Boris gets it wrong – again
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has hit headlines once more for seemingly struggling to grasp the facts of world history. This time, he’s claimed that the Roman Empire collapsed due to immigration which, as many on Twitter have pointed out, isn’t true.
During Italy’s G20 summit last week, Johnson took it upon himself to speak to the media. Drawing upon his immense knowledge, he was able to educate watchers on numerous topics – but unfortunately, little of it was based on fact.
this government: "Stop Rewriting History!!!"
also this government: 👇👇👇 https://t.co/wUxDomVmcM
— Dan Hicks (@profdanhicks) October 31, 2021
Speaking to Channel 4 News, Johnson started off by talking about climate change, saying: “If you increase the temperatures of the planet by four degrees or more … you’ll have seen the graphs, then you produce these really very difficult geopolitical events.
“You produce shortages, you produce desertification, habitat loss… those are things that are going to be politically very difficult to control.
WTAF
“When the Roman Empire fell, it was largely as a result of uncontrolled immigration. The empire could no longer control its borders, people came in…and Europe went into a dark ages that lasted a very long time. The point is that it can happen again”pic.twitter.com/og7UP5jJck— Dan Hicks (@profdanhicks) October 31, 2021
But here’s where things get particularly inaccurate.
“When the Roman Empire fell, it was largely as a result of uncontrolled immigration. [It] could no longer control its borders, people came in from the east and all over the place, and we went into a Dark Ages – or Europe went into a Dark Ages – that lasted a very long time.
“The point of that is to say it can happen again.”
Simply put, the fall of the Roman Empire is not as simple as ‘Johnson The Historian’ would like to think. While the invasion of barbarian tribes did contribute to the collapse, the economy, reliance on slave trade, rise of the Eastern Empire, military overspending and government corruption all played a part.
However don’t listen to us about the ins and outs of the Roman Empire – listen to the many historians who have enjoyed knocking the PM down a few pegs on Twitter.
“On the list of things that caused the Western Empire to collapse, I would gently suggest the Prime Minister investigate the role of incompetent and cowardly leaders at Court clinging to self-destructive xenophobia as being significantly more instructive,” said history podcaster Mike Duncan.
https://twitter.com/mikeduncan/status/1454829591923679238?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1454832090151858181%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-26602310133141285477.ampproject.net%2F2110152252002%2Fframe.html
He continued: “It’s impossible to read anything written about the Roman Empire in the last 50 years and walk away believing the kind of racist garbage Johnson is peddling. Shocked he didn’t slip in a reference to homosexuality eroding manly virtue which usually comes along with crap like this.”
Related Links:
- David Attenborough has viewers in tears with powerful COP26 speech
- COP26: Is football finally waking up to the climate emergency?
- The 10 most burning questions COP26 should address
