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.
At a time of crisis for the profession, a unique collection of interviews demonstrates the importance of history.
At a time of crisis for the History departments across the UK, the Institute of Historical Research has made available a unique archive of interviews with some of the profession’s leading post-war British scholars. Their reflections provide valuable evidence for importance of the discipline and the urgent need not only to defend it but to disseminate its values across society.
Read MoreHow We View Old Age in the Present through the Language of the Past
In stoking panic about an aging population, public figures such as Elon Musk are applying not just the concerns but the language of the past to an era in which they are increasingly obsolete. We need, argues Tom Heritage, a new language to take account of the current realities, one that breaks loose from the historical categorization of old age as a ‘social problem’.
Read MoreSquaring the Circle? Welfare shake-up delivers devastating impact on care leavers.
Annie Skinner warns that measures announced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ March 2025 budget discriminate against young people leaving the care system, compounding a long history in which they have been stigmatized and poorly supported by the state.
Read MoreWelfare and Warfare: An Entangled History
The British government’s recent commitment to raising defence spending as a proportion of the budget, alongside plans to cut spending on welfare, has led to considerable debate over the shift from welfare to warfare. Yet as Jessica Meyer argues, the history of the twentieth century suggests that warfare and welfare are intertwined and effective welfare provision will remain necessary for the successful administration of a policy based around the new priorities.
Read MoreThe debate on assisted dying: history tells us to put equity at the centre of decision-making
The debate around the Termanlly Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which has provoked strong reactions both for and against assisted dying, is complicated by the deep health equalities in the UK and the lack of sufficient funding for good palliative and hospice care. The authors of this opinion article argue that the Bill demands we think about what these inequalities mean for society's search for a better kind of end to life.
Read MoreSmoking and Vaping in Historical Perspective
Dr Michael Reeve argues that historical perspectives on the perceived benefits of smoking can help us understand why people continue to consume tobacco and nicotine products in the face of overwhelming evidence about their harmful effects.
Read MoreSyria: A Troubled Past and an Uncertain Future
The news about Syria is understandably dominated by by popular euphoria at the sudden overthrow of the brutal Assad regime. But as Roger Higginson reminds us, the inheritance of the country's new leaders is a daunting one and much will depend on regional and international factors beyond their control.
Read MoreExecutive power and judicial challenge in the USA: how the Supreme Court’s recent historic rulings restraining Biden’s Presidency may now become a restriction on Trump
Both progressives and conservatives might identify short-term opportunities in two recent rulings by the US Supreme Court. While their effect was to restrain the Biden presidency, they could equally be invoked in the future in opposition to Trump. But as Richard J Lazarus argues, the rulings themselves risk depriving the executive branch of government of the authority it needs.
Read MoreThe Next judgment: a landmark in the history of equal pay?
Despite the approach of the 55th anniversary of the 1970 Equal Pay Act and the 15th of the 2010 Equality Act, the recent employment tribunal ruling in favour of female workers at Next points to the continuing difficulty workers face in proving unfair treatment, particularly those in the commercial sectors. And more broadly, argues Susan Milner, society still needs properly to address the question of why women’s work has been devalued for so long.
Read MoreAI and the ‘spooky stuff’: a future history of the human
As policy-makers and scientists gather in San Francisco for the AI Action Summit, historians are well placed to help us imagine the more counter-intuitive or unexpected consequences of a future living with advanced AI. What’s the ‘spooky stuff’ that some believe sets us apart from machines? And how could that lead to a new ‘religious turn’ in our communities and public life?
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.
