What we’re about
Welcome to the New Culture Forum Edinburgh Meetup!
Since its formation in 2006, the New Culture Forum has stood for the preservation and flourishing of British culture and heritage, challenging left-wing and liberal orthodoxies that have come to dominate Western institutions and public life.
Although not officially aligned with the New Culture Forum team, this meetup serves as a means of gathering those who personally identify with NCF content as reflected by its many videos, reports, books, and events. We aim to regularly discuss and develop the various socio-political insights that have been promulgated by NCF guests and representatives.
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Here is a description of NCF aims, as found on their website:
“Culture, it is said, is upstream from politics. Certainly, we in the New Culture Forum believe that cultural issues are the defining ones of our time.
“More and more people are passionately engaged in these issues, but feel there is no outlet within an atmosphere which is dominated by the existence of a liberal/left groupthink. The triumph of cultural relativism and political correctness in the opinion-forming fields of the media, academia, education and culture has meant that this groupthink has become even more deeply entrenched. The liberal establishment sets the terms of debate.
“At a time of threat from extremism, the West finds itself besieged from within and without. Too often our enemies and our opinion-formers appear to agree that Western culture is indefensible or a source purely of shame.
“We, however, believe that the West is in fact a unique bastion of reasoned freedom and that Britain in particular should be proud of the great role it has played in Western education, art and culture.
“Since it was formed in 2006 the New Culture Forum has been challenging the cultural orthodoxies dominant in the media, academia, education, and wider British culture. We have forged important relationships within the national political, media and cultural spheres and now enjoy a high profile.
“Through our research projects and our events, our highly-praised and influential publications and active media work, we have contributed fresh thinking to the public and political debate on the cultural issues of our time.”
https://www.newcultureforum.org.uk/our-aims
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If you’re new to NCF content, have a look at their YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@NewCultureForum
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Here’s a short video about the Forum featuring the NCF founder and director, Peter Whittle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_bffddidaw
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Should you find a resonance with their work, then please reach out!
We’d love to hear from you, and to join us for lively conversation, camaraderie, consolation, and cheer.
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Terms of Service
By accessing and using Meetup, entering your RSVP, and continuing to attend our events, you agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions.
Disclaimer
In no instance will organisers be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect, consequential, or other damages arising from his or her attendance at one of our events. Attendance is at your own risk. The organiser, co-organiser, host, and Meetup are not responsible for loss, damage, theft, injury to oneself or equipment, allergic reactions, traffic or parking violations, or accidents with your vehicle.
RSVP Etiquette
Some circumstances and venue settings necessitate that we limit the number of attendees. In that case, we’ll create a waiting list for anyone who would like to participate should a space become free.
If you’re unable to attend an event that you’ve registered for, please be courteous in updating your RSVP the night before so as to enable organisers to prepare accordingly, potentially allowing others the opportunity to sign up in your place.
If you mark yourself as attending but fail to turn up, we will record this as a ‘no-show.’ Organisers reserve the right to discontinue membership of anyone accruing two or more ‘no-shows’ for this meetup’s events.
Thank you!
Upcoming events (3)
See all- Alleluya Anyway: Notes on a Choral CountercultureThe National Library of Scotland , Edinburgh
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Please join us in conversation about the current state and possible futures of the British choral tradition, with an option afterwards to attend a free choral concert at St Giles’ Cathedral.
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We’ll refer to the following sources in guiding our discussion:
New Culture Forum video with Benjamin Loughnane: “Sacred Music: The Unsung Battleground in the Long March / Culture Wars”:
“Our culture is under attack, and not just from the vandals who pull down our statues. There is a quiet pernicious threat throughout our institutions, and every area of our culture is in danger. Sacred music is the new battleground and it is the churches, themselves, who are engaged in this vandalism…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01nNVLG-fJU
Scruton interview with Jonathan Arnold on the subject of sacred music:
“A piece such as [Handel’s] Messiah had, for English people of my generation and previous generations, the status of a work that united the secular and the sacred so that they were indistinguishable. The melodies resound in the secular world, and the Hallelujah Chorus has a ceremonial, nationalistic role to play as well…
“The growth of the Christian liturgy went hand in hand with the great musical discoveries that Western civilization has made. That has meant that we understand God as a real presence among us, who comes among us as we unite our voices in song… That sense of the whole, of a community of completely distinct individuals all united in a common meaningful totality, is a symbol of the social order: of the reconciliation of individuality and freedom within the social order which is maybe what Western civilization is all about…
“All culture, all real culture now, is counter culture because we’re surrounded by totally ephemeralized pseudo-culture which is the official culture. The culture of grinning politicians, the cultures that are taught through the media … We live in a cultural catacomb. Nevertheless, we keep the memory of real things alive.”
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ndrAhyPNZYKy0vrn1j7ns9UvH3Z7nhzh/view?usp=sharing
Imaginative Conservative article by Michael De Sapio: “Spiritual Renewal and Modern Choral Music”:
“What I find most remarkable is that in the midst of the postmodern age a group of composers has gained a worldwide following by writing music set to ancient Latin liturgical texts. The trend is so much against the grain of mainstream contemporary life as to require explanation. Could it testify to a hunger among many for transcendence and mystery amid the purposelessness and secularity of modern life?”
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We’ll discuss the topic for about an hour, at which point you’ll have the option of continuing on at the venue in free conversation or of walking over to St Giles’ Cathedral for a free choral concert given by members of the Edinburgh Academy (advance booking required—follow the link and click on the ‘Get tickets’ button):
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/st-giles-at-six-tickets-1021636942597?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
We hope to see you soon!
Sonja and Christopher
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Please note that this will be a joint event with the Scrutopia Edinburgh Meetup group (https://4142298.xyz/scrutopia-edinburgh/), with an invitation extended to members of the NCF Locals platform as well.
- The Manifesto for a European RenaissanceScott Monument , Edinburgh
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For this event, we’ll be discussing the Manifesto for a European Renaissance (1999) by Alain de Benoist and Charles Champetier.
Here’s how it’s described on Amazon:
The Manifesto “offers a strong argument in favor of the right to difference among cultures and civilizations, and the right of peoples to defend themselves from cultural homogenization. It also offers a vision of a regenerated Europe which will find its strength in a return to its authentic values and traditions, in opposition to the new imperialism of multiculturalism and the global marketplace.”
Attendees should have a look at the Manifesto beforehand and come ready with a few comments and questions for the group:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15oM7p8RAmEMD7GzVc2SNFKPg8oWVu_Vd/view?usp=sharing
Here’s a short quote from the text:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7ulT4MD-Y94
We hope that you’ll join us!
Sonja and Christopher
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Please note that this will be a joint event with The Forest Way Meetup group (https://4142298.xyz/edinburgh-conservatism-meetup-group/), with an invitation extended to members of the NCF Locals platform as well.
