In Defence of Our Western Cultural Heritage with Simon Heffer – Melbourne

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Join us in Melbourne on February 5, as historian Simon Heffer and CIS Executive Director Tom Switzer discuss British imperial history, its influence on debates like Australia Day, and its complex legacy in shaping Australia’s democracy. 

Around the universities of the English-speaking world, and not least in England itself, there has for some years been a concerted attempt to portray the British past as one of almost relentless evil, especially in the imperial endeavour. The influence of this on minority political thought in debates, such as over Australia Day, has been profound. Yet it is rooted not in historical fact, but in pure ideology. 

No one sane pretends that everything about the British imperial project was good: It entailed much cruelty and what we would now call a disregard of basic human rights. But remember this: Australia is a country of which its citizens of all cultures can be intensely proud, and it is the result of that imperial project. Those cultures have learned to be tolerant and respectful of each other within the national democracy. 

Simon Heffer, columnist for The Telegraph and professor of modern British history at the University of Buckingham, is the author of High Minds, The Age of Decadence, and his latest book, Scarcely English: An A to Z of Assaults on Our Language (December 2024). 

Tom Switzer is Executive Director of CIS. He formerly hosted ABC’s Between the Lines and held editorial roles at The Spectator Australia and The Australian.