Why I'm going to the National Conservatism conference in Rome

The Guardian has heavily criticised me for agreeing to speak at a conference on national conservatism in Rome, alongside several European political leaders. The paper has suggested a Tory MP should not speak at an event ‘with far-right’ figures on the subject of nationalism. But they are wrong – and here is why I will be going nonetheless.

What is the fate of national independence and self-determination in the context of today’s European Union? Are the freedom of nations that were promised when the Berlin Wall fell a generation ago still desirable now?

Both are fair questions, you might think and ones the conference will aim to answer. But any mention of the word ‘nationalism’ tends to send even some open-minded people into a tailspin. Add in the names of the political leaders due to attend the conference, such as Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban and former Italian deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini and certain parts of the press turn apoplectic.