A Point of View

Historian David Cannadine reflects on the power of the press, past and present, recalling how early twentieth century press barons attempted to influence British politics.

Historian David Cannadine reflects on the enduring resonance of the important speeches which Winston Churchilll delivered in colleges and universities in the United States.

Historian David Cannadine compares the traditions of tie wearing on both sides of the Atlantic. He reflects on the social significance of this element of male dress and observes a recent phenomenon - that politicians seem to campaign in open neck shirts but govern wearing ties.

Historian David Cannadine reflects on the legacy of monetary unions and what causes success or failure. Ancient Greece was a pioneer, whereas modern Greece has hit problems before.

Historian David Cannadine reflects on current and historic attitudes towards bankers in America. He sees today's criticism as mild by comparison with the attitude of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Historian David Cannadine surveys the current crop of anniversaries and finds a cornucopia of dates to prompt reflection. Awareness of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens may be widespread but fewer may know 2012 marks the two hundredth anniversary of the death of the only British prime minister to be assassinated.

Historian Lisa Jardine reflects on the perils of over-hasty emails compared with the time allowed for reflection by old fashioned letter writing.

Historian Lisa Jardine reflects on the portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in the film The Iron Lady, and considers the complexities of portraying the lives of both public and private figures.

Historian Lisa Jardine reflects on her aversion to today's new sources of noise and traces the history of some attempts at noise abatement.

Historian Lisa Jardine recalls the seventeenth century Lord Chancellor, and keen gardener, Sir Francis Bacon as she reflects on the art of gardening, as both pure human pleasure and a means of self advancement.

Historian Lisa Jardine proposes that information overload is not a new problem, explaining that by the seventeenth century there was widespread anxiety that the sheer volume of available knowledge was getting out of hand.

Historian Lisa Jardine remembers 2011 for the spectacle of the Royal Wedding, reflecting on the historic power of regal glamour in times of austerity. Queen Elizabeth I, she says, used ostentation and opulence in her dress as a political tool to increase national confidence in the solvency of her regime.

Historian Simon Schama reflects on how the world, ten years on, remembered the events of 9/11 and ponders why it is vital to remember: Ten years is an aeon in tweet-time, he writes, but 9/11 bleeds, in every sense, into today's front pages.

Will Self reflects on the depth of the malpractices revealed by the Leveson inquiry into the media. He says it has drawn the attention of people outside the Westminster and Fleet Street villages to the existence of a systematically corrupt and corrupting dimension to public life in the UK.

Author Sarah Dunant looks back on 2011 and reflects on the meaning of the word 'debt'. While deploring what she calls the 'catastrophe' of the debt ridden economy, she views a debt also owed to the protest movements both in the Arab world and camped outside St Paul's Cathedral.