Simon Schama talks history with PM
22 March 2007
TV historian Simon Schama came to Number 10 for the latest in a series of podcast conversations with Tony Blair.
He and the PM enjoyed a fascinating discussion about history, a subject Mr Blair says he wishes he had studied at university, rather than law.
This year sees several notable anniversaries - 300 years since the Act of Union between England and Scotland, 200 years since the abolition of slavery, 50 years since the signing of the Treaty of Rome, and 25 years since the Falklands conflict.
Asked by Simon Schama what he would have done had he been PM in 1982, the PM says he has no doubt that the British military operation to re-take the Falklands was the right thing to do - not just for reasons of sovereignty but because there was a principle at stake which needed defending.
The pair reflect on the links between past and current affairs as Mr Blair reveals his own interests in history, and his taste in historical reading - including Roy Jenkins' biographies and the writings of Macauley.
Reflecting on the issues surrounding the anniversary of the Act of Union, Mr Blair also draws parallels between the strength of the United Kingdom and debates about the future of Europe, when he says:
"If you split apart in the Union, or you split Britain apart from Europe, you just weaken your collective strength, or the strength you get from being part of that bigger collective."
Take a tour of Number 10