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.
‘Angry white guys’ and the future of the Republican Party
In the aftermath of Mitt Romney's defeat last month, Republicans are talking of change. The Republican National Committee's creation of the 'Growth and Opportunity Project' signalled this thirst for change. 'Any good organization has to be introspective whenever things don't go well,' said Sally Bradshaw, a member of the five-person group launched on 10 December. […]
Read MoreNo more reports, please: Lord Leveson and the uses of history
It is clear that Lord Justice Leveson knows his history; more interesting, in many ways, is the way that he is prepared to use it as a rhetorical weapon against his critics. The Executive Summary of his weighty volume opens with the eye-catching statement that 'For the seventh time in less than 70 years, a […]
Read MoreA British FBI: a tough but not necessarily intelligent approach to organised crime
Prime Minister David Cameron has recently called for a 'tough but intelligent' approach to crime. This included a mention of the proposed National Crime Agency, which he described as 'Britain's version of the FBI', as part of an effective response to harmful organised crime activities. The proposal to establish the NCA was unveiled in the […]
Read More‘One Nation’: policy platform or empty slogan?
It is still unclear whether Ed Miliband will persist in his use of the 'One Nation' slogan. Despite his enthusiastic comments in the aftermath of his speech to the 2012 Labour conference, he might still decide to follow the example of Tony Blair before the 1997 general election, and discard the phrase after a brief […]
Read MoreMiliband’s ‘One Nation’: stealing the emperor’s clothes?
Ed Miliband's well received speech to the 2012 Labour Party conference was most notable for his repeated use of the phrase 'One Nation', for so long associated with the Conservatives. No doubt One Nation was chosen to evoke a sense of political moderation, and of bringing people together with a shared experience, which Miliband accuses […]
Read MoreSuperhumans or scroungers? Disability past and present
Attitudes towards disability are once again in the spotlight ahead of the Paralympics and, following the participation of disabled South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius in the Olympics, official attempts to classify and categorise disability have come under fresh scrutiny. Public opinion responds positively to those who confound expectations and triumph over adversity. Pistorious' experience shows […]
Read MoreQueen Victoria: the heart of a heartless political world
In 1961 Charles de Gaulle informed the young Elizabeth II that she was: 'the person in which your people perceive their own nationhood'. The British monarchy is, in other words, inherent to Britons' national identity: it helps shape how citizens (or should that be subjects?) imagine their own place within the polity. The centrality of […]
Read MoreTory rebels: the inevitability of backbench revolts
The Queen's Speech provoked warnings of Conservative backbench rebellion and questions about the future of the coalition government. House of Lords reform and gay marriage are lightning rods for Tories concerned about concessions to Liberal Democrats. So far, David Cameron's efforts to balance coalition interests with party unity have met with mixed success. Poor local […]
Read MoreLiberal manoeuvring in the real green economy
The entry of the Liberal Democrats into the Coalition Government in May 2010 inspired a new wave of historical research into the party and its place in British politics. A party policy review, which seeks to identify how to allocate money, skills and research effort, was launched recently by the Liberal Democrat MP Julian Huppert […]
Read MorePaying for health: Lansley’s woes and pre-NHS healthcare
The Coalition has found few, if any, of its policies to be as controversial as the NHS reforms contained in the Health and Social Care Bill. The pressure has increased in recent weeks, with both British Medical Journal and public polls showing overwhelming opposition, another Lords defeat, reported cabinet concerns and speculation over the future […]
Read MorePopular Articles
News RSS Feed
How to Use RSS Feeds
To subscribe to the History & Policy News feed in your feed reader, copy the URL and paste it in your RSS Aggregator.
COPY URL TO RSS READER
http://www.historyandpolicy.org/news/rss
About Us
H&P is based at the Institute of Historical Research, Senate House, University of London.
We are the only project in the UK providing access to an international network of more than 500 historians with a broad range of expertise. H&P offers a range of resources for historians, policy makers and journalists.
