I Intend To Escape ......................And Come Back

Margaret Thatcher and Islam

Back in 2021 I attended a Thatcher Network conference at Newcastle University.

The city was just emerging from the Covid lockdown, and staying in the left-leaning area of Jesmond, it was remarkable how impacted it was compared to small town Northamptonshire. New cycle lines and card only payment in coffee shops demonstrated a certain marking of territory that we had simply not gone through.

My paper at the conference was on Margaret Thatcher and Islam, and that has now been published as an article by the Conservative History Journal. Its fair to say modern day Conservatives may be surprised at some of the nuances and ambiguities of Mrs Thatcher's position - and not just when it comes to Cold War alliances.

A pdf of the article can be viewed below:

Download More questions than answers Thatcher Islam Con History Journal 2024

The Balkanisation of the UK's Police Forces

I had neglected to post here a short article I wrote for the Daily Telegraph last month, on what might be called the Balkanisation of the police. We sometimes forget how rapid these changes have been - it is not that long ago the authorities in forces like West Yorkshire would struggle to recruit ethnic minority officers - now they see officers prosecuted for supporting Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas!

You can read my thoughts on the Telegraph website here, or as a pdf below.

Download The police must reckon with their extremism problem Telegraph 14 11 2024