Category Archives: This sceptred isle

The Battle of Naseby in June 1645 and the Battle of Langport in July 1645 marked the destruction of the armies of King Charles and the First Civil War drifted to a conclusion the following year when the Scots handed … Continue reading →

Anyone who cares to read The Great Outsider: The Life of David Lloyd George, Roy Hattersley’s account of the life of the last Liberal prime minister, is led to the unmistakable conclusion that Lloyd George was not a pleasant man. … Continue reading →

One of the most memorable things about growing up in our small Somerset village was the inculcation of respect for the values and beliefs of everyone, no matter how odd those beliefs might seem to those of us who took … Continue reading →

Friday on my mind was played on the radio. David Bowie’s 1973 cover of the original 1965 version by Australian band The Easybeats. Of course, Friday night was a moment to relish if you worked the “five day drag” of … Continue reading →

Only in recent years did I discover why the tax year began on 6th April. Because we were always a sceptical race, suspicious of innovation and resentful about change, it took the England one hundred and seventy years to accept … Continue reading →