ALWYN TURNER remembers John Major’s problems with BSE and the EU. Continue reading
Category Archives: History
‘I see nothing wrong with rock ’n’ roll, but…’
Cyril Smith didn’t approve of schoolchildren dancing to rock music, says ALWYN TURNER. Continue reading
‘A posh lot’: The birth of the SDP
ALWYN TURNER remembers the SDP – ‘the party of the future’, according to Barry from Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. Continue reading
1989: The roots of Brexit
ALWYN TURNER on how the fall of the Berlin Wall allowed the rise of Euroscepticism in Britain. Continue reading
Crisis? What crisis?
ALWYN TURNER on James Callaghan’s little local difficulty in 1979. Continue reading
Ashdown in the lead
The late Paddy Ashdown’s election as Lib Dem leader in 1988 appears routine, but PAUL SAFFER points out the significance of the contest. Continue reading
Denis Compton’s English magic
PAUL SAFFER delves into a 1950s book for boys & finds more grit than glamour. And some imperialist football. Continue reading
A day for action, not words
ROGER HERMISTON on the day when Labour’s NEC removed a Tory PM. Continue reading
‘It’s your blood’
ALWYN TURNER on docusoaps, makeovers, video diaries & the democratization of culture in the 1990s. Continue reading
This Is (not) Tomorrow
SIMON MATTHEWS on a new book by Martin Gayford – and how politics killed British art. Continue reading
Frank Field: a square peg
ALWYN TURNER on the man who thought the unthinkable – and lost his job as a result. Continue reading
Safe in their hands
Some notes on the NHS and Labour governments. Continue reading
