The Abandoned Hill With Two Members Of Parliament

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  • čas pƙidĂĄn 5. 07. 2020
  • Old Sarum, in Wiltshire, is a now-desolate hillfort run by English Heritage. But it was once one of the most important sites in southern England: so important that it had two members of Parliament. Then, it became a "rotten borough": and a warning about power.
    Thanks to English Heritage: more information and how to visit: www.english-heritage.org.uk/v...
    Research and script assistance from Jess Jewell
    Drone camera by Jamie Bellinger
    Edited by Michelle Martin: / mrsmmartin
    Audio mix by Graham Haerther: haerther.net
    Filmed safely, following all local and national guidance: www.tomscott.com/safe/
    SOURCES:
    Corfield, P. (2000). Power and the professions in Britain 1700-1850. London: Routledge.
    Dodsworth, W. (1814). An historical description of the cathedral church of Salisbury : including an account of the monuments, chiefly extracted from Gough's "Sepulchral Monuments," and other authentic documents : also, biographical memoirs of the Bishops of Salisbury, from the earliest period by W. Dodsworth, verger of the Cathedral
    English Heritage's own research page: www.english-heritage.org.uk/v...
    www.historyhome.co.uk/c-eight/...
    đŸŸ„ MORE FROM TOM: www.tomscott.com/
    (you can find contact details and social links there too)
    📰 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER with good stuff from the rest of the internet: www.tomscott.com/newsletter/
    ❓ LATERAL, free weekly podcast: lateralcast.com/ / lateralcast
    ➕ TOM SCOTT PLUS: / tomscottplus
    đŸ‘„ THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: / techdif

Komentáƙe • 2K

  • @TomScottGo
    @TomScottGo  Pƙed 4 lety +7470

    Strong wind doesn't play well with lockdown hair. I forgot to put the tag at the start of the video, but this was filmed safely, following all Covid guidance and law: you can pull down the description for a link to the precautions I'm taking!

    • @smileless3465
      @smileless3465 Pƙed 3 lety +58

      Good tom!

    • @chaewonpupuz
      @chaewonpupuz Pƙed 3 lety +5

      Hi :)

    • @mikumicha7363
      @mikumicha7363 Pƙed 3 lety +20

      Great Job Tom! Keep up the valuable content!

    • @manoballimbu4051
      @manoballimbu4051 Pƙed 3 lety +97

      What... how does your comment say 3 weeks ago when this video came out 1 minute ago?

    • @ppilleppille1516
      @ppilleppille1516 Pƙed 3 lety +29

      What,this was commented 3 weeks ago and the video came out today

  • @tkgsg
    @tkgsg Pƙed 3 lety +6130

    A moment of silence for all people like me who thought that this hill still has 2 MPs

    • @deinname7981
      @deinname7981 Pƙed 3 lety +66

      F

    • @amrutasaralkar8008
      @amrutasaralkar8008 Pƙed 3 lety +44

      F

    • @supernoodle704
      @supernoodle704 Pƙed 3 lety +36

      F

    • @567secret
      @567secret Pƙed 3 lety +274

      I wasn't sure what the title meant to begin with, for some reason I parsed it as "The Abandoned Hill, With Two Members Of Parliament
      " so thought this video was either going to include two MPs, OR there were two MPs buried there.
      Much happier with the direction it went though.

    • @tobster1499
      @tobster1499 Pƙed 3 lety +11

      F

  • @lifthras11r
    @lifthras11r Pƙed 3 lety +4582

    I honestly feel like Tom is shouting "one take!" to the sky in the outro.

    • @marysiamilach8460
      @marysiamilach8460 Pƙed 3 lety +120

      got the same vibe. That was a nice moment

    • @GaviLazan
      @GaviLazan Pƙed 3 lety +163

      I feel like every time we see him at the end of a video he's yelling "one take!"

    • @marysiamilach8460
      @marysiamilach8460 Pƙed 3 lety +190

      @@GaviLazan Nothing would top the "one take!" after the one about CZcams IDs. Sometimes I rewatch it solely for the ending and it has never failed me to bring me joy.
      Good times.

    • @Electroporcupine
      @Electroporcupine Pƙed 3 lety +16

      @@marysiamilach8460 I rewatched that one just last night, he's so chuffed with himself.

    • @timj6121
      @timj6121 Pƙed 3 lety +10

      Those are definitley the "one take!" arms haha

  • @CalebDennis1
    @CalebDennis1 Pƙed 3 lety +1016

    "It is extremely difficult to convince people with power to give it up willingly."
    As Gary would say, "topical."

    • @charlieackroyd3243
      @charlieackroyd3243 Pƙed 3 lety +31

      It’s even more topical now

    • @lawrencecalablaster568
      @lawrencecalablaster568 Pƙed 3 lety +17

      “SATIRE”

    • @GeorgeFarren
      @GeorgeFarren Pƙed 3 lety +10

      @@charlieackroyd3243 And even more even more today. New voter suppression laws yay! /s

    • @freddy4603
      @freddy4603 Pƙed 3 lety +18

      I'm gonna be impressed when there's a moment where this ISN'T topical

    • @smg7602
      @smg7602 Pƙed 3 lety +1

      Gary? Who the hell is Gary?

  • @RyanNeufeld
    @RyanNeufeld Pƙed 3 lety +1503

    "History is fractal" - such an elegant way to describe it.

    • @madokafied
      @madokafied Pƙed 3 lety +2

      It really is

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Pƙed 3 lety +7

      There's just so much of it.

    • @jakedee4117
      @jakedee4117 Pƙed 3 lety +20

      Nice isn't it, the closer you look at history the more detail is revealed and you'll never get to the end of it.

    • @ogivecrush
      @ogivecrush Pƙed 3 lety +28

      It always exasperates me when I watch a history video and invariably someone(or many someones) will comment that they can't believe they didn't learn about it in school. So much history, so few school years.........

    • @AdrianPardini
      @AdrianPardini Pƙed 3 lety +2

      Connections by James Burke is such a nice example of this.

  • @swumbles
    @swumbles Pƙed 3 lety +3775

    manchester: hi we'd like these laws
    some guy on a hill: *no*

    • @sandwich2473
      @sandwich2473 Pƙed 3 lety +185

      riots ensue
      some guy on a hill: no
      more riots
      some guy on a hill: no
      even more riots
      some guy on a hill: ok

    • @HappyBeezerStudios
      @HappyBeezerStudios Pƙed 3 lety +14

      some guys not on a hill

    • @TheInselaffen
      @TheInselaffen Pƙed 3 lety +2

      Settle down our kid.

    • @Flutesrock8900
      @Flutesrock8900 Pƙed 3 lety +31

      More like: Some guy whom we pretend is still on a hill *wink wink nudge nudge*

    • @rudmanpaul2812
      @rudmanpaul2812 Pƙed 3 lety +2

      Nowt changes

  • @snake3rd
    @snake3rd Pƙed 3 lety +7474

    Never thought my house would be in a Tom Scott video, but can just about see it from here!

    • @gizmodobaggins7040
      @gizmodobaggins7040 Pƙed 3 lety +725

      Daryl Watts doxed yourself.

    • @Alien1375
      @Alien1375 Pƙed 3 lety +230

      Nice place to live.

    • @ElaborateTiger
      @ElaborateTiger Pƙed 3 lety +437

      Hey I'm outside, let me in

    • @chairchair1231
      @chairchair1231 Pƙed 3 lety +187

      @Susan Reed,????????

    • @aliakeel
      @aliakeel Pƙed 3 lety +105

      @@chairchair1231 why 🙄 can't 😑 you 😕 understand 😼 what 😞 they're â˜č saying đŸ€”đŸ˜‘đŸ™đŸ˜’

  • @EvelynnEleonore
    @EvelynnEleonore Pƙed 3 lety +266

    How I got radicalized: Tom Scott explaining that historically, often only the threat of disempowerment through force can convince those in power to share it

    • @graceygrumble
      @graceygrumble Pƙed 3 lety +12

      Sometimes, those in power really want to raise up everyone, because they see the country as a society which needs to advance.
      They're increasingly scarce.

    • @mortimer687
      @mortimer687 Pƙed 3 lety +6

      @@graceygrumble sadly though, the institutions many of those people in power work with only represent the interests of the oppressors from the start. power can only be attained by dismantling the current system and replacing it with the power of the oppressed.

    • @graceygrumble
      @graceygrumble Pƙed 3 lety +20

      @@mortimer687 Many believe that power is only ever relinquished through fear of revolution, or revolution itself.
      Sometimes, people like Cadbury and Salt, show that taking care of 'the worker' increases productivity and their own personal wealth.
      Until everyone sees that housing people; giving them well-paid work; educating them and looking after their health is necessary in order to increase the prosperity of everyone, we'll continue with an unfair and fearful society:
      More prisons, more crime, more police and more gated housing.
      Being 'good' is economically viable, but people can't see it, because they're foolish.

  • @tobeytransport2802
    @tobeytransport2802 Pƙed 3 lety +1572

    I thought this was either going to be:
    - two MPs were buried there
    OR
    - you going along with two MPs to the hill
    😅 oh how wrong I was

    • @MissCracker
      @MissCracker Pƙed 3 lety +12

      I thought it was a MP tomb or something 😭

    • @GumSkyloard
      @GumSkyloard Pƙed 3 lety +7

      I thought it had 2 statues of MPs.

    • @christopherlee-hudson3283
      @christopherlee-hudson3283 Pƙed 3 lety +4

      @@ragnkja I only know about rotten boroughs from Blackadder.

    • @bulman07
      @bulman07 Pƙed 3 lety +6

      Or a constituency boundary splitting it down the middle

    • @HassanSelim0
      @HassanSelim0 Pƙed 3 lety +19

      I thought two MPs lived there or are currently living there 😂

  • @cook_it
    @cook_it Pƙed 3 lety +2400

    The last quote is too true.
    "It's hard to convince people with power to give up that power" is the exact problem that many in this world face.

    • @josh_final
      @josh_final Pƙed 3 lety +135

      Which is why we need to be careful when deciding which powers we give the government. For too much of the world its a bit late

    • @Wasserkaktus
      @Wasserkaktus Pƙed 3 lety +19

      It isn't if you are actively humble your whole life: Then power is a noble privilege you are given and can freely and easily relinquish when there isn't any further reason to wield it.

    • @TheUnitedEstates
      @TheUnitedEstates Pƙed 3 lety +152

      @@Wasserkaktus I, for one, am extraordinarily humble. Perhaps the most so.

    • @woutervanr
      @woutervanr Pƙed 3 lety +166

      Even harder to convince people not in power that the people in power are usually the ones responsible for their misfortune and not "the others"/"traitors". I'm willing to bet that this is the case in not only every current country, but also every single on that has been. There still is hope for the future, always.

    • @katethegoat7507
      @katethegoat7507 Pƙed 3 lety +121

      Eat the rich

  • @BrainsApplied
    @BrainsApplied Pƙed 3 lety +1361

    Tom Scott, the guy who can equally well talk about IT, art or history!

    • @oricalu448
      @oricalu448 Pƙed 3 lety +118

      And linguistics

    • @curioustill
      @curioustill Pƙed 3 lety +101

      Or even implied social commentary disguised as history ;-)

    • @nagata277
      @nagata277 Pƙed 3 lety +10

      That's his talent, talking something and making it entertaining!

    • @Linkzcap
      @Linkzcap Pƙed 3 lety +16

      Is it "equally well talk" or "talk equally well"? If only we had someone who could equally talk well about linguistics...

    • @maskettaman1488
      @maskettaman1488 Pƙed 3 lety +7

      It's just the wikipedia page on a topic but with a british accent. Excellent presentation nevertheless

  • @FISHD0G747
    @FISHD0G747 Pƙed 3 lety +1005

    "History is fractal. You could spend days, or years, or a lifetime studying everything that happened over those few days in 1832. Or, you could sum up centuries in a few minutes." 5:17
    Fantastic quote. Beautifully summarizes an idea I've always had but could never had stated so clearly. Have a feeling it will stick with me.

    • @blatherskite3009
      @blatherskite3009 Pƙed 2 lety +16

      Yep. That line jumped out at me, too. Fractal is a great description: the more you "zoom in" the more detail there is.

    • @scottnunnemaker5209
      @scottnunnemaker5209 Pƙed 2 lety +3

      I feel like this is most peoples view of history, which is also why it’s a great excuse not to learn any history or at least any meaningful history. All the good history stuff is in the details anyway.

    • @bigredc222
      @bigredc222 Pƙed 2 lety

      @@scottnunnemaker5209 Sometimes you learn things about your hero's that you wish you didn't learn.

    • @scottnunnemaker5209
      @scottnunnemaker5209 Pƙed 2 lety

      @@bigredc222 good, then you can stop worshipping horrible people as heroes because of ignorance.

    • @bigredc222
      @bigredc222 Pƙed 2 lety

      @@scottnunnemaker5209 I don't have to worry, I've never worshipped anyone.

  • @timhorsburgh2193
    @timhorsburgh2193 Pƙed 3 lety +165

    "It is extremely difficult to convince people with power to give it up willingly."

    - Tom Scott, Things You Almost Certainly Know

  • @_iphoenix_6164
    @_iphoenix_6164 Pƙed 3 lety +1957

    Imagine being a hill and then an MP comes along

    • @runlarryrun77
      @runlarryrun77 Pƙed 3 lety +88

      "Hello, I wonder if you'd consider voting for me..."

    • @kyriacosstavrinides893
      @kyriacosstavrinides893 Pƙed 3 lety +62

      That's why it's in ruins.

    • @_iphoenix_6164
      @_iphoenix_6164 Pƙed 3 lety +9

      Kyriacos Stavrinides ayy

    • @Madhattersinjeans
      @Madhattersinjeans Pƙed 3 lety +21

      Imagine being a hill.
      No I don't think I will.

    • @esquilax5563
      @esquilax5563 Pƙed 3 lety +20

      I don't think an MP coming along adds much to the weirdness when I'm already imagining being a hill

  • @charlieg.8768
    @charlieg.8768 Pƙed 3 lety +495

    Me and the boys owning an old castle to get seats in parliment

  • @chrisgurney2467
    @chrisgurney2467 Pƙed 3 lety +487

    ''And now the returning Officer for Dunny on the wold, Mr E Blackadder...."

    • @chthonicmonster
      @chthonicmonster Pƙed 3 lety +26

      ... and Mr S Baldrick.

    • @svmitche
      @svmitche Pƙed 3 lety +20

      And a Robber Button is?

    • @Shaun.Stephens
      @Shaun.Stephens Pƙed 3 lety +3

      @@svmitche ... a Rubber Bottom with a few letters transposed.

    • @alexgreenwood404
      @alexgreenwood404 Pƙed 3 lety +8

      @@chthonicmonster sod off

    • @mulgerbill
      @mulgerbill Pƙed 3 lety +13

      And we're all very glad that Mr Blackadder stepped in at the last moment

  • @lazarusmekhane439
    @lazarusmekhane439 Pƙed 2 lety +180

    I'd just like to emphasise how chaotic the demand for Reform was. When the Reform bill was rejected the second time in the House of Lords, rioters in the city of Bristol controlled the entire city for three entire days; in which they burnt down numerous palaces and mansions of Anti-Reform politicians. When the Reform bill was rejected the third time, there was a dangerous period titled, 'The Days of May'. During which there was a massive run on the banks and caused ÂŁ1.8 million to be withdrawn from the Bank of England. In today's terms, that's ÂŁ200 million.
    In fact, the only way Reform was ever achieved, it required the Pro-Reform Prime Minister, Earl Grey, to threaten the House of Lords by asking King William IV to flood the House with Pro-Reform Lords.

    • @mollusckscramp4124
      @mollusckscramp4124 Pƙed rokem +5

      That's really cool, the history of "public outrage" is so important when you look back at progress for such large nations

  • @lizardlegend42
    @lizardlegend42 Pƙed 3 lety +648

    1:55 ah yes the famous Salisbury Cathedral, so famous that it would warrent a couple days' holiday from Russia for the sole purpose to look at the cathedral.

    • @Ma_Zhongying
      @Ma_Zhongying Pƙed 3 lety +93

      They then went back to Moscow after Salisbury was too cold.

    • @DELLPOWEREDGER
      @DELLPOWEREDGER Pƙed 3 lety +119

      Why of course have you not pondered with great awe at the 123m tall spire comrade *cough* *cough* friend

    • @Makujah_
      @Makujah_ Pƙed 3 lety +9

      Can someone tell what this references to?

    • @narutohokage20
      @narutohokage20 Pƙed 3 lety +75

      @@Makujah_ the Salisbury poisoning a few years back

    • @puzzlem
      @puzzlem Pƙed 3 lety +18

      @@Makujah_ Skripal poisoning

  • @epiendless1128
    @epiendless1128 Pƙed 3 lety +803

    "Mr. Scott, _you_ are the only voter in this rotten borough...?"
    "Yes, that's right."
    "One voter, 11k upvotes -- a slight anomaly...?"
    "Not really, Mr. Hanna. The number of votes I cast is simply a reflection of how firmly I believe in this video."

    • @brantnuttall
      @brantnuttall Pƙed 3 lety +38

      Nice. As soon as we heard the phrase rotten borough, we knew where it was heading.

    • @IlanPearlman
      @IlanPearlman Pƙed 3 lety +11

      A rubber button

    • @EcceJack
      @EcceJack Pƙed 3 lety +3

      Glad I'm not the only one with such a one-track mind 😄

    • @johnmisterjtatrevor-allen5790
      @johnmisterjtatrevor-allen5790 Pƙed 3 lety +16

      @@IlanPearlman Well lucky, lucky us! Luuuck! Luuuuck! LuckluckLUUUUCK!!

    • @TechnicFyre
      @TechnicFyre Pƙed 3 lety +41

      For those like myself, who may be wondering: it’s a reference to Blackadder season three, episode one “Dish and Dishonesty” in which Blackadder gets a hold of a rotten borough, and as its single voter casts 16472 votes for Baldrick.

  • @KyleDB150
    @KyleDB150 Pƙed 3 lety +106

    "History is fractal"
    That's an excellent way to say it, you can spend the same amount of time studying one day in one persons life, or a century of a civilisation's rise and fall, just depends how deep you want to look.
    It's important to think though, we're probably in just the dawn of recorded history, just a handful of generations from figuring out the earth goes round the sun. As much history as there is, there's an infinite amount more yet to be made (hopefully)

  • @jackdutfield6096
    @jackdutfield6096 Pƙed 3 lety +307

    Given Scott's use of landscape shots my house would turn up in one of these videos eventually, and here we are

  • @mojosbigsticks
    @mojosbigsticks Pƙed 3 lety +87

    We camped on Old Sarum as re-enactors, and I fell in love with my partner in Salisbury Cathedral tea shop. Thanks for the memories Tom.

    • @Dockhead
      @Dockhead Pƙed 3 lety +7

      now thats a story!

    • @MichaelBosley
      @MichaelBosley Pƙed 3 lety +1

      I used to go to the re-enactments as a child every summer. Good fun.

    • @gregoryspatisserie9858
      @gregoryspatisserie9858 Pƙed 3 lety +2

      That’s very sweet

    • @Alfonso162008
      @Alfonso162008 Pƙed 3 lety +4

      Re-enactors of what, if I may ask?

    • @mojosbigsticks
      @mojosbigsticks Pƙed 3 lety +5

      @@Alfonso162008 Medieval, War of the Roses to be precise. But the town's procession also included a dragon on a string, so maybe not completely accurate.

  • @SpudY2K
    @SpudY2K Pƙed 3 lety +71

    The sad thing is, if the rotten boroughs hadn't been abolished when they were, there would be no shortage of people today, many with a lot of power and influence, who'd be happy to argue that they deserve to exist. That getting rid of them would be an affront to tradition and everything the country stands for. Worth thinking about that when politicians defend things in the name of tradition.

  • @vidieo__
    @vidieo__ Pƙed 3 lety +27

    Tom, you never cease to amaze me. "It is extremely difficult to convince people with power to give it up willingly" is exactly the problem that we're facing right now!

  • @Timohtep
    @Timohtep Pƙed 3 lety +233

    A rotten borough was a major plot point in an episode of Black Adder, so I actually happened to know what they were before I watched this video. Thanks Rowan Atkinson!

    • @namugriff
      @namugriff Pƙed 3 lety +5

      Timohtep and Mister S. Baldrick.

    • @chthonicmonster
      @chthonicmonster Pƙed 3 lety +8

      Sorry to bother you Mr E Blackadder, but what does the S in his name stand for?

    • @chthonicmonster
      @chthonicmonster Pƙed 3 lety +5

      Ah, Sodoff

    • @autribasu
      @autribasu Pƙed 3 lety +11

      Java Coder “When I was a young boy, I’d try to play with the other children, and introduce myself as Baldrick. They replied, yes, we know, Sod off Baldrick!”

    • @chthonicmonster
      @chthonicmonster Pƙed 3 lety +3

      The power of an expensive turnip is to great. All I want one day is a turnip of my own.

  • @skidaim
    @skidaim Pƙed 3 lety +232

    This guy would be the final boss in Guess My Age

  • @georgethompson5407
    @georgethompson5407 Pƙed 3 lety +36

    One of the best parts that was missed out is how the cathedral moved. According to legend, one of the archers in the castle was told to fire an arrow, and where it landed would be the new cathedral. As it fell, the arrow hit a white stag, which ran for eight miles, until it finally collapsed at the site of today’s cathedral’s alter.

    • @speedy01247
      @speedy01247 Pƙed 3 lety +6

      sounds like the archer was subtly telling them to leave town. (how else can you hit a animal on "accident" like that)

  • @FlamingMonocle
    @FlamingMonocle Pƙed rokem +5

    Came here on a school trip as a kid, my love of history developed almost immediately. Great video.

  • @TheBlackBrickStudios
    @TheBlackBrickStudios Pƙed 2 lety +17

    You know you are watching a Tom Scott video when a discussion about a historically important hilltop turns into an existential reflection on human society with modern day parallels.

  • @haroldthetallandmighty4544
    @haroldthetallandmighty4544 Pƙed 3 lety +267

    It'll be a dark day in hell when Tom Scott runs out of things to talk about

    • @countertony
      @countertony Pƙed 3 lety +58

      "I'm standing at the river Styx." (Drone camera pulls back and up to show Tom under portable floodlights next to a river. Cue socially-distanced interview with Charon.)

    • @donaldasayers
      @donaldasayers Pƙed 3 lety +30

      I would watch a Tom Scott video about a dark day in hell.

    • @haroldthetallandmighty4544
      @haroldthetallandmighty4544 Pƙed 3 lety +14

      @@donaldasayers It'd be a 40 min documentary about the phrase

    • @donaldasayers
      @donaldasayers Pƙed 3 lety +10

      @@countertony And going on to point out that the three headed dog is called Cerberus, which means "Spot".

    • @TheElvisnator
      @TheElvisnator Pƙed 3 lety +2

      Imagine him dying
      It'll be the shittiest and darkest day in history
      And Reckful also died on Thursday. Can we get an F in the chat, bois?

  • @user-xz9dp7qo2b
    @user-xz9dp7qo2b Pƙed 3 lety +294

    "how do you convince people with power to give up that power? Public outrage, radicals, protests"
    Spot on
    "Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth." - Lucy Parsons

    • @dairallan
      @dairallan Pƙed 3 lety +39

      @Jonathan Williams You must be some sort of revisionist idiot. No democracy has ended because rich people paid taxes. However, almost every democracy which was killed was killed due to wealth hoarding by an ever narrower elite and their refusal to pay their share. This is what history records. But as the facts dont fit your narrative, sure, you make things up.

    • @IamCoalfoot
      @IamCoalfoot Pƙed 3 lety +8

      I agree, but would like to add:
      Take care that your actions do not harm those you would wish to save, because such is not revolution, but dissolution.

    •  Pƙed 3 lety

      @@dairallan taxes are paid on profits, not on seized capital.

    • @Ljubi12882
      @Ljubi12882 Pƙed 3 lety +4

      @@dairallan Their share? Like back in the days in Russia when people were finally free and some of them, the kulaks, used their new liberties to get wealthy. But then they were deported to Sibiria to freeze because of less skillfull people's jealousy. That was entirely the fault of the kulaks and that's what i call justice!

    • @kabobawsome
      @kabobawsome Pƙed 3 lety +9

      @@dairallan Bingo. Athens, the original democracy, which already HIGHLY favored the wealthy, nearly collapsed into an oligarchy because some rich people wanted more. The Roman Republic fell because 3 rich dudes wanted more power (before all betraying each other). The Wiemar Republic fell because the Allied Powers had tried to use their victory in WWI to attempt to treat Germany as another colony and because a bunch of land-owners and wealthy people were terrified of fair elections. The US government coup-ed the Bolivian government recently at the ADMITTED behest of Elon Musk. The rich are the one who kill democracy.

  • @ameliawhinney4173
    @ameliawhinney4173 Pƙed 3 lety +24

    So strange to see Old Sarum on a Tom Scott video - I was just up there yesterday on a walk. It's amazing to live in an area with so much history - the great views and fun you can have running up and down the hills are also a bonus!

  • @MauriceGucci
    @MauriceGucci Pƙed 3 lety +5

    Funny how a goofy story about a super old hill having 2 MPs suddenly turns into a story that fits present situations in the world so perfectly. History and the present are still very much human and therefore not that different from each other. Thanks for another great and insightful video, Tom!

  • @damascus6478
    @damascus6478 Pƙed 3 lety +5

    I remember going to Old Sarum about 25 years ago because I had free admission on some sort of tourist card. I got out at the Salisbury rail station and asked where it was and was told it was "just up the road." it took 45 minutes to walk there, and I remember it being uphill, and it was raining. As nice as it is, when I got there I was less than enthused because of the walk, the rain, and the thought that I had to walk back.

  • @efnissien
    @efnissien Pƙed 3 lety +7

    Dunwich was even more notorious as a Rotten Borough, it elected two members of parliament for a constituency that dated back to the 12th century - however, by the time the constituency was abolished in 1832, most of the village had fallen victim to coastal erosion and been washed out to sea.

  • @JoeKoenen
    @JoeKoenen Pƙed 3 lety +2

    This video made me cry. You did a really good job threading a needle, and making a statement.

  • @20quid
    @20quid Pƙed 3 lety +442

    5:01 "These days Parliamentary boundaries are drawn by an independent group based on population."
    Sorry Americans.

    • @ShankarSivarajan
      @ShankarSivarajan Pƙed 3 lety +46

      "Independent."

    • @the_original_Bilb_Ono
      @the_original_Bilb_Ono Pƙed 3 lety +3

      No apology neccessary.

    • @anyGould
      @anyGould Pƙed 3 lety +67

      @@ShankarSivarajan If it's anything like the Canadian commissions, it's about as independent as you can get while still using humans. My favorite feature of ours is that the independent commission gives the report to Parliament (or provincial assembly) for passage into law, so the lawmakers have to actually be on the record as being OK, or on the record claiming the commission screwed up and how. So they may not be happy that their dwindling rural base lost a seat... but is it worth being on the record saying they want an extra seat in spite of all the data saying it shouldn't have it? ;)

    • @ragzaugustus
      @ragzaugustus Pƙed 3 lety +13

      @@ShankarSivarajan The way to make them independent, is to make it a split between competing political parties. That's the solution, so just make a it a 50/50 split between republicans and democrats, let some libertarian lunatic have a seat and leave one for a green or something, there we go, that's how you avoid gerrymandering.
      Or just go proportional and avoid the whole mess.

    • @Tustin2121
      @Tustin2121 Pƙed 3 lety +31

      The districts drawn within each state in the US for representatives (state and national) are based on population, which is recounted by the census every ten years, but we still have trouble with that “independent group” part...

  • @javidproductions9353
    @javidproductions9353 Pƙed 3 lety +138

    Fun fact: Tom Scott and Ted Ed upload a video at exactly the same time (within a minute) every Monday.
    Edit: typo

  • @autumnmatthews3179
    @autumnmatthews3179 Pƙed 3 lety +31

    An MP representing just themselves? That never happens nowadays

  • @evo_is_confused
    @evo_is_confused Pƙed 3 lety +137

    Tom: Local Bishop
    Me: what's his name gonna be?
    Something regal and important sounding?
    Tom:
    _Roger_

    • @davidweihe6052
      @davidweihe6052 Pƙed 3 lety +10

      That WAS important sounding, back then, just like Faulk and (feminine) Anor or Matilda. Roger was a good strong Viking name (at least, before it lost the initial H). Styles change, although I *did* see an Osric (an authentic pre-Conquest Anglo-Saxon name) on Supernatural.

    • @nitehawk86
      @nitehawk86 Pƙed 3 lety +9

      Yes, shrubberies are my trade. I am a shrubber. My name is Roger the Shrubber. I arrange, design, and sell shrubberies.

    • @thePronto
      @thePronto Pƙed 3 lety +1

      Roger is a noble name given to all 'cabin boys'.

    • @ralphg.curtis9297
      @ralphg.curtis9297 Pƙed 3 lety +2

      "There are some who call me ...
      Tim."

    • @sussurus
      @sussurus Pƙed 3 lety +3

      And King Steve.

  • @willman2k8
    @willman2k8 Pƙed 3 lety +77

    Reading about Peterloo it's upsetting that this isn't more heavily remembered for the tragedy it was

    • @gemstonegynoid7475
      @gemstonegynoid7475 Pƙed 3 lety +15

      Sad thing is it's not a unique event by any count.
      Even here in USA theres been multiple government sanctioned massacres against protesters

    • @TheStarBlack
      @TheStarBlack Pƙed 3 lety +13

      Dark stains on the establishment have a funny way of getting forgotten.

    • @zekewhiak956
      @zekewhiak956 Pƙed 3 lety

      Blackstar 76 not really forgotten

    • @bacicinvatteneaca
      @bacicinvatteneaca Pƙed 3 lety +7

      That's how it works. The more a protest challenges actual power structures, the more violently it gets repressed. That should tell you a bit about the Capitol storming from the other day.

    • @JohnyG29
      @JohnyG29 Pƙed 2 lety

      People keep talking about the bloody event, I'm surprised anyone hasn't heard of it. Can one call 18 deaths a "massacre"?

  • @qwertyTRiG
    @qwertyTRiG Pƙed 3 lety +7

    I love how many of your videos don't merely present interesting information, but also end with a point and something more generally relevant to our lives or our understanding of history and society. Thanks.

  • @RoraxPlays
    @RoraxPlays Pƙed 3 lety +12

    "it is extremely difficult to convince people with power to give it up, willingly."
    Ayeee I see what you did there, good on you Tom

  • @TheRealGuywithoutaMustache
    @TheRealGuywithoutaMustache Pƙed 3 lety +27

    Tom with the truth bombs at the end though

  • @enregistreur
    @enregistreur Pƙed 3 lety +35

    « It is extreme difficult to convince people with power to give it up willingly. »
    Put in today’s context, that’s a very subtle move. Nicely done Tom!

  • @thequillster
    @thequillster Pƙed 3 lety +6

    I love the messages at the end of these videos, especially with the added historical context that these locations provide.
    "It is extremely difficult to convince people with power to give it up willingly".

  • @joeym5243
    @joeym5243 Pƙed 5 měsĂ­ci +1

    Watched this during an intermission in a quiz bowl tournament and a question regarding the reform act was asked in the second half. Thanks mate for making videos so good I'd watch them multiple times

  • @gastonmarian7261
    @gastonmarian7261 Pƙed 3 lety +56

    Comrade Scott: "It is extremely difficult to convince people with power to give it up willingly."

  • @myrarblom9539
    @myrarblom9539 Pƙed 3 lety +363

    let’s stop for a minute and talk about his light-blue hoodie.

    • @OrigamiMarie
      @OrigamiMarie Pƙed 3 lety +121

      It looks to me like a gray hoodie that got caught in the middle of a color grading triangle and was deemed the least important thing to get perfectly correct.

    • @Thisath100
      @Thisath100 Pƙed 3 lety +38

      definitely a light grey hoodie, don't worry

    • @benjaminvingborg3145
      @benjaminvingborg3145 Pƙed 3 lety +48

      You are mistaken. The definition of the colour grey is the colour of Tom’s hoodie.

    • @zyaicob
      @zyaicob Pƙed 3 lety +4

      I'm so glad you brought it up

    • @franchufranchu119
      @franchufranchu119 Pƙed 3 lety +27

      Dont worry the red shirt is under it

  • @argonaut8560
    @argonaut8560 Pƙed 3 lety +37

    Fun little history lesson in 5 minutes quite enjoyable as well.

  • @seancraig7773
    @seancraig7773 Pƙed rokem +3

    Probably worth mentioning that for much of the last hundred years of its life as a rotten borough, Old Sarum was owned by a family (the Pitts) that produced two PMs. So not just some random powerful schmo, but at times the *most* powerful schmo.

  • @tya04
    @tya04 Pƙed 3 lety +17

    "It is extremely difficult to convince people with power to give it up willingly."
    Sounds familiar.

  • @jacak47410
    @jacak47410 Pƙed 3 lety +4

    This was remarkably informative. US native here, So I knew nothing of this matter. I appreciate the time and effort putting all this together takes.

    • @xeltograit
      @xeltograit Pƙed rokem

      Well, for what it's worth, the problem mentioned here was the entire reason and point of the extensive rioting we did from 1776 to 1783.

  • @princesidon
    @princesidon Pƙed 3 lety +7

    We love you Tom! Thanks for being my favorite CZcamsr and continuing to make videos! ❀

  • @Neil070
    @Neil070 Pƙed rokem +2

    In 2022, those words "it is extremely difficult to get people with power to give it up willingly" ring very true for people in the UK and Sri Lanka

  • @EdwardWFeery
    @EdwardWFeery Pƙed 3 lety +3

    My favourite fact from the saga of Old Sarum is that Salisbury was originally known as New Sarum - and they didn't get round to officially changing the name until 2009.
    Thanks for another great and informative video.

  • @GunadityaTripathi
    @GunadityaTripathi Pƙed 3 lety +172

    "French Revolution was in *'living'* memory then"

    • @gordonrichardson2972
      @gordonrichardson2972 Pƙed 3 lety +23

      Throat gesture at 04:27

    • @BleuSquid
      @BleuSquid Pƙed 3 lety +1

      @@gordonrichardson2972 any idea what that gesture means?

    • @krashd
      @krashd Pƙed 3 lety +28

      @@BleuSquid It generally means death, but in this instance it specifically means beheading as that is what happened to the French royals.

    • @KenKopin
      @KenKopin Pƙed 3 lety +14

      I took it to mean that the "Living" part of Living Memory didn't strictly apply to everyone involved.

    • @pmaxgray
      @pmaxgray Pƙed 3 lety +2

      And of course, the most recent French Revolution was only two years prior. Together with a heap of other revolutions across Europe.

  • @TheSpacecraftX
    @TheSpacecraftX Pƙed 3 lety +215

    The rottenest of rotten boroughs.
    S. Baldrick has my vote.

    • @kirepudsje3743
      @kirepudsje3743 Pƙed 3 lety +4

      I actually thought of the same person, but in his role from Time Team instead..

    • @rikeep
      @rikeep Pƙed 3 lety +7

      What does the S stand for?

    • @HMJ66
      @HMJ66 Pƙed 3 lety +27

      @@rikeep Sod off

    • @klonkikeklonki8760
      @klonkikeklonki8760 Pƙed 3 lety +17

      @@HMJ66 Well, I guess it's none of my business really.

    • @saltezers2242
      @saltezers2242 Pƙed 3 lety

      Great thread xD

  • @nathangathercole6888
    @nathangathercole6888 Pƙed 3 lety +10

    really enjoyed this video, just finished A-level history going over the parliamentary changes and going through events like the Peterloo massacre, suffragettes and the key figures like Henry Hunt, weird time in history especially when you look into how people got rights to vote, potwalloper is quite a weird one. and i recommend watching blackadder S3 as they go into surprisingly good detail about rotten boroughs and even who voted, which did include animals. well done England.... thanks Tom, putting the old archaeology and not so long ago reforms and different boroughs together made a good video, especially for me, someone who loves History, Archaeology and Ancient History.
    Sorry for the long Message all!
    Also Tom Please make more.

  • @eaaeeeea
    @eaaeeeea Pƙed 2 lety +7

    "It is extremely difficult to convince people with power to give it up willingly". It's sad when a person's ethics are corrupted by power, the only argument they'll believe is violence against them.

  • @VerrouSuo
    @VerrouSuo Pƙed 3 lety +19

    TWO members of Parliament? That’s more members than we could ever get to agree!

    • @beeble2003
      @beeble2003 Pƙed 3 lety

      In those days, all boroughs returned two MPs.

  • @Narokkurai
    @Narokkurai Pƙed 3 lety +16

    I remember listening to the Revolutions podcast and hearing something very interesting: until around the time of the English Civil War, the role of government wasn't to serve the citizens, but to manage land. The people *on* the land were relatively unimportant, what mattered was simply the land, its taxable value, and who actually controlled it. And controlling a hill fort could still have some value--even if it is abandoned.

    • @13gan
      @13gan Pƙed 2 lety +2

      Considering that it evolve from the feudal age, it actually make a lot of sense. This is because the relationship between people are governed by an intricate system of feudal rights. Commoners technically have no obligation under feudal rights to be loyal to their kings but rather to their local lords. The lords themselves are practically autonomous with the king functioning more like a lord among lord rather than absolute monarch. Not to say that the kings are powerless but outside of the royal domain where the lord is directly the kings, the way their power function is indirect aside than certain prerogatives. That is why the House of Lords is the most important house of parliament then with the House of Commons being its junior counterpart.

  • @abbiearcher4716
    @abbiearcher4716 Pƙed 3 lety +42

    "It is extremely difficult to convince people with power to give it up willingly."
    Tom Scott calls for Revolution.

  • @musclehank6067
    @musclehank6067 Pƙed 3 lety +18

    The ground: increases in elevation by half a metre.
    The british: blimey mate! Take a gander at the size of that hill! Its nearly a whole mountain innit!

  • @thelightless
    @thelightless Pƙed 3 lety +10

    Tom can make any random topic which I never thought I wanted to know interesting and really entertaining to watch. Really good content 👍

  • @savepangolins5196
    @savepangolins5196 Pƙed 3 lety +6

    You gotta appreciate the effort put into every video: Love your dedication and commitment!

  • @gejyspa
    @gejyspa Pƙed 3 lety +2

    Very informative as usual. I went to the wikipedia article about rotten boroughs, which also included the similar "pocket boroughs", and thus I was able to finally understand the line in HMS Pinafore that had for the past 40 years or so meant absolutely nothing to me (I mean, sure, I could have looked it up earlier, but never had the desire to).

  • @canbrit4621
    @canbrit4621 Pƙed 2 lety +1

    omg i climbed that moat when I was 8 or 9. helped by my older brothers. damn near killed me. We snuck in after walking all the way from home on Fisherton Ave. I'm 52 now and when I google map that now, Im like omg what were we thinking. Thanks for the memories Tom. I miss Salisbury and the UK.

  • @CharlieHardy96
    @CharlieHardy96 Pƙed 3 lety +6

    "It is extremely difficult to get people with power to give it up willingly" well I never thought I'd hear something historical like that linked to something ongoing in 2020.

  • @Kyun9432
    @Kyun9432 Pƙed 3 lety +59

    "the Frech Revolution was still living memory"
    Hehe, nice one

    • @jonathanbuzzard6648
      @jonathanbuzzard6648 Pƙed 3 lety

      In 1832 it certainly was inliving memory. Reading/listening comprehension failure then.

  • @OnlyGreatFilmMusic
    @OnlyGreatFilmMusic Pƙed 3 lety +2

    Top Tip if you are visiting Stonehenge, it is very close to the Old Sarum; and the entrance fee of stonehenge alone is high enough to justify looking at getting a English Heritage yearly pass, giving free access to Stoneghenge, Old Sarum, and hundreds of other sites

  • @Bbonno
    @Bbonno Pƙed 3 lety +1

    A Tom Scott video commenting on current events that is also timeless at the same time?!
    This is why we like this channel!

  • @DanielVerberne
    @DanielVerberne Pƙed 3 lety +3

    Tom you are one impressive fellow. I don’t doubt the significant behind-the-scenes effort and prep, but what we see and hear ultimately is extremely clear, professional and engaging content. I’m honoured to have known of you prior to your future elevation to Leader of the Milky Way.

  • @icedragonair
    @icedragonair Pƙed 2 lety +3

    English heritage is such a great organization. Their CZcams channel is great too. They do the sublime series "cooking the the victorian way" of course, but they have loads of other great vids too, and their work overall is really great.

  • @lemster101
    @lemster101 Pƙed 3 lety +1

    I'm always insanely impressed by Tom's ability to memorise such long and detailed talk.

    • @paddystrongjaw9995
      @paddystrongjaw9995 Pƙed 2 lety

      How do you think theatre actors manage, lots of practice and dedication.

  • @ChrisThorntonUK
    @ChrisThorntonUK Pƙed 3 lety +5

    Tom, this was a really smart way to examine contemporary issues through the lens of history. Props to you and Jess Jewell.

    • @velvetindigonight
      @velvetindigonight Pƙed 2 lety

      Also 'we cannot understand the present unless we understand the past'..... our past........ and we rarely get that in the media or at school............................... which is why................................ Hey ho Enjoy!

  • @PotatoBoiYT
    @PotatoBoiYT Pƙed 3 lety +111

    Tom Scott’s comment is three weeks ago, as usual!

    • @bigwooz501
      @bigwooz501 Pƙed 3 lety +4

      Wait what

    • @Alligatr
      @Alligatr Pƙed 3 lety +2

      sorcery

    • @thatonecuber9266
      @thatonecuber9266 Pƙed 3 lety +4

      Like, how? probs just a scheduled video or something. Correct me if I’m wrong

    • @aliakeel
      @aliakeel Pƙed 3 lety

      @@thatonecuber9266 the video was private for a bit of time, Tom put a comment when it was private

    • @madokafied
      @madokafied Pƙed 3 lety

      @@aliakeel im going with scheduled video

  • @eoghan.5003
    @eoghan.5003 Pƙed 3 lety +442

    5:36 Tom Scott subtly advocating for violent revolution against the billionaire class I see. That red shirt isn't a coincidence.

    • @livinMicro
      @livinMicro Pƙed 3 lety +5

      problem is that things are so twisted the revolution would be against those that want the country and for those that want a singular global rule by either EU or UN. The fights we have today are due to infiltration of our governments by those in cfr, imf, un, bis, etc...

    • @adamwright7638
      @adamwright7638 Pƙed 3 lety +31

      Tomrade Scott

    • @LilithsOwn303
      @LilithsOwn303 Pƙed 3 lety +1

      He's wearing a blue-grey hoody today! :)

    • @Olyvia..
      @Olyvia.. Pƙed 3 lety

      Mr. Steven Craig Smith Sr. Communism is in favour of abolishing borders right?

    • @Domihork
      @Domihork Pƙed 3 lety +5

      @@Olyvia.. Sure... That's why the Eastern block ruled by communists had the Iron Curtain...

  • @JohnDavidDunlap
    @JohnDavidDunlap Pƙed 2 lety +1

    I really liked the thought "history is fractal". I've never thought about it in those terms.

  • @herbieklein2271
    @herbieklein2271 Pƙed rokem

    Tom has such a calming way to talk, i could listen to him for hours regardless of the topic/s

  • @tomm5663
    @tomm5663 Pƙed 3 lety +51

    "It is extremely difficult to convince people with power to give it up."
    Tom Scott is *BASED?*

  • @danx64
    @danx64 Pƙed 3 lety +19

    "it is extremely difficult to convince people with power to give it up willingly" - Tom Scott, 2020, calling for revolution

  • @myjrbs
    @myjrbs Pƙed 3 lety +2

    Wow I couldn't even notice the greenscreen at all, amazing job

  • @tompw3141
    @tompw3141 Pƙed 3 lety

    3:27 I love that a sign warning you there's a sheer drop is all people are deemed to need to be safe,

  • @globalhikingcr
    @globalhikingcr Pƙed 3 lety +11

    “Dunny-on-the-World is a tuppenny-
    ha'penny place. Half an acre of sodden marshland in the Suffolk Fens
    with an empty town hall on it. Population: three rather mangy cows, a
    dachshund named `Colin', and a small hen in its late forties.”

    • @JohnSmith-pd1fz
      @JohnSmith-pd1fz Pƙed 3 lety

      ++globalhikinger++ There are neither Wolds nor Fenland in the county of Suffolk despite what you may have heard.

    • @SeaSandLand
      @SeaSandLand Pƙed 3 lety

      No people at all then... apart from Colin.

    • @robseybaby1
      @robseybaby1 Pƙed 3 lety

      @@JohnSmith-pd1fz I was going to agree until I remembered that Suffolk has several fens (lakenheath and Hopton jump immediately to mind) and whilst there is not specifically any swathes of land labelled as 'wolds' and Suffolk is hundreds of miles from the Cotswolds or the Wolds of North East England, it does have the town of Southwold.

  • @sprigsprog
    @sprigsprog Pƙed 3 lety +6

    Why does it feel like this video is awfully well timed? And then when I think about it, why it would be well timed at literally at any point in history.

  • @_drewcifer
    @_drewcifer Pƙed 3 lety +1

    Very apt closing statement. Fascinating piece of history I was not aware of

  • @Yesnomaybeidontknowcan
    @Yesnomaybeidontknowcan Pƙed 3 lety

    Hey Tom. Thanks for stopping by my home town đŸ‘ŒđŸ»

  • @OneHonestGuy
    @OneHonestGuy Pƙed 3 lety +14

    1:27 nice reverse pan :) that traffic..

  • @Njald
    @Njald Pƙed 3 lety +18

    This is Tom Scott telling people that it's time for revolution.

  • @januernest8594
    @januernest8594 Pƙed 3 lety

    Discovered this channel about a week ago and it instantly became my favourite to watch

  • @peraltarockets
    @peraltarockets Pƙed 3 lety +2

    I'm enjoying these videos where you use an "oddity" of history to step into a broader context. The sad/funny thing is that in California, we have two Senators representing forty million people while 10 Senators represent far fewer people.

    • @miguelortega9241
      @miguelortega9241 Pƙed 3 lety

      The Senators represent states, which are presumed to be equal members of the Union.
      If you want representation, then there's the House for that

  • @muralibhat8776
    @muralibhat8776 Pƙed 3 lety +10

    I'm waiting for a TechDif: Quarantine edition :P
    Great video though. Especially the comment about history being like a fractal :)

  • @Alaric323
    @Alaric323 Pƙed 3 lety +4

    The lessons learned here are still relevant today, especially in the US with the political crisis going on right now.

    • @jamestheotherone742
      @jamestheotherone742 Pƙed 3 lety +2

      True. Government and concentrations of power are always slow to react and adapt to social and technological change. The longer it takes, the longer the tension builds up and the more "energy" is released when it does.

  • @jean-lucwalker3690
    @jean-lucwalker3690 Pƙed 3 lety

    Wow, I'm impressed about how timely this video is. Such an important lesson to learn and you are such a good teacher to get us there.

  • @theprincesspeach94
    @theprincesspeach94 Pƙed 2 lety +1

    looks like a lovely place for a picnic if a little breezy

  • @Mr.Not_Sure
    @Mr.Not_Sure Pƙed 2 lety +3

    OMG, good to know that Salisbury is known for something else than tall spires!

  • @jasonbraun127
    @jasonbraun127 Pƙed 3 lety +6

    2:01 This guy looks like he's setting out to go on a big adventure.

  • @Darklava144
    @Darklava144 Pƙed 3 lety

    I'm from Salisbury and this video was very informative. Thanks for highlighting some of the political history of my hometown/city.

  • @souta95
    @souta95 Pƙed 3 lety +1

    The lessons learned from this hill still ring true to this day...