Robert Saunders
Historian of modern Britain, singer and political nerd. Author of "Yes to Europe! The 1975 Referendum & Seventies Britain". "A jaw-dislocating page turner"(Andrew Marr). Deputy-director @mileendinstitute.bsky.social, Reader @QMHistory
- Is the government right to restrict trial by jury for all but the most serious offences? What can behavioural science tell us about how juries make decisions? Have we really had "800 years of trial by one's peers"? Find out at our free webinar, Tuesday at 12:00! us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
- Tuesday 12:00: join our free webinar on the government's plans to abolish jury trial for most offences. We'll be exploring the challenges facing the courts, what ministers are proposing, the history of jury trial and the behavioral science of juries. All welcome! us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
- Not everyday you see people sailing boats on Port "Meadow" in Oxford!
- A thoughtful response by @igmansfield.bsky.social to the essay I posted yesterday on "Brexit in Historical Perspective". (With a nice touch of Tolkien at the end!) There's been too little constructive dialogue between Leavers and Remainers since 2016. So I'm grateful to Iain for engaging with this.
- It's six years today since Britain left the EU. I wrote this on Brexit day in 2020, about the strategic dilemmas to which European membership had once been the answer and that would now reopen once Britain left. I'd stand by most of it today. gladstonediaries.blogspot.com/2020/01/brex...
- Oddly, for a historian, I've never been very good at dates. Apparently today is not, in fact, the 31st January, so I'm a day early...
- Excellent critique of the government's proposed jury reforms by @georginaq.bsky.social. The @mileendinstitute.bsky.social are hosting a webinar on this on Tuesday at 12, with three expert guests. Register for free here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... www.ft.com/content/bb5a...
- More detail here: bsky.app/profile/robe...
- Should jury trial be scrapped for most offences? What can behavioural science tell us about how juries make decisions? What can we learn from the history of the jury system? Join our online panel to explore all this & more on Tuesday 3 February 12:00. All welcome! us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
- On my way to London to deliver this paper. It's possible to watch online if you're interested.
- ‘“Democracy Has Come!” The Third Reform Act & the Making of British Democracy’. I'll be speaking at the IHR Modern British Seminar on Thursday 29 Jan, on why the 1884 Reform Act is more exciting than you think... 17:30 in London or online. Read on for a taster...🧵 www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...
- We're thrilled to be welcoming legendary broadcaster Kate Adie to the @mileendinstitute.bsky.social for our 5th distinguished Hennessy Lecture. She'll discuss her life as a reporter and explore the challenges & paths ahead for journalism today. 16 Feb 6:30.Book here! www.qmul.ac.uk/mei/events/m...
- This "my way or the highway" strategy has been a disaster for both Labour & the Conservatives. Parties are not just vehicles for their leaders, to be driven this way or that by whoever's currently at the wheel. They are coalitions built out of multiple traditions. Wise leaders make that a strength
- “The people who don’t agree with this direction need to get out of the way … We’re about the future, not the past". A leader who refuses to maintain a coalition even within her own party is going to struggle to build much of a coalition among the electorate. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
- From the Chartists to the suffragettes, and from the civil rights movement to the anti-apartheid struggle, every great protest movement has found strength in song. There is extraordinary power in music. More than one injustice has fallen before a hail of ballads.
