For half a millennium from 509 BC the Roman people were sovereign body in the state. Now you only have to listen to Cicero's brother offering advice on how to canvas for election at Rome and see how we inherited the Roman brand of politics. The other thing you have to think about is your reputation and public opinion. Your campaign has to be glamorous but you have to dig up the dirt too. If you can see that some accusations of crime, expenses fiddling or a sex scandal are thrown at your rivals. That they're always coming to your house, that you look the part and that the electorate feel they're sharing in your fame.
In 2015, Intelligence Squared staged the ultimate clash of civilisations: Greece vs Rome. Boris Johnson, at that time Mayor of London and ardent classicist, made the case for Greece; while Mary Beard, today Lecturer in Classical Archaeology at the University of Sheffield and known for her extensive career as a broadcaster and writer, championed Rome. As we revisit this archive debate held in the pre-Brexit, pre-pandemic era, it's fascinating to observe how history would soon be shaped by some of the figures on stage and whose actions are the subject of much divisive debate today. Our host for the event was the journalist and broadcaster, Andrew Marr.
We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be about. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com.
At Intelligence Squared we’ve got our own online streaming platform, Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s most important topics as well as exclusive podcast content. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch on-demand, totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices