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
British victories in Afghanistan 16th July 2021 Britain’s largely successful record in dealing with Afghanistan during the time of empire is today little known. It is summarised in the following letter, which... Articles
Police Misconduct 13th July 2021 Alistair Lexden continues to pursue two notorious cases of misconduct which, along with several others, ought not to be forgotten. Operation Conifer, which... Speeches
When is a Royal Visit a State Visit? 6th July 2021 The answer of course is: when it is a visit to another head of state. An article in The Times on June 26, however, described King George V’s visit to open the... Articles
The Government's absurd decision to silence choirs 1st July 2021 On 18 May, the Government announced out of the blue that non-professional singers would limited to groups of six. It marked an abrupt U-turn in policy that had... Articles
In defence of Stanley Baldwin - and of complementary medicine 1st July 2021 These two very different causes dominated the public work of the 4th Earl Baldwin, who died on 16 June. Alistair Lexden recalled his career in an obituary... Articles
Visit Northern Ireland 25th June 2021 That was the unmistakable message to people in Britain of a short speech which Alistair Lexden contributed to a Lords debate on tourism in the United Kingdom on... Speeches
Northern Ireland 100 years on 23rd June 2021 Alistair Lexden followed his commemorative article on the opening of the Northern Ireland Parliament ( see below) with a letter published in The Daily Telegraph... Articles
A wider role for boarding schools 23rd June 2021 Far too often, children in the care of local authorities fall badly behind during their education. Only just over 50 per cent reach the average standard for... Speeches
On this day, June 22, a century ago - King George V opened the Northern Ireland Parliament 22nd June 2021 At 11:30 a.m. on a grey, overcast morning, a 21-gun salute rang out across Belfast Lough as the Royal Yacht Victoria and Albert, with King George V and Queen... Articles