Author Archives: bernardporter2013

Who in Britain remembers those ‘Protect and Survive’ pamphlets sent to every home during (I think) the Cuban missile crisis, advising people what to do if an H-bomb hit them? (I only remember ‘hide under the stairs’.) Well, the Swedish … Continue reading →

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is under fire today for not taking sufficient action against a sex offender, John Smyth, who worked for the Church of England in a number capacities, most of them involving the care of adolescent … Continue reading →

Before the election – the election – there were predictions that a Harris win, disputed as it would inevitably be by the Republicans, would spark a new American ‘civil war’. That danger has obviously receded with Trump’s victory, for the … Continue reading →

So, it’s over. The verdict has been delivered, and the sentence – four more years of Trump – is about to begin. In Britain both Nigel Farage, not unexpectedly, and Suella Braverman appeared on BBC Radio this morning to enthusiastically … Continue reading →

8 pm, CET. Awaiting the US election results nervously. If Trump wins it may be a sign of the final victory of capitalism. That’s what he represents and indeed personifies: not America, or democracy, but the worst aspects of a … Continue reading →

Swedish companies are nearly a year into a dispute with Elon Musk’s Tesla, over trade union recognition. Unions are powerful here, with 90% membership, and ‘collective bargaining’ being (I think) a legal requirement in industrial disputes. This is rather like … Continue reading →

Here in Sweden Donald Trump is overwhelmingly unpopular, and indeed reviled; more so even than in most other European countries (https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/50844-who-do-europeans-want-to-win-the-2024-us-presidential-election). Obviously one would expect this, in view of the vast differences between our political cultures. Swedish friends of mine … Continue reading →

I feel I have a duty to comment on this issue, as an imperial historian, and as the author, fifty-six years ago (gosh!), of the first academic study of early British anti-imperialism. The question is this. Should Britain apologise and … Continue reading →

Until fairly recently calling Trump a ‘fascist’ was widely considered to be an exaggeration at best, or a typical left-wing slur at worst. It’s sometimes called the Reductio ad Hitlerum, or ‘Godwin’s Law: ‘as an online discussion grows longer, the … Continue reading →

Of course it’s inevitable, when you get to my age; but it can be devastating nonetheless. I lost another great friend yesterday – the fourth in about a year. We hadn’t seen each other for years, but we were close … Continue reading →