Calvin Robinson – Favourite Things

Calvin Robinson is a conservative political commentator, policy advisor and campaigner. He has previously worked as a computer science teacher, was a director and school governor at Michaela Community School in London and is a Subject Matter Expert for the Department for Education. Robinson currently works as a broadcaster for TalkRadio and GB News, a commentator for The Telegraph and the Daily Mail. He is a Senior Fellow at Policy Exchange. 

These are a few of Calvin Robinson’s favourite things…

Family

Family is the most important thing after God. It is the fundamental basis of any civilised society, which is why, for example, the first thing Communists and Marxists do when they try to get into power is to try and destroy the family, as they know it is what pins us all together. Family gives us a purpose in life, and it is about something other than ourselves. It is about loving the people that are most important to us unconditionally.

Food

Half of my family are Jamaican, and half are English, and I love Caribbean cuisine and English cuisine; everything from a Jamaican patty to an English pork pie. I am a big comfort eater; my Instagram followers will know I like to eat a lot of food; it is one of the simple pleasures in life that makes us feel better. Everything in moderation, of course, but it is one of those things that always help. I am not a good cook, but I have UberEats and Deliveroo. I enjoy the steak from Hawksmoor in London, but my favourite dish is a Croque Madame from a little cafe on Kensal Road; I’m not giving the name because it will get inundated with people and I like to go there.

Books

I know it is cliche, but reading is very important. It enhances our perspective on the world, our ideas, what we think of ourselves and those around us and our politics and ambitions. As a school teacher, the most important advice I can give students is just to read. They always want to know how to become this and that, and I just say “read, read, read”. You can’t do anything better than reading. I mostly read non-fiction. At the moment, I am studying theology, so I am reading a lot of Church Fathers and that sort of stuff, but my favourite books are science fiction. Tad Williams’ Otherland trilogy is brilliant; it is about what it would mean to be a human if you could live forever or live without a body.

Technology

I am a computer scientist. I did games programming at university, and I used to be a web developer. This is another thing in moderation though, technology makes our lives so much easier, and it is often very convenient, but at the same time, it shouldn’t distract us from the human experience. I am addicted to my smartphone, for example, Twitter in particular, but I understand how toxic and addictive these things are. It is one of my favourite things, but I advise caution.

Travel

Up until Covid, I used to travel five or six times a year. I think it really broadens your horizons, exploring different cultures and cuisines. I work very hard, but I like and need to take a break every now and again. I know that if I am at home, I am always writing articles or checking Twitter, one way of avoiding all that is going away. I tend to go to Paris, LA, and Cologne annually; they are three of my favourite places. I am trying to decide where to go this year now that we are kind of allowed again, and I am thinking of a staycation to Wales. I used to go to Wales a lot as a kid; it is a proper British holiday.

Enjoyed Calvin Robinson’s favourites? Explore the full Favourite Things archive here.