Sometime historian, full time dog dad. "Blue Jerusalem" (OUP, 2024) "Warrior Britain: a Nation in Arms" (Allen Lane, forthcoming)

Brisbane, Queensland
Joined July 2014
This will be amazing.
Today is the official release date for my new book, First Among Equals: Visions of Equality before Egalitarianism (Belknap, 2026). It explores how and why “equality” became, rather suddenly, a basis on which ordinary men and women could make political demands in early modern England. hup.harvard.edu/books/978067…
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Kit Kowol retweeted
Today is the official release date for my new book, First Among Equals: Visions of Equality before Egalitarianism (Belknap, 2026). It explores how and why “equality” became, rather suddenly, a basis on which ordinary men and women could make political demands in early modern England. hup.harvard.edu/books/978067…
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Everyone in the @BritishArmy likes to complain about bureaucracy. But back in 1956 there were 170 people whose job it was to produce and distribute forms!
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I have to say, I much prefer the @NewStatesman's 1974 depiction of the Bayeux Tapestry to this new Tory one. It imagined Harold Wilson and Jim Callaghan's re-negotiations with the EEC, with little Roy Hattersley matching alongside. Michael Foot and Tony Benn fly the flag for a referendum. Jack Jones and TGWU archers fire back. Peter Shore as cavalry. Roy Jenkins and Shirley Williams dancing and drinking below. Heath lies defeated. Giscard d'Estaing as king. – at Faringdon, England
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A very cerebral start to my Monday morning! Big thanks to Dan for having me and for making me think about Disraeli equivalents today 🤣
A pleasure to chat to Dr Emily Jones about her new book "The Disraeli Myth" and what Dizzy and his brand of "One Nation" conservatism has to teach us today @EmilyJonesVIII @NatConOz @danryanonline @OneNationAus
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In 1960 the UK Government briefed NATO on the security advice given to all Civil Servants going 'behind the Iron Curtain'. Although the language is dated, it makes for a fascinating read into the world of how the Warsaw Pact nations used honeytraps and dirty tricks...
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Diego Garcia and the Chaggos Islands back in the news so its a good time to reflect on a forgotten and arguably more contested British base in the Indian Ocean. RAF Gan.
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Afeef, once declared the 'authoritative voice' of Gan, was exiled to the Seychelles aboard HMS Loch Lomond in 1963. The base itself was handed back to the Maldives Gov in 1976. Today, it is an international airport. The old sergeants mess is part of a luxury resort.
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You can read more about RAF Gan, Afeef, Nasir and the other lost places and space of British militarism in my forthcoming book "Warrior Britain: A Nation in Arms", out in 2028. In the meantime, if you served in 'Coral Command' or stayed at the 'Blue Lagoon' do get in touch!
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