Strange Bedfellows

I like to run two parallel book lists at the same time. They reflect the way that I read and the amount of time that I can commit to reading. I like to have one list which I read over lunch and into the early afternoon. These are my hardcore work related books. They tend to be fairly heavy and occasionally pretty turgid. To lighten the load, I also like to have a series of books which I read in the evening and at bedtime. These tend to be lighter books, which are well written, and help me to wind down before going to sleep. On occasions, a pair of strange bedfellows enters my reading list by accident. Now is such a time.

I am currently reading 'What Next' by Daniel Hannan as my work related book, and 'Atlas Shrugged' by Ayn Rand as my bedtime book. It has come as a surprise to me how the one book fits into the other. What attracted me to Mr Hannan's book is that it outlines a positive vision of Britain after Brexit. It was often said that the Leave side in the Referendum didn't have a plan for Britain after Brexit. The purpose of this book is to address that criticism.

In reading Mr Hannan's book, I was struck by how much of the criticism of the European Union - more specifically the European Commission - parallels the corporatist and statist word described in Atlas Shrugged. Ayn Rand describes a world in which individual endeavour is stifled by collective rules, where intellectual honesty is captured by vested interests who only peddle what we now call 'fake news', and where humanity is gradually drifting backwards rather than moving forwards. These are exactly the reasons why Mr Hannan argued for Brexit.

It is possible to wax lyrical about life following art, but I do find this an interesting co-incidence. It is almost as if I am currently reading a theoretical treatise alongside a practical application of the theory. I guess that it's one way to use my time.

Stephen Aguilar-Millan

© The European Futures Observatory 2017