„The Need for Nations” – Scruton Salon on Europe, as a civilasation of nations
„The nation state provides us with the surest model for peace, prosperity, and the defense of human rights. Is spite of this, the idea of the nation state is under attack, derided as a cause of conflict, and destined to be replaced by more „enlightened” forms of jurisdiction. This is in spite of the fact that all recent attempts to transcend the nation state into some kind of transnational political order have ended up either as totalitarian dictatorships like the former Soviet Union or as unaccountable bureaucracies like the European Union.”
In his famous essay The Need for Nations, Sir Roger Scruton sums up well the dangers that threaten nations and why a European Union that does not take into account national specificities and traditions is unworkable.
In our Scruton Salon, we will explore the question of the „need for nations” with renowned national and international scholars, historians and experts with close knowledge of the EU. In addition to academic perspectives, we will also discuss current issues: what is the future of the European Union and how can Member States cope with current challenges?
Programme:
Keynote Speech:
17:00-17:20 „The future of Europe: a Europe of nations vs an ever closer union” – Dr Boglárka Ballester-Bólya: Ministerial Commissioner, Ministry of European Union Affairs
Lectures:
17:20-17:40 Why the French vision of the nation-state is fit for the 21st century? – Dr. Habil Edouard Husson, historian, university professor, and former CEO of ESCP Europe
17:40-18:00 Defenders of the Nation-State: Scruton and Hazony – Dr Daniel Pitt – Teaching Associate at the University of Sheffield
Panel discussion:
18:00-19:00 An examination of the impact of Brexit on European national and patriotic movements
– Stephen Balogh – UK Parliamentary Candidate for Social Democratic Party (SDP), New Culture Forum (NCF) National Organiser, Non-profit and Commercial Chair,
– Dr Daniel Pitt – Teaching Associate at the University of Sheffield
– Mihály Rosonczy-Kovács – International Director of the Nézőpont Intézet
– Host: Mátyás Kohán, Foreign policy journalist, deputy columnist at Mandiner
// The event is free, but due to the limited number of seats, please register in advance! Places are reserved on a ‘first-come, first-served basis’. We ask our guests to arrive 10-15 minutes before the start of the program!
Picture and audio recordings are made during the event which we may use for advertising and documentation purposes!
If you have any questions or if you cannot attend the event, please write to us at program@scruton.hu! //
