Very interesting points raised by Neil Oliver, he is definitely thinking outside the of the normal thought line. The tribalism being raised within modern politics and the echo chamber of the social media is creating a very dangerous narrow minded blinkered world. Neil is obviously a deep thinking man that raised many points. Well done Neil.
What doesn't help is people don't seem to even know they're doing it. I had a "debate" with someone online recently who insisted that tribalism was purely a right-wing attitude. No doubt he believed this because all his social network thought the same thing. When I pointed out that it has deep anthropological roots and that most people gravitate toward groups that affirm and validate them he backed away from the discussion.
Andrew Fish Social media encourages the splintering of society via tribal prejudice validation where opinions, by algorithmic selection, are the only ones they view or listen to. It's a virtual world validation of narrow mindedness. The young are mesmerised by this illusion of unity. No wonder this process causes such fractures of unreality given the psychological manipulation of addiction fed into the platforms. Politicians love the divide and conquer aspect of social media tribalism. All you need to do is to appease enough to swing the vote your way.
The media and politicians are just taking advantage of tribal attitudes that have always been there. When the strong arm of the law is no more, things will descend into chaos and our natural tribalism will come to the fore.
Neil Oliver could have his own show....he’s thoughtful and doesn’t mind sharing his opinions. He’s a rarity in today’s pandering world of celebrity sheep.
Neil Oliver’s intellect and bravery is so refreshing, I believe he is an extraordinary man, the voice of reason required at this time , I reflected on all his words, I hope many others do the same ... the mixing of ideas coming together is how we progress, not the reliance on divas who think they are right about everything... our free speech Is under huge threat ....Neil is right we have to get back on the right track.
I’m Sparticus i teach history at school and I love Neil Oliver’s work over the years. He’s really helped with interest in archaeology in an age where Time Team no longer exists as it did when I was young.
@@downlink5877 I love respect my European brothers and sisters ancestors and from the past and present but I hate the eu gangsters trying to destroy are history culture
One of the best interviews I have ever heard. Neil Oliver is absolutely on the money in what he says. People must listen to him as most dont seem to realise we are running headlong into a bloody conflict if we do not pull back soon.
Well said Neil, we all need to interact with other people and they need to understand that our opinions will always differ. My opinion will differ from yours and I appreciate what you say. Well done
That's very catchy. If I had a talent for storytelling, I would be tempted to write a novel about the current sociopolitical landscape titled 'the Woke Wank Redemption'.
I am afraid to speak my thoughts and feelings to many friends online, because I strongly suspect they will shut me down with their own regurgitated narrative. Everyone seems ready to throw each other under the bus at the slightest infraction against their beliefs or opinions.
Nice to hear a fellow Scot that actually thinks outside the box and can make up his own mind and not fall for the unbelievably devicive and horrible identity politics of the SNP. Well said Neil
Owen Jones Absolutely, although I’m a nationalist myself albeit not a supporter of the SNP and their vision for Scotland I am perfectly fine with anyone that is a unionist and know several that are, where I differ from the archetypal SNP supporter is I can agree to differ and find common ground on many other things with said friends, as Neil rightly said back in the 70s that how almost everyone was, now it’s just echo chambers and hatred
Does anyone else feel like me? I'm of mixed ethnicity, not black and not white, I have lived in London for almost 50 years and feel like I'm in the middle. I am a British citizen yet I have never voted as I hate politics and never felt any candidates deserved it, Maggie would of got it but I was too young but Boris could be my first. I'm not well educated but having said that I feel that my opinion can truly be as neutral as is possible in this crazy world of ours as I have zero political motives. All my life I have lived in the same council estate in SE London and I feel it is a bit harsh of the BLM community to concentrate on such a small minority of racist white people and to use words like systemic racism is quite frankly disgraceful. I'm actually embarrassed by how ungrateful they seem. Whilst I myself have experienced racism against myself and im fully aware there are a small percentage of racist people in the world my family and I have always felt truly grateful to the UK, its people and government and have never experienced and racism from any department, be it education, health and care, police, council etc etc.
I think the main problem is there is racism on all sides of the world but only 1 side gets reported by the main stream media I think the laws in this country need updating for every one as some miss use some laws and this makes things worse for everyone in the end
I think the main problem is there is racism on all sides of the world but only 1 side gets reported by the main stream media I think the laws in this country need updating for every one as some miss use some laws and this makes things worse for everyone in the end
Hi Lou! You sound like one of those people everyone is so happy to have RSVP to their party invite. :) You'll have a laugh and get on with everyone and by the end of the night, you'll have exchanged phone numbers with more than half the people there. You are absolutely not alone. Most of us here could talk happily with you for hours in the comments. You're just like me: baffled by being forced to make binary choices between extreme options. How ironic, LOL. No sane, intelligent, emotionally healthy person is like that naturally. And race being so politicised and weaponised is an American thing, but of course, kids are obsessed with imitating whatever 'cool' thing they see going on in the States and so the rest of the world is slowly copying them. What a toxic year 2020 has proved to be so far. It is disgusting to see so many weak-minded and ungrateful little bullies simultaneously crying about 'spreading of hate' and all manner of micro-aggressions whilst being such incredibly spiteful, manipulative and vindictive little bullies. They're all ignorant little foghorns too, cringe. Why grown adults are giving in to these indulged, vicious little know-it-all's I have no idea. They're kids for god's sake! :(
There is an extremely large percentage of racists in the world, nearly entire country's, they are just not white. I live in the UK and the only racism I have received is from young black men. The point being everyone is different and everyone has their opinions which is absolutist fine and not something you can change and trying to change it results in disaster.
An example of an identity-politics-practicioner is owen jones. He incites hatred in much of his tweets to willingly gullible ignorant people who lack critical-thinking. About time this and other such hate-preachers are cancelled from society.
Owen Jones postures as gay, working class spokesman. Only his sexuality is true from this list. He's from Bramhall in Stockport which is a very wealthy neighbourhood, it's where the footballers lived when they were merely rich as opposed to obscenely rich. In reality he's an empty vessel, an amplifier of other peoples views. Nothing I've read of his ever seems to have even a spark of original thought. As for his being a journalist, that's simply laughable. He's an activist masquerading as a journalist. It's fun to watch him have tantrums and throw his teddy out the pram if challenged. My ire is that he's a writer for a supposedly serious newspaper which, whether you agree with it's stance or not, should be producing balanced articles which at least acknowledge that an alternative viewpoint can be legitimate even if it's not the one you hold.
Owen Jones even having a public platform and a well paying gig as a MSN journalist is mindblowing to me. He's a mental midget. Are these big tech corporations really unable to see how destructive his brand of manipulation and misinformation is? They'll ban simple rough pub-conversation style comments because the language seems rough and ham-fisted and 'really dangerous, with a potential to escalate' but the more shadowy, highly orchestrated, sophisticated and thus TRULY dangerous controlling behaviours are totally permitted to carry on business as normal. So the censorship, misdirection and deliberately skewed partisan 'news commentary' is apparently like a ghost to these big tech folk: do they not realise where the true danger lies, the truly unethical and immoral? I think dopiness will continue for eternity with humans. So it's behind the scenes, with the people who have vested interests and the right connections, that the true destruction operates by stealth whereas the obvious silly scuffles above board get shut down. And behind the great Oz's curtain is where the worst operate.
I could listen to Neil Oliver all day. I'm a proud Scotsman and the SNP don't speak for me. In my opinion Nationalism is dangerous and can lead society down a slippery path.. Peace n' love
Yet there is nothing nationalistic about the SNP.... A party focused in remaining in the E.U, that's a unionist party and it's was the same for the majority of Westminister fancy that! Also how one state I'm a proud Scotsman but claim nationalism is dangerous.... You clearly have no idea what nationalism is then, it's culture first before anything and that means your country.
@@barbarossa5700 True. All the political parties seem to have two faces. Love of your folk is good, but hatred of others purely because they are not your folk is bad. But both of those have been and are being called nationalism. It's tricky.
@@Michael-ns1ey Love and hate are both emotive responses, they're objectively illogical, saying that in law we're treated as being equal but in reality we have interpersonal relationships in the form of hierarchies. In regards with 'love' it should be replaced with what's 'common' or 'custom' and 'hate' which is 'foreign' or 'strange'. I truly do not understand that if you love your immediate family, cousins and countrymen, then your an enemy(hate) to everyone that isn't, worst a racist, all because of an immutable feature called self preference. Humans are instinctual hostile to anything which they perceive as foreign and rather than a so called internalised bias it's a natural evolutionary state, a warning to tread with caution as the current state is always at it's cultural peak, either degression or progression will ensue. As a nationalist my heritage(customs) goes as far back as 1200 years, my traceable lineage is even older(Asia minor), it's not a story of about the blood that lies within (RACIST) but more about the blood that those veins spilled, that very blood that has kept this very heart pumping today. You're talking poly-ticks loving one thing does not mean hating everything.
I always viewed Neil Oliver as a great explainer/presenter of history - which he absolutely is - and I really enjoyed his tv shows. I had just NO IDEA, though, that, taken out of his "history-presenting" bubble, he was as clever and brilliantly insightful when talking about the world of today as he showed himself to be in this interview. That interview was just amazing to behold. I've rarely heard such profound, yet totally clearly explained and unpretentious brilliance. And SUSTAINED brilliance, at that. Oliver is just something else!!! I always considered him a really clever guy, but he's shown in this interview that he's several magnitudes more insightful and clever than I even imagined. Really amazing. And NO cliches!!! And not even a HINT of the vacuous virtue-signalling which we hear so much of in the media nowadays. No, this was just a joy to listen to. Clearly a man who can bring stacks of intelligence, reason and utter reasonableness to the debates we're now having, and SHOULD be having.
I do really enjoy watching programmes with this guy in. He has done one on tribes which is on tv now. One of the rare things the bbc gets credit for and I hate admitting that. People staying in their tribes is easier nowadays as they put themselves in echo chambers. I'll always listen to both sides even if I really don't agree.
Had just said to my husband that this was probably the finest radio I had ever heard when challenged to agree that this was some of the greatest radio I had ever heard. Brilliant piece. Have long admired Neil Oliver, not least because of my own interest in Scottish history. I loved the philosophy of this and a man I will gladly listen to again.
I almost cried with relief and gratitude to learn that Neil Oliver was 'one of us'. One by one, I drop authors, TV shows, movie, entertainers and other people in the public eye because they reveal themselves to be malignant idiots and I cannot enjoy them or their creative output anymore. Also, on principal I withdraw any form of support. We love watching Neil's documentaries in my house. Viva Neil Oliver! :)
Thanks to Neil Oliver’s comments last week the charity Anti-Slavery has an extra £6/month to help all oppressed people whatever their creed or colour & wherever they live.
Definitely some of the greatest radio I have ever heard! And agree with Mike, Neil Oliver is so eloquent. Loved this enlightening and academic interview. Thank you! I will listen in again next week.
Yes, I do think we need to interact with other people with different views. Isn’t that what makes life interesting being strong enough to accept everyone has different views
Most definitely. From every angle including the philosophy behind our brains and outward to it's potential. Both good and bad. Historically and in the future. Which is why erasing history is dangerous.
If we are to converge on the truth then yes. We know that human thinking is full of biases and we have to be challenged and tested to overcome those biases. It's essentially how the scientific method works but even that is sometimes corrupted by human biases. But if you don't really care about what is true then you want stories that confirm your biases and social media helps to do that. Unfortunately most news media seems to be following the example of social media. I sometimes think that Twitter is used as a primary source of data for some news reporters.
Might be the historian in me, but I am yet to find a historian (an actual historian, not somebody that likes to rewrite history to suit their views, kind of like an artist that does art, ironically) that doesn't have their head screwed on. Hence the importance of history and my sadness that true history is no longer being taught.
I agree. We have three - Neil, Niall Ferguson and David Starkey, who have public profiles and are very good at telling our story at a level the layman can engage with.
They have all seen, read and learned about the damage that communism does. How we would just be replacing one set of elites with another, but worse than that we would lose all our individuality and any opportunity to advance. We will all end up in the glue factory like Boxer.
IN A NUTSHELL to many first world problems. I was part of the Labour tribe until 2015 when i was 50 years old and introduced to identity politics by a certain Mr Corbyn. Then after he sacked Sarah Champion i finally quit Labour. The last 2 elections i voted Tory, it was difficult and nothing is perfect but i think i made the right move. This interview is great. When people blame the Tories for the problems in this country i say no, blame the Labour Party... they gave us Corbyn as a candidate.
I had the pleasure and honour of meeting and driving Neil Oliver across a section of Blackpool's beach to the wrecked and being dismantled Irish Ferries Riverdance in 2008. He was filming a section for the brilliant long series COAST, which I would highly recommend to even our North American friends. You'll learn so much of the British was of thinking by knowing that no matter where we stand in the UK we're never more than 72 miles from a coast. What our coasts contain through all four home nations is both fascinating and a great window to the past. Considering he landed in a helicopter and had to immediately jump into a Land Rover to drive the beach around a dangerous and listing ship wreck, then jump back into the helicopter, Neil Oliver is one of the most calm, laid back and natural relaxed people I have ever met. I find my self increasingly listening to historians as an expert above most when it comes to anything to do with humanity. To know all that has been before, gives you a massively open perspective into the behaviour of humanity now, especially in politics. This is the most important of reasons that history, no matter how uncomfortable or shaming parts of it are, teaches us how we improved and learned as people, as a society. To simply erase any history that we don't like would be disastrous, it would never end. The most important part to take from this talk from Neil Oliver is to be able to remember that each of us have one vote and none of us need have any loyalty to any political party. They after all, don't have loyalty to us when they take decisions that fall to make our lives better, and sometimes, worse, no matter which party does it. Open your eyes and ears, and open your heart and soul. Think for yourselves, gain information for yourselves, educate yourselves. If I could change one thing about modern life as we know it, I would sure end the level of dishonesty that has poisoned much information and made journalism so partisan. It doesn't matter what our skin colour is, or the colour of our political flag. We are all living in this world together. Why not just allow people to live without this constant push to recruit into ideologies that are anything but balanced. Sorry for the length of this comment. 'Live and let live' peace to everyone tonight... no matter where your tribalism lies. I shall remain neutral to all until at least tomorrow 😉
@@saxglend9439 like the illegal Islamic invasion across Europe for the globalist eu plan for their cheap Labour getting rich from it invite the third world in then becomes third world country Europe belongs to Europeans only
How enlightening this man is! Neil, you say you're inclined towards pessimism but you have the ability to bring out optimism in those who listen to you. Keep up the great work!
Don't despair Neil. There are millions of us out here - believers in common sense and humanity - who are hungry for open, honest non-identity-politics conversations and respectful of each others tribes. Well done for speaking out.
Neil - Thank you. What a decent, fair-minded man you are. I've always admired your work, and to hear you hear speak on these matters so eloquently is more gratifying. With sincere best wishes.
The best commentators in life are the prophets like Neil Oliver who are on the sidelines observing the crazy world. Mike and Neil and the others like beloved Julia, Mark, Peter H at Talk radio - you are really important in providing the light of reason and common sense and keeping me sane! Don’t go away!
Isn’t it interesting that it’s now considered brave to express a common sense point of view? This is how far we have fallen! Good luck all us decent minded people!!
Neil Oliver and Stephen fry have now publicly stated the same thing, we need to start listening to people like this and talk to each other, I'm frightened where everything is heading, hate and rage is not the way forward.
My Scottish accent also attracts the assumption that I'm a nationalist. One English woman making this assumption proceded, without knowing my views, to empathise with my desire for independence and then spoke of her admiration for Sturgeon's push for it. When I replied contrary to her expectation, she looked at me baffled and was speechless. Equally baffling to me afterwards, was when she retracted what she'd said as if relieved I was not her antagonist after all.
Mike should perhaps take some of Neil Oliver's advice the next time he has a caller who thinks that mass immigration isn't necessarily a good thing. Instead of calling them a racist then pretending to snore down the microphone until they shut up.
George Orwell in 1984 (he missed the moment for +36 years:: "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past".The marxism and the video game generation: the only purpose is win; and the game creator will facilitate the victory through hints on websites or magazines fully controlled by the software ownership. They will never say to you that in real life most of time you lose or there is draw... and they only play within their groups in the cloud and they never met each other. Then they call themselves "friends" without any interaction. They kill each other on that virtual world. I had a colleague working in the same office at a desk three meters away. He would not speak to me: he would text me over cisco... one important detail: he was always avoiding any interaction with people out of his age generation.
I’m definitely a Neil Oliver fan and not just because he’s a fellow Scot but he could do with spring out some lighting. He could also do with his own RU-vid channel for his talks, programmes and lectures.
Wonderful man! Isn't it a pity that enlightened thinkers such as this are absent in the political arena. Imagine what a wonderful world we would be living in if our 'so called' leaders were as illuminated!
I must admit going back many years I thought Oliver was a Scottish SNP . However over the years watching his documentaries on so many different subjects on things outside of Scotland I change my mind. I find him first class Presenter and I do like his documentaries. It does surprise me that he was on talk radio last week and attracted lot of hate speech. I never heard the broadcast my self but I cant imagine Niel Oliver saying anything that deserved hate speech. All the years I watched his documentaries I have never once heard him say and bad things about any one or anything. One of the most un bigoted presenters on main stream media.
I always liked Neil Oliver. He struck me as a decent bloke who spoke sense. Too much sense for some unfortunately. I think his words will encourage others to take heart and speak up when necessary. They have done that for me.
I heard this live and was very impressed with Neil's description. Plus I thought this is how bad it's got if Neil feels he has to speak out as he always come across on TV as being very mellow. 👏😁
Bravo Neil you’ve hit the nail on the head. There is no perfection and these younger generations are simply spoiled, indulged and have been dumbed down by Tele and cinema and know nothing about real life. More people have more today than any time in the history of our species. Yes life for some is difficult but when I think of the poverty and disease through and beyond the Middle Ages, or worse, the industrial revolution, in the uk, of work houses, debtors prison, infant mortality, tuberculosis and the air poisoned by industry I can almost see the post WWII era as utopia for society. Most western youth and children’s worst problems and misery today is getting the newest smart phone and video game or tech device. They don’t read books, are not interested in improving their minds or scope of understanding or living a productive life and giving something to the society rather than only taking. Spoiled, selfish, self serving and mean spirited. That doesn’t mean everyone but certainly includes all the malcontents and these groups of bullies. Because that is what they are. Don’t agree with them and people are losing their jobs, careers and friends. Fear is the guiding force and watch word because of these bullies.
Neil Oliver states that WE are ALL living much better than we did in the 1980s. Maybe he is, but there's plenty of people like myself who are worse of thanks to Greedy Tory Tribal politics. Mr Oliver obviously wasn't forced out to work straight from school at the age of 17 onto a Tory Youth Training scheme like I was in 1984, working a 40 hour week for a minimum wage of £1.66 an hour, which eventually increased to a minimum wage of £5.50 an hour after working full-time for 25 years, with (No Child benefits or extra working tax credits), after all, I never left school as a woman at the age of 17 with ready made children in need. I then had an illegal Conservative Poll and Council Tax levied on me from the age of 21 in 1988, while living at my parents rented Council house(Not my HOME) after 2 men from the local Council visited my parents home in 1991 and left word with my Mother to let me know when I returned from work that I was liable to pay this illegal Tax. This illegal Poll Tax replaced the fairer means tested Household Rates which had been paid only by the Householder or named Tenant on a Council Housing Missive, which was traditionally the working Father in the Family Household and was introduced by a Conservative Monster called Margaret Thatcher, who was threatened with a fine for failing to register for the very Tax she Hypocritically levied on decent women like myself from poor working class backgrounds. My Father was already paying this Poll Tax for his rented Council House(Not my HOME), which was replaced by the Council Tax in 1991 after the Poll Tax Riots of 1990. The Council in 1991 then arrested from my Monthly wage which the Tory government had made Mandatorily be paid into a Bank Account, taking £55.00 a month(£715.00)annually, then increasing to £65.00 a month(£845.00)annually, then increasing to £90.00 month(£1170.00)annually, and I have been charged these Greedy illegal Tory Robber Baron Poll and Council Taxes for the past 30 years for social services I have never used, and which funded the EU Leprechaun pot of Gold for all of the single parent Freeloaders who have never paid a penny in Taxes for all of their social services. After all, I could no longer afford to socialise or go holidays, let alone have a family life and children in Need of my own. Unlike the single parent Freeloader Households who practised the religion of the Benefits Bible and had Social workers to get them Free Council Housing and welfare state benefits and have never worked for their right to a Family life. After all, It's a CRIME, that after years and years of Hard WORK and TOIL, I've not got a DIME, in the land of the SWINE. After all, It's a Crime that I was robbed of my hard earned money in these Taxes, when the Tory Vermin who introduced these Taxes hid their wealth in offshore Tax Havens while Hypocritically taking their share of the Collective EU kitty which was funded by the illegal Taxation levied on people like myself. Thanks to the Greedy Tories I have no children to help me in later life, as I am currently helping my Parents in their old age. If Mr Oliver wants to know why this chaos has evolved in Britain he should heed the words of Sir Christopher Wren, "Si Monumentum requiris Circumspice". If you seek her monument, look around. Or as The song goes, "You're going to reap just what you sow".!
I cannot give this interview enough likes. Neil Oliver makes great documentaries, writes interesting and informative books and in the last week has given two great interviews on Talk Radio.
Heard this interview earlier today. One of the most interesting discussions I've listened to in a while on radio. He was given the time to talk and flesh out his ideas which was so refreshing and which made this such a good listen.
The polarisation comes from two distinct groups, the LEFT and particularly the Hard Left and the Nationalist like the SNP. I very much admire people like Mr Oliver for there plain speaking and down the middle of road approach
Like Neil I am a Scot who believes in the UK and I have lived through times of real poverty. People nowadays have never had it so good and we should be careful that we don’t lose what we have, because once it is gone we may never get it back.
Neil, I am a pessimist too like you, so you’re not alone and here’s a ‘ welcome to the club’! I always say being pessimistic has been my « insurance policy » and is why I have survived, am still here! Rather like opting for one or t’other of the two attitudes « Look before you leap » verses « He who hesitates is lost » ie think first, reflect before against act before you lose your chance of opportunity, I’d bank my chances on reflection first than risk what may well be my sole chance!
Mr Oliver, in the past for reason I know not, I thought you were a bit of a knob. I am happy to apologise to you and share my appreciation of your ideas. I was wrong. Thank you for your contribution.
