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On this page you will find the latest History & Policy news. Older news items are in our news archive. To keep up-to-date with the latest History & Policy news, sign up for our email alerts.

Government plans for nuclear war

BBC news, 23 June 2009

Historian Peter Hennessy spoke to the BBC about the government War Book, which contains Cold War plans for the outbreak of nuclear war. You can hear a feature on civil servant's rehersals for nuclear war on the Today programme website. You can also see a video of the interview with Professor Hennessy.

Professor Hennessy is giving the Pimlott Lecture on 'Inescapable, necessary and lunatic': Whitehall's transition-to-war planning for World War II, on 23 June at the Centre for Contemporary British History's Britain and the Cold War conference.

Lord Hurd in conversation with David Reynolds: The formulation of British policy at the end of the Cold War

H&P discussion, 22 June 2009, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

The Rt Hon Lord Hurd of Westwell was Foreign Secretary from 1989 to 1995. He discussed the formulation of British policy at the end of the Cold War with Professor David Reynolds, Professor of International History and Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge.

The event was part of the Britain and the Cold War conference, organised by the Centre for Contemporary British History. A video of the discussion will be available on our website.

Death of a Speaker

Opinion, 19 June 2009

Ahead of the election of a new Speaker of the House of Commons on Monday, Ann Lyon of Plymouth University questions whether our obsession with the gruesome demise of Speakers-past really holds any lessons for today?

Read her article on the H&P opinion page.

Is fascism on the march again?

Guardian, 9 June 2009

Historians Michael Burleigh, Richard Overy, Kathleen Burk, Eric Hobsbawm, Joanna Bourke, David Kynaston, Norman Davies and David Stevenson discuss whether fascism could rise again, in an article for the Guardian.

Writing history

Radio 4 Front Row, 9 June 2009

Margaret Macmillan, author of The Uses and Abuses of History, discusses the writing of history with Lady Antonia Fraser on Radio 4's Front Row (interview starts at 01:45).

Lessons from ancient Greece

Radio 4 Today Programme, 8 June 2009, 6:54am

H&P contributor Paul Cartledge, Professor of Greek History at the University of Cambridge, discusses the trial of Socrates and the lessons for democracy, in an interview on Radio 4's Today programme. You can hear the interview on the Today programme website.

See also: Professor Cartledge's H&P paper, Ostracism: selection and de-selection in ancient Greece.

Historian calls for measures to revive democracy

New H&P paper, 27 May 2009

In a new H&P paper, The hustings, broadcasters and the future of British democracy, Jon Lawrence of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, explores the decline of face-to-face interaction between the public and politicians and discusses how British democracy might be revived. He calls for a reinvention of the traditional hustings and the introduction of public 'primaries' to capitalise on the strength of feeling aroused by the MPs' expenses scandal.

Read the news release [pdf file, 59KB]

Click here to listen to Dr Lawrence's interview on BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour on Sunday, 24 May. The second part of the interview will air on Sunday, 31 May.

See also Dr Lawrence's blog on the OUP website.

Historian explores lessons of the 1930s for British democracy

Opinion, 26 May 2009

In an article for The Times, Professor Richard Overy of the University of Exeter describes how the economic crisis of the 1930s also provoked growing disillusionment with party politics and the role of Parliament. He warns of the dangers of 'backstairs fascism' and calls for a return to the traditions of democratic participation and protest.

Click here to read Professor Overy's article.

H&P historian on the vehicle scrapping initiative

Opinion, 19 May 2009

Erin Gill of the University of Aberystwyth, explains how the recently announced car scrapping scheme could learn from green victories of the past

Read her article on the H&P opinion page.

H&P historian discusses MPs expenses

Opinion, 18 May 2009

Greg Rosen of Goldsmiths University of London, dispels the myth of a golden age of honest politicians, and reminds us why MPs were paid in the first place.

Read Greg's comment on the H&P opinion page, and his column for The Scotsman [pdf file, 44KB].

H&P historian on relations between the Vatican and Jews

Guardian, 13 May 2009

H&P contributor David Cesarani of Royal Holloway, University of London, discusses the history of relations between the Vatican and Jews in a comment article for the Guardian.

H&P historian discusses the lessons of Thatcher's rise

Opinion, 5 May 2009

Richard Toye of Exeter University reflects on Thatcher's rise on the 30th anniversary of the 1979 election:

"Of the two main parties that fought the 1979 general election, one took a tough line with the unions in a bid to keep down inflation, and the other promised inflationary public sector wage increases in an attempt to buy social peace..."

You can read the full comment on the H&P opinion page. Richard Toye is quoted by William Keegan in the Observer: If Tories want to sail into No 10, they'd do well to study history.

Historians respond to the budget

Opinion articles, 28 April 2009

H&P historians offer opinion articles on the budget debate:

Multicultural London: Past, present and future

H&P session at Anglo-American Conference announced, 29 April 2009

H&P is pleased to announce details of its session at this year's Anglo-American Conference of Historians on Cities. H&P's session will take place on Thursday 2 July from 4.45 to 6.00pm when a respected panel of experts will explore 'Multicultural London: Past, present and future'. Rob Berkley, Director of the Runnymede Trust, will chair a discussion between H&P contributor and Local Government Ombudsman Jerry White, Kate Gavron, Trustee of the Young Foundation and co-author of The New East End. Kinship, Race and Conflict and Simon Woolley, founder of Operation Black Vote.

Registration for the Anglo-American Conference is now open, click here for details. Subscribers to the H&P Newsletter can attend the Multicultural London session free of charge, please contact Ruth Evans to register. To subscribe to H&P's newsletter click here.

Turning points in British history

Radio 4 Today programme, 23 April 2009

H&P founder Pat Thane, Professor of Contemporary British History at the Institute of Historical Research, told the Today programme that 1956 was a key turning point in modern British history because Britain's withdrawal from Suez proved that it was no longer a first-rank world power. Professor Thane joined mediaevalist Michael Wood who made a case for 927, when England was created, and Professor Mark Ormrod, who argued for 1348 when the Black Death reduced the population by half.

You can listen to the discussion and read an article about historical turning points on the Today programme website.

Politicians draw on history in budget debate

H&P's Network of Historians respond, 22 April 2009

In today's Budget debate, all three of the major parties drew on history to make their arguments. Chancellor Alistair Darling said, "When the world economy was plunged into deep crisis in the 1930s, the response, both nationally and internationally, was too little and too late. This failure to act turned a serious downturn into a prolonged depression. We will not repeat those mistakes again." Conservative leader David Cameron argued, "This Prime Minister can never be the future, because he doesn't understand what went wrong in the past... the fundamental truth is that all Labour Governments run out of money." While Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said, "Think back to the great Budgets of our history. The People's Budget of 1909, the first pension, the first social insurance. Labour's post-war Budgets, building a new nation from the rubble of war. What made these Budgets great was their ambition, and their coherent vision for a different future. The Chancellor could have given a People's Budget for the 21st century. Instead we got a politician's Budget."

Historians in the H&P Network offer a rapid response to the announcements made by the Chancellor and to the debate itself:

  • Erin Gill of Aberystwyth University and contributing editor to Environment Analyst warns the vehicle scrappage incentive could be a faux green measure
  • Dr. Richard Toye of the University of Exeter evaluates Conservative leader David Cameron's claim that "all Labour governments run out of money"
  • H&P co-founder Professor Pat Thane commented on the announcement of improved pension rights for grandparents caring for grand-children

You can read their responses on our opinion page.

If you are a journalist and would like to speak to an historian, please contact us.

Historians should write more for public and policymakers

Radio 4 Today programme, 15 April 2009

Margaret Macmillan, warden of St Antony's College, Oxford, called on historians to write more history for public and policy audiences, in a discussion on Radio 4's Today programme with H&P Network member Dominic Sandbrook. Professor Macmillan said that "history is like a sign on a highway saying 'be careful because the road ahead gets icy when it's cold', warning you that if you take certain actions you might face certain consequences." To listen to the discussion go to the Today Programme website and scroll down to 0826.

Beware of 'crying wolf' during recession, charities warned

New H&P paper, 7 April 2009

New historical evidence suggests that voluntary organisations may weather the current recession better than expected. Recent surveys predict a miserable future for the sector, with a steep decline in donations, legacies and government funding, just as demand for services increases. But in a new H&P paper, Professor John Mohan of the University of Southampton and Karl Wilding, Head of Research at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, dismiss this blanket picture of gloom. In Economic downturns and the voluntary sector: what can we learn from historical evidence?, they use the accounts of British voluntary hospitals during the interwar period and trends in charitable-giving in North America during the Great Depression of 1929-31 to assess the likely impact of the current recession on charities.

Read the news release [pdf file, 85KB].

Read the authors' blog on the Guardian website.

There is no Haldane principle and never has been

Historian gives evidence at Select Committee hearing, 16 March 2009

Professor David Edgerton told an Innovation, Universities and Skills Select Committee hearing that "there is no Haldane principle and never has been". H&P Network member Professor Edgerton argued that politicians and policymakers are mistaken in their belief that a 'Haldane principle' has guided government funding for science, ensuring the independence of research from political interference. He explained how the myth was propagated by Lord Hailsham in 1964 for political reasons and remains prevalent today. Professor Edgerton is Hans Rausing Professor of the History of Science and Technology at Imperial College London. To read his evidence in full, visit the IUSS committee website. A video of the session is available on the Parliament Live website.

Professor Edgerton will be delivering the Royal Society Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Prize Lecture on Monday, 20 April. For more information visit the Royal Society website.

MP calls for new green jobs based on Roosevelt's New Deal

Comment article, Guardian, 3 March 2009

Mark Lazarowicz MP urges Government to learn from history in order to tackle unemployment and climate change, by creating a new Conservation Corps modeled on Roosevelt's New Deal programmes. The Scottish MP draws on the work of American historian, Neil M. Maher, author of Nature's New Deal. The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Roots of the American Environmental Movement. You can read his article on the Guardian website.

Spinsters

Interview, Radio 4, 3 March 2009

Hear H&P historian Kath Holden on singleness and spinsterhood in 'From Jean Brodie to Carrie Bradshaw', Ann Widdecombe's programme investigating the idea of the spinster. You can listen to the programme on BBC iPlayer.

The age old problem of pupils skipping school

Article, Guardian, 26 February 2009

Nicola Sheldon wrote an article for Education Guardian on ways of tackling truancy, to coincide with the publication of her H&P paper Tackling truancy: why have the millions invested not paid off?. Read the news release [pdf file, 53KB].

H&P recommended in IUSS select committee meeting

Evidence session on 'Putting science and engineering at the heart of government policy', 25 February 2009

Baroness Onora O'Neill, President of the British Academy, recommended H&P as a way of improving evidence based policymaking in a session with the Innovations, Universities, Science and Skills Committee. She said that many departments in Whitehall do not always have a good memory of past policy initiatives, and historians could remedy this problem by showing what worked in the past and what did not work. To read the transcript of this session please go to the IUSS committee website. A video of the session is available on the Parliament Live website (Baroness O'Neill's discussion of H&P is at 01:51:55).

Lessons from history

Article, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, January 2009

The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology considers how history could help to inform decisions on key scientific and technological policy issues, in an article in the POST notes series. The H&P network is highlighted as a means of improving communication between historians and policymakers. It includes a case study of historian Abigail Wood's involvement in the Foot and Mouth debate and draws on Virginia Berridge's H&P research on the use of history in health policymaking. To read the article please go to the POST website [pdf, 157KB].

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