This is the bit in the documentary about the rise of the Nazis where you can't believe the black-and-white crowd are so callous, so thoughtless, so joyous in their depravity
Kevin Thurston@del-boy.bsky.social · 18h ago
Alexander Clifford
@alexclifford.bsky.social
Research & write on 30s Britain, Spain, Germany. Britain's Iron Chancellor out now! Author of Hindenburg, Ludendorff & Hitler, Fighting for Spain, The People's Army and of the introduction to new release Britain's Iron Chancellor
Kevin Thurston@del-boy.bsky.social · 18h ago
A lot of people asking me how this isn't the New InfoWars and guess what maybe it is?
The British Library is a national embarrassment. The single worst institution I’ve ever interacted with And I’ve lived in Germany, in which the idea that a public institution should serve the public in a convenient way is an alien concept
David Klemperer@dmk1793.bsky.social · 4w agoSeriously though, if I ran the British Library it would be a constant source of embarrassment and mortification to me that the public WiFi was better in the train station just opposite
See if I could see this coming, why could the leader of the opposition or her team not? Utterly bizarre
Alexander Clifford@alexclifford.bsky.social · 2mo agoThis story will run for a few days, maybe weeks, then he'll withdraw or be withdrawn. It's so obvious how it'll play out, so why on earth is Kemi defending him? Does she think it'll play badly on Twitter to hang him out to dry?
This story will run for a few days, maybe weeks, then he'll withdraw or be withdrawn. It's so obvious how it'll play out, so why on earth is Kemi defending him? Does she think it'll play badly on Twitter to hang him out to dry?
Chris Terry-Enescu@cjterry.bsky.social · 2mo agoIt's OK for criminal ex-neo Nazis to run your bins is a hell of a line.
I can imagine her giving a concession speech in 2029, in which she insists she has won the argument
David Beech@davidbeech.bsky.social · 2mo agoBadenoch can't even poll better than a openly and proudly racist party in GM and they will still trundle along like everything is fine and nothing to worry about. Badenoch deserves to lose her seat at the next GE for the damage she continues to inflict on her party.
Please tell me about how Andy Burnham can’t be allowed to become an MP because it risks Labour losing Manchester to the Greens… (or indeed Reform)
Also Burnham explicity ruled out an early general election in his first major interview yesterday Not exactly a good look to go back on that. And there's an elections bill in progress that team Burnham seems to want to amend. And all his bold ideas will take time...
Julianna 💎@batariangal.eurosky.social · 2mo agoReal underpriced reason why a snap election is a dreadful idea is that it would likely give Reform a shot in the arm just as they’re flagging and, even if it went well on Labour’s end, would almost certainly make Nigel Farage leader of the opposition
First impressions count a lot in politics and once formed they’re very hard to shift See Starmer & Reeves Farage had a hold of people who formed a good first impression of him and generally have stuck to it regardless Burnham is very much hoping to make this a week of good first impressions
Burnham is clearly trying to start his tenure with a series of good news story announcements At the very least he’s learnt from the first mistake his predecessor made. And he’s clearly prioritising policies that will help alleviate the cost of living, especially for the poorest
Peter Smith@redpeter99.bsky.social · 2mo agoReleasing policy at 6am is politically savvy. Grabs the headlines and scuppers the professional sneerers. Cheaper reliable public transport is a good thing.
Need some holiday reading? Pen & Sword are doing *50%* off practically everything! My books are on there, including: Fighting for Spain - an illustrated history of the International Brigades w/ 150 photos www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Fighting-for... Buy direct from an indy publisher to support authors!
Fighting for Spain
In the English-speaking world, the Spanish Civil War is perhaps best remembered through the exploits of thousands of foreign volunteers from across the globe who…
pen-and-sword.co.uk
The French at their Bastille Day celebrations rn
Oh no…. Put it back!!! This headline reads like the opening of a Buchan or Blackwood spooky story Or indeed could be lifted from Shades of Rome by @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Ancient Roman 'guardian spirit' discovered in Northumberland
A sculpture of a Genius is discovered at the Vindolanda archaeological site in Hexham.
bbc.co.uk
A seminal moment for me as an historian was reading John Buchan’s Witch Wood about a small Scottish village in the 1640s There’s a vivid chapter that spans a difficult winter and it brought home to me for the first time how genuinely challenging winter was for most humans for most of human history
James Austin@jamesdaustin.bsky.social · 2mo agoI thnk this quite a bit; the village I grew up in (pop roughly 600) would have been a fairly significant settlement at that point. I find the impact/nature of rural life more interesting than cities tbh. A vast majority of people would live in tiny hamlets and very tight communities
She wanted to be in this war and argued that the only reason Keir Starmer didn't want to is that he was in hoc to British Muslims. Not a serious person.
Emilio Casalicchio@ecasalicchio.bsky.social · 3mo ago🚨 Kemi Badenoch rubbishes Donald Trump's Iran deal. She tells me at a press conference the war "definitely was not worth that deal." Said Trump "clearly" had no exit plan. Said paying to use the Strait of Hormuz leaves us "in a worse position" than before the war.
A friend who works in commercial property has alerted me to this case His view was that it is *possible* Burnham has been a very naughty boy indeed, loaning public money to developers at overly generous rates. The developer has fled to Monaco www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater...
Manchester skyscraper loans were made based on ‘unlawful’ decision, court hears
A case is being heard in the Court of Appeal over GMCA's loans to Renaker
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
The strangest looking result on this funny scale. Anyway, down with free markets! Your overall right-wing affinity is 17%. Take the quiz here: www.edrith.co.uk/p/discover-y... moryscarter.com/vespr/starpl...
Fun fact: unless I've gone wrong somewhere, Clement Attlee and Ted Heath are the ONLY prime ministers in British history whose time as PM began with winning a General Election and ended with losing one. And both of them eventually lost to the same man they initially beat.
"i'm a committed catholic. also i waited six years to baptize my child"
Reform have now lost six by-elections in a row in England, Scotland and Wales. Their national poll rating is 26% – below Labour in 1983 – and Farage’s approval rating is -37. They’re very far from the voice of the people and need to stop being treated as such.
My father didn't go to university & also I'm the son of a university lecturer Using just 1 grandfather I can say 'My grandad left school at 15 and went to sea, serving many yrs in the Merchant Navy' & also 'My grandfather was a successful salesman for Shell who sent his daughter to private school'
Will Jennings📉🗳️@drjennings.bsky.social · 3mo agoIt's quite a fun exercise to try to work out what the most working class and most middle class version of the story of your own social background you could tell. (I could tell wildly different stories about my own social class by picking the biographies of two grandparents - one from each parent.)
Despite Spain having more than 74% possession, Cape Verde committed only one foul all game. It's the fewest by any team in a World Cup match in Opta's record books (since 1966).
Scrolling through this thread, banning social media appears to be the most popular idea since sliced bread, including amongst the young
Luke Tryl@luketryl.bsky.social · 3mo agoUnder 16s social media ban commands significant support from the public. From all of our conversations it’s seen as an area where people think individual parents can’t act alone and an area where they need government to help them take back control.
