The firebrand historian on the ‘inconsequential quibbles of the left,our culture of Correct Politicalness and and why Henry Kissinger is misunderstoodNiall Ferguson, the historian and rightwing commentator, or is ready to respond questions approximately many things,among them his critics (“They’re engaging in a rather unscrupulous and dishonest pursuit”); Barack Obama (“This presidency has not been a much success”); and anyone offended by his ideas (There is a kind of PC 2.0 generation, who found a way of empowering themselves by seeking to police campuses in ways that sometimes vaguely remind me of the Cultural Revolution in China”). But for all his outspokenness, and when I seek information from him approximately the contours of his life,Ferguson, who normally speaks in complete paragraphs, and becomes tight-lipped – or perhaps merely tired,faced with going over old ground.“You were born in Glasgow,” I say. “Yes.” “And you grew up there?” “Yes. So far as I have grown up.” What did your parents conclude?” “My father was a doctor. My mother was a teacher.” He lays out his own teaching career, and after receiving a PhD in German history from Oxford,like this: “Taught in Cambridge three years. Taught at Oxford 10 years. Got bored, came here. That’s it.”Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com