Reflections on the Witan

I am seated at a table in a hall nestled in the hills of Oxfordshire. To my right is Auron MacIntyre; to my left is Academic Agent. Across the table sits The Distributist and, next to him, Morgoth. Around us, a dozen other tables are occupied by dissidents of similar intellectual calibre. Carl Benjamin stands before us, addressing the room in Carlylean fashion on the Condition of England.

It’s the final day of The Witan, and spirits are running high. Just like its predecessor, the occasion has brought together some of the wisest men in the land to discuss the problems of the present time. Carl’s speech, titled We Are Inevitable, was, in his typical fashion, a serious yet optimistic conclusion to the weekend.

Carl was not alone in his daring optimism. On the Right, especially within our spheres, there are those who seem to relish despair, those who seem to enjoy, as it were, being “men among the ruins.” There’s no denying that the nature of our politics favours a particularly grumpy temperament (Spengler’s “optimism is cowardice” comes to mind). Yet, the prevailing feeling I had as I returned to Kent was one of hope.

From Auron's head-spinning discussion of Nick Land to Fen de Villiers' powerful sermon on the necessity of art in our movement, the content of the event was of tremendously high quality. Yet, this was not the primary reason for my optimism.

Rather, it was the calibre of my fellow attendees—their seriousness, sincerity, energy, and, crucially, their youth. While there’s a certain cockiness that unites young people in politics, those at The Witan were of a very different stripe to the conniving politicos scuttling around Westminster. They did not appear to be involved purely for their own gain—and if they are, they have chosen the worst possible wing of politics to become involved in. Moreover, this was not a group of wistful, greying conservatives resigned to the ashes of civilisation. This was not a discussion of parties and policies, as if that is where the solution lies. Though politics was, of course, a central theme, the scope of the gathering stretched far beyond the petty day-to-day issues of our benighted age.

This was a meeting of men with a sense of history and civilisational duty, ranging from scholars and soldiers to artists and entrepreneurs, united—in accordance with the event’s title—Against Entropy. There was a collective acknowledgement of the bleak condition of the modern world and a defiant commitment to doing something about it.

Meeting genuine like-minded individuals in the flesh was truly refreshing. This was the third Witan, but the first I had attended, and by all accounts, it was the biggest and best yet. By day, we talked seriously about the future of our nations and people; by night, we enjoyed whiskey, smoked cigars, and celebrated the occasion. Everyone was on the same page about the problems ahead, which meant we could get to the heart of the issues without needing to debate our presuppositions. Naturally, there were differences in our proposed solutions, but the consensus on the principal problems—the rotten elite, the degraded condition of modern man, the poison of globalism, and so on—was strong. The weekend was not free of conflict, however; when the subject of pork pie jelly came up during Unpopular Opinions Live, passions ran high.

Despite the conference’s title and the shared cynicism about the direction of our civilisation, a prevailing feeling throughout the event was that the future remains open. The decline is undeniable, but it is not necessarily an unadulterated evil. With entropy comes opportunity, and everyone in the room recognised that it is up to us to reach out and seize it. “We are an elite without a people,” said Carl in his closing remarks. Grandiose? Perhaps a little (Carl? Never!), but the feeling I came away with was that some in that hall were indeed destined for greatness. We talk a lot about the primacy of organisation in our circles, and gatherings like this are a crucial step towards that. Pontificating online about our high-minded ideals has its place, but networking and organising in real life is how we get things done.

If you can make it to the Witan next year, I highly recommend you come along—you will not regret it.