Main Man
The ‘pragmatic and principled’ Harold Wilson.
Political
The Grunwick Dispute Begins
The sacking of a young worker on 20 August 1976 escalated into a defining industrial conflict of the late 1970s.
Law of the Land
What relevance do the Norman Conquest and the events of 1066 have to contemporary British politics? Everything and nothing.
On the Ballot
Before the secret ballot, voting in Britain was a theatrical, violent and public affair. The Act that made democracy private turns 150 this year.
The Black Legend of the House of Dudley
Three generations of the cursed House of Dudley stained the executioner’s block in 16th-century England. Were its members murderous villains working to overthrow the monarchy, or shrewd political agents struggling to survive?
Little White Lies
There is value in a leader who lies – but only if it is done for the greater good.
Billiard Balls
What were Indian nationalists thinking?
Babies of the House
The UK Parliament was not designed for women with children and this continues to present challenges for new parents. How far have things changed?
The Strange Death of Liberal Egypt
For most Egyptians the country’s independence came with the revolution of July 1952, not with the end of the British protectorate in February 1922. Yet, as the experiences of three patriotic writers show, independence did not mean freedom.
What Chips did Next
A ringside seat to British domestic politics, from Chamberlain’s meeting with Hitler in October 1938 to the fall of Mussolini in July 1943.