Monument of Light / An Túr Solais

In his essay "On Being Conservative", the political philosopher Michael Oakeshott posits that "To be conservative, then, is to prefer the familiar to the unknown, the tried to the untried, fact to mystery, the actual to the possible., the limited to the unbounded, the near to the distant, the sufficient to the superabundant, the convenient to the perfect, present laughter to utopian bliss. To the conservative, to acquire and to enlarge will be less important than to keep, cultivate and enjoy."

I find this interesting, actually, not least because if you asked me to define what it means to be Conservative, I'd probably start banging on about the small state with low taxes and a minimal public sector (none of which I agree with). Looking at Oakeshott's definition, I can see that he wouldn't view me as a Conservative on his terms, either, although I do enjoy a bit of present laughter.

But whilst I might be a risk taker, I'm not reckless, and one of the reasons I had my doubts about both the Scottish referendum and Brexit was that no one was clear about what lay on the other side of a vote for change. In these cases at least, I very much favoured the familiar over the unknown, and fact to mystery.

And now that we are beginning to see what a Godforsaken place post-Brexit Britain will be, I am even more surprised by anyone who would argue that we will be better off outside the EU. Not that you really get an argument from your average Brexiteer: abuse, yes, and lots of anger, but not much in the way of discourse. One day, I suspect, long books will be written about the discreet and patient excavations of the deep wells of hatred that the Leave movement tapped into.

It seems to me that our post-apolocalyptic Britain won't have much time for public art. Can I really believe that the mindset that hates people who were born somewhere else, that manufactures phobias about different cultures, will want to live amidst the unfamiliar, and inhabit a world that requires thought and presents them with challenges? It seems unlikely. 

Yet look at this, the Monument of Light. Look how it takes a simple street view and transforms it into something exciting and enthralling. I'm going to miss artefacts like this: in a land that can't (and won't) afford an NHS, or schools, or public services, I don't believe we will see any more angels in the north. And that is one of the reasons that I think I will move away. (If I can find somewhere willing to have me!)

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