Category Archives: Media history

Fears, Smears and Volunteers: Kingston and the General Strike of May, 1926

Ninety-eight years ago this month, in May, 1926, Britain experienced a General Strike, called by the Trades Union Congress (T.U.C.), and – for a few days at least – ‘normal’ life in the country was put on temporary hold and … Continue reading

Posted in British history, British politics, Kingston, Local History, London history, Media history, Public History, Research, Surbiton, Surrey, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

For a few days in May: Surbiton and the General Strike of 1926

In May, 1926, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) called a General Strike in Britain and, for about nine days (from 3rd-12th May), it appeared to many people that the country’s industrial relations had reached a new low-point. The Armed Forces … Continue reading

Posted in British history, British politics, Gender History, Kingston, Local History, London history, Media history, Public History, Research, Surbiton, Surrey, Uncategorized, Women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Subverting the Subversives: Did MI5 infiltrate the British entertainment industry?

Back in 2018 new claims were put forward that the British domestic Security Service, MI5, was not just involved with monitoring and collecting intelligence on political movements and individuals deemed as potential threats to the state in the post-war period, … Continue reading

Posted in British history, British politics, Gender History, Historiography, Media history, Public History, Secret State, The National Archives, Uncategorized, Women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

History as conspiracy theory: The case of David Icke and the ‘Protocols’

Just prior to the Covid-19 medical emergency and lockdown, I embarked on the delivery of a module on the role of conspiracy theory in history, and recently had the opportunity to run the module again. The course sought to address … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Conspiracy theory, European History, Extremism, French History, German History, Historiography, Media history, Middle East, Public History, Research, Teaching, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Racist Revisionism: Arnold Leese and early Holocaust Denial in Britain

Some brief exploration of the extent to which crude and racist historical revisionism has moved from the margins into the cultural mainstream of society can be a truly shocking experience. It is no exaggeration to say that conspiracy theory and … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-fascism, British history, British politics, Conspiracy theory, European History, Extremism, Fascism, German History, History of war, London history, Media history, Public History, Research, Surrey, Teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A model for Trump? The authoritarian nature of Viktor Orban’s ‘illiberal democracy’

If anybody still entertains any doubts about the extremely worrying authoritarian ambitions of former U.S. president Donald Trump, then it is important to consider what he said on the evening of Friday, 8th March, 2024. Holding a meeting and concert … Continue reading

Posted in American history, British history, Conspiracy theory, European History, Extremism, Fascism, Media history, Public History, Research, Russian History, Teaching, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dangerous Delusions: Trump and the politics of populism

Historians will have much to write about when they look back on current political affairs in America, and analysis of the rightwing brand of ‘populist’ politics will be a major aspect of this. When it comes to his desperate desire … Continue reading

Posted in American history, British history, Conspiracy theory, European History, Extremism, Historiography, Media history, Public History, Research, Teaching, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Trump and the ‘Deep State’: The Politics of Paranoia

Speaking at the 2023 CPAC (Conservative Political Action) conference, Donald Trump referred to the ‘epic battle’ he said he has always been engaged in against the ‘special interests’ who are out to destroy America. It was vintage Trump. The 2024 … Continue reading

Posted in American history, Conspiracy theory, Conspiracy theory, Extremism, Media history, Public History, Research, Secret State, Teaching, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Decadence and Decline: Looking back on the gloomy world of Dean Inge

There has been some interesting coverage on social media in recent months of the views of William Ralph Inge (1860-1954), who was known as the ‘Gloomy Dean’ or the ‘Gloomy Philosopher’, and was Dean of St. Pauls Cathedral in London … Continue reading

Posted in British history, British politics, European History, Extremism, Fascism, History of war, London history, Media history, Nazism, Public History, Research, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment