...if they earned above the wage limit. Despite this patchiness, sizeable numbers of British people felt affection for the pre-NHS system. Many liked the charitable spirit of voluntary hospitals and...
...after her election victory of 3 May. Margaret Thatcher arrives at Number 10 Downing Street in 1979 Thatcher had started a programme of visits to Government departments to see first-hand...
...overviews, medieval, modern and contemporary history. Some posts may be first-hand accounts, others commentary pieces. This blog builds on the monthly articles by guest historians previously available on the Number...
...part of a wider effort to develop understanding of departments, personalities and processes, and a valuable opportunity for the Prime Minister to show her appreciation of the intelligence she received....
...in practice? Three key elements of Barber’s original design brief proved useful. First, that there would be ‘rigorous and relentless focus on a relatively small number of the Prime Minister’s...
...when he said it was better for them to ignore the speech. What’s the context? Anglo-American relations were plagued by a number of tricky issues in March 1946, bringing it...
...born in Virginia, USA in 1879. Her family’s fortunes initially fluctuated, but by 1892 they possessed considerable wealth. By 1903, she was a divorcee with a small child. Her father...
...not everyone believed war was unavoidable. The armed forces of a number of countries were on alert. So was there a real chance of preserving peace or was it just...
...July started when the procession reached the town hall. The small official group had been joined by a number of ex-servicemen. As the Mayor read out the King’s proclamation, the...
...number of prospective NATO members, including Britain, still had African colonies while the North Atlantic Treaty was being negotiated. Ernest Bevin thought if Western European countries could mobilise their colonial...