Modern WisdomWhat The Right Is Getting Wrong - Darren Grimes | Modern Wisdom Podcast 361
At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Darren Grimes On Brexit Backlash, Woke Politics, And ‘Steady’ Conservatism
- Chris Williamson interviews activist Darren Grimes about his role in the Brexit campaign, the backlash he’s faced, and why he believes young right‑wing voices are treated as illegitimate. Grimes argues that contemporary liberal and left politics have become extreme, paternalistic, and culturally dominant despite weak electoral performance, while conservative ideas are culturally marginalized and hard to ‘sell’ in an attention economy. They discuss environmental policy, trans issues, race and policing, media sensationalism, class snobbery, and the erosion of trust in institutions. Throughout, Grimes frames conservatism as a ‘philosophy of love’ for country, tradition, and ordinary people, contrasted with what he sees as self‑loathing progressivism and middle‑class guilt.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasPersonal identity can intensify political backlash when it defies expectations.
Grimes argues that being gay, working-class, and from the North East makes his pro‑Brexit, conservative stance particularly hated by some progressives who assume people with those identities ‘belong’ to the left.
Conservatism struggles to compete in a media landscape that rewards drama and novelty.
He notes that conservative messaging—‘steady on, think again’—is inherently less exciting than radical slogans like ‘resist,’ making it harder to attract attention among young people and on social platforms.
Symbolic environmental targets can clash with economic realities for working‑class communities.
Grimes criticizes net‑zero policies that raise energy costs, threaten industrial jobs, and outsource emissions abroad, arguing these are driven more by virtue signaling than practical environmentalism.
Nuanced concerns about youth gender medicine and single-sex spaces are easily branded as bigotry.
Citing whistleblowers from the Tavistock clinic and figures like J.K. Rowling, he claims that simply advocating therapy-first approaches for distressed children or defending women-only refuges now risks cancellation.
Media amplification can distort the prevalence and nature of racism and social conflict.
Both speakers suggest that post–Euro 2020 racism coverage fixated on fringe or foreign online abuse and non‑racial vandalism, feeding a narrative of ‘racist Britain’ that doesn’t match many people’s lived experience.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesConservatism is the philosophy of love. It’s saying, ‘I actually quite like what we’ve done here. I want to protect it. I want to nurture it.’
— Darren Grimes
If you’re not trusting them to have sex, how can you trust them to change their gender?
— Chris Williamson
People like me on the right don’t think the left are evil; we just think they’re mistaken. They think we’re evil scum of the earth.
— Darren Grimes (paraphrasing Roger Scruton and contrasting with Owen Jones)
Indifference is the level that everybody should be aiming for with equality. Nobody gives a shit—that’s progress.
— Chris Williamson
There are so many problems in the world, and I think most of them are down to middle‑class liberals who feel guilty.
— Darren Grimes
High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.
Get more out of YouTube videos.
High quality summaries for YouTube videos. Accurate transcripts to search & find moments. Powered by ChatGPT & Claude AI.
Add to Chrome