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Alexander Clifford

@alexclifford.bsky.social

2.1K followers 2.2K following 310 posts

Research & write on 30s Britain, Spain, Germany. Britain's Iron Chancellor out now! Author of Hindenburg, Ludendorff & Hitler, Fighting for Spain, The People's Army and of the introduction to new release Britain's Iron Chancellor

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Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · Aug 21

Back in print after 90 years and it’s finally here!

Amazing to receive copies of Britain’s Iron Chancellor, the new edition of the autobiography of Philip Snowden, Labour’s first chancellor

Easily the best memoir of the era

As usual, a fantastic production from Pen & Sword! 🗃️#histbookchat

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Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 3h

Home

View looking towards the sun setting over the Tyne valley

Reposted by Alexander Clifford

Dan Snow @thehistoryguy.bsky.social · 2d

Admiral Nelson's advice for Labour:

'The measure may be thought bold, but I am of the opinion the boldest are the safest.'

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Reposted by Alexander Clifford

Dave Vetter @davidrvetter.bsky.social · 3d

Private Eye nailing it.

A story in Private Eye, headlined "Minority representation on TV causes outrage". The article reads: "There has been widespread support for prominent Reform MP Sarah Pochin after she complained about the over-representation of minorities on television.

Said one angry viewer, "She's right. Every time you turn on the telly there's another Reform MP being interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg."

She added, "I respect their way of life and their strange customs, but Reform MPs comprise only 0.7 percent of the House of Commons. Yet Nigel Farage is on Question Time more than Fiona Bruce."

"I'm not prejudiced. Some of my best friends are swivel-eyed loons, but enough is enough. There are too many people with angry red faces on television."

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Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 4d

And if you were to exclude elections where the voters didn’t get the chance to simply re-elect the governing party from the previous election or retain the current admin in office due to coalition-y and/or war-related reasons (1918, 1931, 1945) the success rate would be even higher

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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 4d

1980:
NHS spending as a % of GDP: 5.1%
Defence spending as a % of GDP: 5%

2024:
NHS spending as a % of GDP: 10.9%
Defence spending as a % of GDP: 2.2%

This is such a common applause line, but it’s also total bullshit.

Zarah Sultana MP @zarahsultana.bsky.social · 4d

There is always money for war, never for the poor.

Every penny spent on bombs, tanks and missiles is stolen from our homes, schools and hospitals.

We are not going to take it anymore.

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Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 4d

This is precisely the line Labour & Attlee used in the mid-late 30s when they consistently voted against British rearmament

Turns out we very much did need the tanks and bombs

Zarah Sultana MP @zarahsultana.bsky.social · 4d

There is always money for war, never for the poor.

Every penny spent on bombs, tanks and missiles is stolen from our homes, schools and hospitals.

We are not going to take it anymore.

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Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 4d

Very interesting - that begs the question who is more winnable to Labour: 2024 Green voters or Reform? Neither seems a great bet at this moment in time. I’d hazard tactical voting will be far more in play in 2029 than in 2024 when it appears many voters took the result for granted

Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 4d

It’s literally just come out - Max returning to his theme 12 years later with the help of Colm O’Brien, who is a leading archaeologist and academic in the field. I’d say it’s worth your time if you enjoyed King in the North. They’ve been able to ground the history in the landscape much more

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Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 4d

Felt like I was embarking on an adventure opening this - and the first chapter has not disappointed. Lovely writing, evocatively grounded in the landscapes I love

New book Northumbria, 367-867, Earth-Hall, Ring-gift and Heaven’s Field by Max Adams and Colm O’Brien

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Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 4d

Demographically Caerphilly is like many Labour heartland seats

It does appear tactical voting kept out Reform there - the piece makes that point and says if voters are already doing this, it bodes well for Lab since in most seats at the next GE, the tactical vote choice to stop Reform will be Lab

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Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 5d

Don’t agree with it all but some good points in this piece

For one, Labour have been in office for 16 months with up to 44 to go - so much can and will change

Also, the Greens’ polling surge ignores that they have *no* presence in Red Wall seats (they got 1.5% in Caerphilly)
tinyurl.com/55nf3v3p

'Don't Panic! Labour's response to Caerphilly should be more resilliant' - LabourList

The only progressive alliance that can actually win a General Election already exists – it’s the Labour Party argues Luke Akehurst MP.

labourlist.org

Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 5d

I know, and I know why. I just think it's a shame that so much great work goes essentially unread

Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 5d

But to me it seemed appalling that a trained historian, might struggle with the construction of a narrative

To me, narrative is the very stuff of history; our fundamental purpose is to build a convincing and accurate (as can be) narrative of past events. Acadamia appears not to value this very much

Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 5d

An academic I like and respect very much who I learnt a very great deal from once confided in me that he was attempting to write a book for trade publication but that he was really struggling to write a narrative

I advised him to select characters and use them to thread a more general narrative

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Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 5d

That first passage, that the tendancy of modern historical research is to subdivide, that it is "all done by sections" and that the result "is not satifactory" to the reader feels very relevant

It is tragic how much academic historical work is almost designed *not* to be read as a book, cover-cover

Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 5d

... nor should it be written for children. There is a growing opportunity for writers who will grip a subject as a whole and convey it intelligently to the plain man who wants to know but who hasn't got much time."

Very interesting in 1908 there was concern re 'superabundance' of narrow studies

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Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 5d

... or aspect of the matter seperately. It is all done by sections. The result is not satisfactory. We used to have less details but a general picture, whereas now we get superabundant details but no general sketch, no picture or story. The work should neither be of too great length, nor should...

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Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 5d

The more things change, the more they stay the same

Winston Churchill, being interviewed by Bram Stoker in 1908, discussing the writing of history:

"It seems to me that the whole tendancy of modern historical research is to subdivide and prosecute investigation into each division or aspect...

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Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 5d

Reform are in many ways an ideal opponent

No experience & little quality (see councils) and are full of not only racists but climate change deniers, anti-abortionists and vax quacks. They will keep making enforced errors like this

The govt just needs to score when the open goals present themselves

George Eaton @georgeeaton.bsky.social · 5d

Labour was swift to condemn Sarah Pochin in unequivocal terms and has left Reform/the Tories on the back foot as a consequence.

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Alan Owlport 🦉 🎃 @alanallport.bsky.social · 6d

If you want to get a cool tattoo of a WWII armoured division that didn’t suck I have some suggestions

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Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 6d

Autumnal vibes

It’s been a great season so far

Me and my wife at my sister in law’s wedding

A horned sheep in dying fern on the side of Yeavering Bell

View across Glendale from Yeavering Bell, above the 7th century Northumbrian palace complex of Ad Gefrin

Reposted by Alexander Clifford

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 6d

"Let's not forget, when we remember the service and the sacrifice with this poppy, that the people who bled and died for our democracy and our freedom, weren't just my grandfather who looked like me & worshipped the same God, but people across Empire & Commonwealth, who were Muslim, Sikh & Hindu'

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Dan Snow @thehistoryguy.bsky.social · 6d

These maniacs are sad that advertisers are presenting black & brown people as family members, professionals and users of washing machines rather than iklwa hurling zulus, untrustworthy agents of Vichy, dockyard lascars in opium dens and double crossing Crusader infantry

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Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 6d

Just FYI Northumberland County Council has been putting plastic poppies on practically every lampost in urban areas for a number of years now. They've just been put up this week, so if pictures of them appear, it is definitly not necessarily Raise the Flag people

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Alexander Clifford @alexclifford.bsky.social · 12d

The hell mouth sanctuary bronze door knocker from the 12th century is of course a must see. For reasons I could not fathom, it granted you 37 days sanctuary. Cathedral staff could not account for this peculiar length of time. Anyway, it’s amazing