A gay college Monday, 17 November, 2025 From the 1880s onwards, homosexuals flourished at King’s College, Cambridge. Colourful characters abounded. Simon Goldhill recalls many of them in a new book which Alistair Lexden discussed in the attached review published in Parliament’s magazine The House on 17 November. Queer Cambridge. An Alternative History By Simon Goldhill Published by Cambridge University Press The title is misleading... Articles
Belated redress for gay people - why should Northern Ireland miss out? 11th January 2022 On 10 January, the Lords agreed without a division to a very significant expansion of the scheme, first introduced in 2012 (and improved in 2016), under which... Speeches
The Prime Minister who turned down the highest order of chivalry 7th January 2022 The announcement of Tony Blair’s appointment by the Queen as a Knight of the Garter in the New Year’s honours list was praised by some, but strongly criticised... Articles
Righting past wrongs for more gay people 4th January 2022 On 3 January, the Government announced that pardons will be made available for “any repealed or abolished civilian or military offence that was imposed on... Recent News
Attlee's place in history 30th December 2021 It is customary to regard Clement Attlee as one of the most important prime ministers in British history. Letters published in The Times on December 27 noted... Articles
A Tory Christmas crisis 21st December 2021 Following his Spectator letter (see below) on strains within the Liberal Party at Christmas 1885, Alistair Lexden wrote to The Daily Telegraph about Christmas... Articles
How leading Liberals spent Christmas in 1885 18th December 2021 The following letter was published under the heading 'Gladstone tidings' in the Christmas issue of The Spectator, dated 18 December. Sir: Boris Johnson's... Articles
A massive Tory rebellion in the Commons 17th December 2021 On December 14, 100 Conservative MPs voted against Boris Johnson’s latest measures to combat Coronavirus. The rebels included all the officers of the backbench... Articles
A fine candidate at a notable by-election 15th December 2021 The recent death of Sir John Butterfill, MP for Bournemouth West from 1983 to 2010, led Alistair Lexden to recall the MP's first electoral foray in 1981... Recent News
Northern Ireland - the search for greater stability and a stronger Union 14th December 2021 Between 2017 and 2020 devolved government in Northern Ireland was in abeyance. The system has to be run by a coalition in which diametrically opposed parties... Speeches
