panel on the meaning of the story. What is the story, the moderator asked a celebrated writer? The story is the moment. Ah. And what at the moment does that mean? Well, she said, the Wests story is threatened by the Islamic story. Which ends how? They will behead your babies if you dont fit in with their story.
Sounds terrifying, but neither Clovis nor I could decide what the actual story was. A poet (tattoos and a beard) said the rivers of blood run rich in our streets/ For we have concreted over the Euphrates a bewildering marriage of Enoch Powell and Joni Mitchell that was upstaged only by Jordan Petersons suit: half blue, half red. He, of course, was the star of the show; JP has almost sold out the O2 for Wednesday night. Hair grey and wild, Peterson extemporised magnificently, pulling every word from his very soul. Ive been reading the Book of Job. Professor, you look like Job the agony of existence on his shoulders as he tries to tilt the world towards heaven and away from Hell.
Thus sayeth the therapist: man must fix himself before he can fix society. Indeed. Arc seems big on the rugged Old Testament, light on Jesus and nor did anyone mention the Conservative Party, even though Michael Gove is also on the guest list.The civilisational Right transcends political labels. Yet the conference matters because when the Tories are booted from office, like the angels chased out of Heaven, Arcs wealthy and well-connected patrons will help pick the next leader.
Some of them paid north of a thousand pounds to be here. Clovis did not. He attends in his capacity as adviser to the government of Transnistria, part of the strange economy of Right-wingers who fly from capital to capital, giving and hearing speeches, and swapping cards. I felt antediluvian for not having a podcast.
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Jordan Peterson reads Job and Jimmy Carr tells jokes Right-wing ... - The Telegraph