The fascists' press baron Friday, 22 November, 2024 The following letter was published in The New Statesman on 22 November. Lord Northcliiffe was the greatest press baron of his time, but cannot be censured for supporting fascism. It got substantial press backing from elsewhere. Alison Phillips (The Critics, 8 November) states that “Northcliffe supported Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts and the Nazis”. That would have been difficult since Northcliffe... Articles
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
The fight for married women's rights 14th June 2021 For centuries, married women had no legal rights. Caroline Norton(1808-77), the formidable and fearless wife of an abusive husband, started the movement which... Articles
Gay men and an historic warning - action still awaited 10th June 2021 The royal pardon granted posthumously to Alan Turing in 2012 was followed by the introduction of what is known as a disregard scheme—under which gay men who... Speeches
