We look at a book called The Roman Revolution by Ronald Syme, which tells the story of Rome’s transition from Republic to Empire - Octavian (“a cold and mature terrorist”) vs Mark Anthony (of Anthony and Cleopatra). It was written in 1939, a charged year for any discussion about dictatorship, and is now required reading for university classics courses. It also turns out to have high relevance to British politics.

Syme’s thesis is that every government is formed of individuals. The real decisions do not take place through official forums, they are made privately and informally through the interactions of these individuals. That is how power is actually exercised, how power is actually formulated, and anything else is a story told on top of this to give it respectability and prestige.

Doesn’t this feel contemporary?  ...