Opinion Articles
H&P encourages historians to use their expertise to shed light on issues of the day. If you are interested in submitting an opinion piece for publication, please see our editorial guidelines. We currently have 342 Opinion Articles listed by date and they are all freely searchable by theme, author or keyword.
What’s in a name? Naming Baby Cambridge
The world's media have hit fever pitch since the birth of the royal baby on Monday. Before the birth, the big question was whether the baby would be a girl, destined to become the first Queen to rule in her own right following urgent, progressive changes to the royal succession. Now we know that Baby […]
Read More‘Posh boys’ and ‘swivel-eyed loons’: Conservative leaders and grassroots unrest in perspective
Grassroots disaffection in the Conservative Party has been growing for some time, and the dismissive reference to 'swivel-eyed loons', allegedly made by one of David Cameron's inner circle, has highlighted the distance between party leader and party activists. This is nothing new in Conservative politics: there have been dangerous rifts between leaders and followers in […]
Read MoreThe protectionist side of outsourcing
'Unless we wish to remove our mills to China . . . and let our men either emigrate or lie idle,' we need protectionism, thundered the American Economist in 1919. A similar observation had been made across the Pacific 60 years earlier when William Robinson of Melbourne stated: 'Free trade furnishes a premium to capitalists […]
Read MoreWill Thatcher’s historical legacy, like Robert Peel’s, U-turn from beyond the grave?
Since her death on 8 April, Margaret Thatcher’s legacy has been described by commentators in many ways. Some saw her as rolling back the socialist state, others as a believer in strong executive government and economic freedom. Electorally, she was the most successful Conservative leader, taking her party to three consecutive General Election victories, but […]
Read More‘Something should be done’: campaigns for choice and human rights in childbirth
Two recently published reports have again put the spotlight on Britain's overstretched maternity services. The National Federation of Women's Institutes (NFWI) and National Childbirth Trust (NCT) researched the experiences of 5,500 women, concluding that choice of place of birth remained 'an aspiration, not a reality' and painting a picture of 'fragmented' antenatal care and lack […]
Read MoreCoalition governments: ‘always unpopular and seldom lasted long’?
In recent British history, six coalition governments have involved Liberal and Conservative parties. The only other peace-time coalition endorsed by two united parties was the 1895-1906 coalition of the Liberal Unionist and Conservative parties, when four senior Liberal Unionists were given Cabinet posts in Lord Salisbury's government after the collapse of Lord Rosebery's government and […]
Read MoreMargaret Thatcher and the Cold War
Margaret Thatcher came to office in 1979 with an agenda focused primarily on reforming Britain's economy. She lacked any significant foreign policy experience and entrusted the post of Foreign Secretary to Lord Carrington, a hereditary peer who had served under every Conservative Prime Minister since Churchill. It was the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands […]
Read MoreMargaret Thatcher, individualism and the welfare state
There is a pervasive idea that Margaret Thatcher brought about an increase in individualism in British society; in the eyes of many on the left, a selfish, materialistic individualism. She is often seen as ushering in the era of the yuppie and 'loadsamoney', epitomised by Harry Enfield. In an article written for The Guardian in […]
Read MoreThe Peace of Utrecht: why Britain is forgetting to remember
Three hundred years ago, a peace treaty was signed that ended nearly a quarter of a century of continuous warfare, acknowledged Britain’s status as a major power and cemented the post-1688 balanced constitution that we retain today. The Peace of Utrecht will be marked with events throughout Europe, but not so here. This is a […]
Read MoreReagan vs. Thatcher: unpicking the special relationship
Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan first won general elections in 1979 and 1980 respectively. Each came to power riding a wave of fear of domestic and international decline. They saw their international interests converge as the Cold War reheated, and both promised to implement parallel monetarist, free market, and incentive-based economic policies. Having met in […]
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