Athenian Civilisation: The Glory That Endures | Legatum Institute - with Boris Johnson

The Mayor of London drew brilliant parallels between Athens and London and laid out his manifesto as a potential Prime Minister in an authoritative and entertaining, livestreamed lecture for the Legatum Institute on Thursday, 4 September 2014.

Johnson has submitted his name for selection to stand as the Conservative candidate for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in the 2015 General Election. He has been Mayor of London since 2008 and before that served as MP for Henley. Mr Johnson read Classics at Balliol College Oxford as a Brackenbury Scholar.

The mayor’s lecture examined how the experiences of democrats in the 5th century BC can help us to preserve London’s unique metropolitan character today. He warned against “the challenge, global in its extent, to democratic freedoms. We must fight these enemies”, and defend democracy, the rule of law and an open welcome to talented incomers that made Athens the eternal glory of the Western world - in stark opposition to the "ghastly, self-whipping, olive-spitting, xenophobic Spartans".

The audience was left in no doubt that London is the Athens of today. The question we must answer now: is Boris Pericles?