A great Prime Minister's early death Thursday, 11 July, 2024 Prime minister at the age of 24, the Younger Pitt died when he was 46 in 1806 after serving in the highest political office for eighteen years, a term exceeded in length only by Walpole. His health was never robust. It is well-known that he added to his problems by drinking heavily, and it is often said that drink killed him. Far from that being the case, the illness that proved fatal to him can... Articles
A Prime Minister of the left in coalition with the right: Lloyd George and the Unionists, 1918-22 16th November 2021 On 15 November, Alistair Lexden delivered the following address at a meeting of the Lloyd George Society at the National Liberal Club in London. David Lloyd... Speeches
General Sir Thomas Picton: a hero of his time 11th November 2021 Picton was the highest-ranking officer to be killed at Waterloo. For over a century a distinguished portrait of him has hung in the National Museum of Wales. At... Articles
Edward Grey and Teddy Roosevelt: two great bird lovers 5th November 2021 “Lord Lexden will appreciate this”, said a leading Lib Dem peer, Lord Stoneham, In a Lords debate on 3 November when Alistair Lexden, a Deputy Speaker, was on... Recent News
A landmark victory for homosexuals in Northern Ireland 22nd October 2021 On 22 October 1981, the European Court of Human Rights held, by fifteen votes to four, that the existence of law in Northern Ireland prohibiting male homosexual... Speeches
Dom to Dorneywood? 20th October 2021 In early October an unseemly squabble broke out between Dominic Raab and Liz Truss over which of them should occupy Chevening in Kent, the 15-bedroomed stately... Articles
HIV action plan 20th October 2021 Immense progress had been made since the late 1980s in treating HIV/AIDS. It has long since ceased to be a death sentence, despite the lack of a vaccine. There... Recent News
One Nation: Forget Disraeli 15th October 2021 Alistair Lexden has repeatedly pointed out that, contrary to almost universal belief, Disraeli never spoke or wrote of One Nation. His efforts have had little... Articles
Chamberlain and Churchill - as seen by a brilliant diarist 4th October 2021 The diarist was Henry ‘Chips’ Channon, a sharp-eyed Tory MP who chronicled the life of the House of Commons (and his own adventurous sex life) at length from... Articles
The last Earl to be a Cabinet Minister 1st October 2021 The second Earl of Gowrie, who died on 24 September at the age of 81, was a member of Margaret Thatcher’s first two governments between 1979 and 1985. His... Articles