“it is always right to keep things as they are, in case worse things are proposed”.Roger Scruton

The mystery of three grand Budapest cafés

 It’s peculiar to see a café in Budapest devoted to a conservative Englishman who died in 2020.

The author of over 50 books, he wrote about values of community, reciprocal obligations, courtliness and kingship. 

In Britain, Scruton’s ideas have gained some traction. As prime minister, Theresa May had him lead official efforts to rewrite planning rules to ensure new constructions went up along traditionalist lines—a process dubbed “building beautiful”. (It fell apart.) 

Some right-leaning Swedes are fond of Scruton, too. Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, is another fan. She likes to quote a saying of his: “it is always right to keep things as they are, in case worse things are proposed”.

Mr Orban was personally fond of Scruton and showed up for his funeral in Britain. The writer had supported the anti-communist underground in the 1970s and 1980s, and frequently visited central European countries to help dissidents. 

The Economist 2 July 2023

Why right-wing Europeans are flocking to an English thinker (economist.com)