Meggie Macdonald

Having recently finished reading the above book by the current mayor of London, this reviewer found themselves rather surprised by it.  Admittedly it is not so much about the history of Rome and how, as an empire, it still enthralls the imagination of the western world.  It is more a dissertation on what worked in that political system of the ancient world, how society was able to find within itself a strong connection despite the massive geography of the empire and the widely varying cultural and ethnic origins of its people.

Mr Johnson directs this analysis at the European Union, commenting on what it does that is similar to the functions of the Roman Empire (minting a standard set of coins, for example), and what it lacks that limits the coherence with which the EU is trying to assert itself.  In the modern age, there can be no Cult of the Emperor or any other state religion, since (apart from anything else) so many European countries have revolutions separating church and state and because few of those countries share unambiguously a common belief structure.  There is nothing that unites the people of Europe into believing that the EU is the best thing for everyone.  Ironically, not even the current economic crisis affecting much (if not all) of the world has done this.  The nations of Europe are still too nationalistic.

Mr Johnson believes that it is the ‘dream of Rome’, the hope that one day Europe can return to a state of cohesion and solidarity, that drives the European Union and that, until we are able to find something to unite us without question, there will be no stability, no safety, no unity, and no tolerance.  The example that he closes the book with, of the violent murder of a nun as a result of the words of a politician (in this case, the Pope) strikes a cord to emphasize this lack of tolerance – something the Roman empire never had much trouble with apart from occasional radical sects that resisted the unifying actions of empire.

This reviewer was astonished to:  first, find herself reading a book by the Mayor of London; and second, to be appreciating his tactics.  Mr Johnson is clearly enthusiastic about Roman history and about learning in general, but he also sees the parallels that history provides us to seek a newer and brighter future.  This, I believe, is a part of his manifesto towards furthering the development.  For that, I am appreciative.