Why do we need change? 27th April 2020 “Change? Why do we need change? Aren’t things bad enough as they are?” These amusing, reactionary words appear from time to time on the lips of politicians and... Recent News
Queen Victoria's "Greatest gift to her people" 25th April 2020 In her superb biography of Queen Victoria, published in 1964, Elizabeth Longford wrote: “It might well be claimed that Queen Victoria’s greatest gift to her... Articles
Lloyd George and an Anglo-Irish Centenary 22nd April 2020 On 22 April, Alistair Lexden was due to speak a dinner given by the Political Committee of the Reform Club in London. The text of the address that he would have... Recent News
Peter Viggers - beyond the duck house 22nd April 2020 Some people are remembered for just one thing after their death to the exclusion of everything else they achieved. Peter Viggers, an MP for thirty-six years... Recent News
Opening up independent schools 16th April 2020 An article in The Times on April 13 about the role of independent schools argued that “this crisis provides an opportunity to rethink the place of these schools... Articles
The first Indians at Westminster 14th April 2020 When did people from an Indian background first become members of the Commons and Lords? Who were they? A new book, reviewed here by Alistair Lexden, provides... Articles
Will Stanley Baldwin's generous gesture be repeated? 7th April 2020 A letter in The Times on April 4 recalled Stanley Baldwin’s donation of one fifth of his wealth to the Treasury in 1919 as “a thank-offering” for victory in the... Articles
Whig and Tory Lotharios - Charles James Fox and Boris Johnson 3rd April 2020 On March 23, The Daily Telegraph reported that lipstick marks were being left on a statue of the famous 18th century Whig leader, Charles James Fox, at the... Articles
Finding a new Prime Minister in an emergency 2nd April 2020 In an article in The Times on April 1, Daniel Finkelstein wrote that the current crisis “has exposed a flaw in our constitutional arrangements.” There is no... Articles