Category Archives: Site News

A Point of View: Churchill, chance and the ‘black dog’

A really interesting article from the BBC on Churchill here. In it,  John Gray argues that “a strange conjunction of events…(Churchill’s depression)… his black dog – together with the intervention of a loyal friend during a few fateful days in early … Continue reading

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We are all doomed…

Well perhaps. I found my A Level Economics rather too demanding to make an informed comment. Some, like William Keegan in The Observer clearly think that we are heading for very choppy waters. He argues that it is all “getting serious”, … Continue reading

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David Starkey and the role of the historian. Part Two.

In August I posted some reactions to Starkey’s comments about the riots on Newsnight. I asked then  why when major events happen do we turn to historians to explain them. This article from the Daily Telegraph really asks the same question. … Continue reading

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10 years on: is the world a safer place after 9/11 ?

As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches it is natural that academics are starting to feel that it is appropriate to reflect on the significance of the event. This is not of course to deny that it is first and foremost a tragedy … Continue reading

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New stonehenge article gives a good insight into how important science is to the study of prehistory.

This BBC article explains how archaeologists  have worked out the location of the tomb for the original builders of Stonehenge (in Wales). Professor Wainwright  comments “It can be compared directly with the first Stonehenge, so for the first time we have a … Continue reading

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Reading pins down new online history

It is always good when something orginal happens close to home so, it this report from the Reading Post is really exciting. As the report states  “Reading will become the first place in the world to create an online history of itself … Continue reading

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“Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present controls the past” – George Orwell 1984

You often get more informed and reflective comment in the Sunday newspapers. So it seems here in this week’s Observer. Historian and MP for Stoke Central, Tristram Hunt, writes about falling numbers of GCSE and A Level History students. For me he … Continue reading

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History and computers?

Eric Schmidt (Google chairman), has recently condemned the UK education system.  He claims that we tend to separate students into ‘science’ and ‘humanities’ categories too much.  According to Schmidt, instead we should be encouraging more to become ‘polymaths’ – people … Continue reading

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History uptake continues to decline…

At this time every year there is a conversation in the media about grade inflation and “hard” V “soft” subjects. In truth it is a more complex topic than some would have us believe. However one fact shines through – … Continue reading

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Is everything I ever taught you wrong ?

Those of you that had the misfortune to be taught by me in Year Seven will of course remember that it was the Romans who brought urban living to Britain. Well it seems, perhaps not for the first time, I … Continue reading

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