H.G.W. Davie

Travelodge turned away vulnerable women late at night They were far from home but it refused to let them stay without specific ID to prove they were over 18

Don't stay at a Travel Lodge if you are woman unless you can persuade your long dead grandparents to come and vouch for you and can provide three copies of your passport. Cos a Student ID Card and Driving License are simply not good enough for these aparatchniks

www.theguardian.com/money/2026/m...

The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East. That's OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don't need them any longer -- But we will remember. We don't need people that join Wars after we've already won! President DONALD J. TRUMP

History lesson.

Our once great ally didn't come to our aid until 1917.

Our once great ally didn't come to our aid again until 1941.

In which Shcherbina kills a phone.

youtu.be/WLxGxT9ImJE?...

Photo of my fluffy white cat Francie, curled up asleep under my arm with one of her forelegs draped across me like a hug. I’m wearing blue and white striped pajamas with black piping.

One of my favorite things in the whole world is when I come home after being out for a few hours and Francie is always like "Peep! Peep!" and she doesn't want food, she doesn't want toys, she leads me to the couch because she specifically needs me to lie down for a snuggle. 🥹

THREAD: I got laid off from NYMag/Vulture after 14 years. The family lost 75% of income + medical. Now mzs.press bookstore, once a side project. is do-or-die for Judith & I. I feel weird telling you this because others are doing much worse. But if you could like or share this, we'd be so grateful!

Get ready to be annoyed when petrol prizes go up and a) a bunch of politicos declare the government's poll ratings have gone down because Starmer didn't go in with the US on Iran and b) a bunch of politicos who support the war blame the government for increased energy costs.

Humanity heating planet faster than ever before, study finds Researchers identify sharp rise to about 0.35C every decade, after excluding natural fluctuations such as El Niño

Climate breakdown is occurring more rapidly with the heating rate almost doubling, according to research that excludes the effect of natural factors behind the latest scorching temperatures.
#climatecrisis #auspol www.theguardian.com/environment/...

We don’t talk enough about how morally depraved the tech industry turned out to be. Every single ounce of their self-regarding statements of values was an outright lie.

US President complains that UK only joins wars late in ‘Irony takes itself outside to the back of the shed and shoots itself’

What if women would be allowed to smoke in public?
Imagine the horror!
Well this artist did.

Art review: ‘For the benefit of those ladies who ask the right to smoke in public’, by Harry Grant Dart (1908).
fakehistoryhunter.net/2026/03/08/a...
Or here:
fakehistoryhunter.substack.com/p/art-review...

Letterboxd • Your life in film Letterboxd is a social platform for sharing your taste in film. Use it as a diary to record your opinion about films as you watch them, or just to keep track of films you’ve seen in the past. Rate, re...

Have you discovered Letterbox letterboxd.com hours of movie fun

A Genius For Evil: The Colonial Origins of Auschwitz and Modern German Politics A summary of the research direction in the forthcoming book

Pleased to announce the research direction and title of my forthcoming book philipwblood.substack.com/p/a-genius-f...

Special event to recreate 1960s protest against railway closures The event by Avon Valley Railway comes sixty years after the original protest

This looks like a fun event, with a serious point - potentially several serious points, actually!

Taking place on the Avon Valley Railway tomorrow; how do we encourage people to engage with the past?

#RailwayHistory #RailwayHeritage

Saw a really good 200 Railway history display on Hastings Station this week.

Finally remembered to donate!

Very timely since I am teaching about the Home Front of the USSR next Saturday.

Evening tea with samovar (USSR, 1939)

The correct economic term is "rentier", someone who derives income from no economic activity and who contributes little to society, like paying taxes.

Iran’s people were facing a horrible shortage of water before the war began. If we are destroying desalination plants and setting fire to Teheran we are committing unfathomable crimes.

I’m deeply honoured to receive the Royal Television Society 2026 Special Award. Thank you RTS and many thanks to the great BBC team in Moscow.

73 years ago today, Joseph Stalin died.
What did he focus on in the final years of his life? How did Soviet leadership and society react to his death? Let’s revisit what Joshua Rubenstein had to tell us from his book, The Last Days of Stalin.
patreon.com/posts/stalins-last-152319761

Globalisation is under threat from Iran war – and Britain is uniquely vulnerable Economic ripples from US-Israel attacks will soon become waves, engulfing everything from energy prices to food

Britain needs to become more economically self-reliant
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Institute of Blood Transfusion during the War. USSR, Moscow, 1943. Photo by Arkady Shaikhet

What was the historical nature of American and Russian encounters? Join Victoria Zhuraleva, Ivan Kurilla, and David Foglesong for a look back into our February episode, "The Long History of American-Russian Relations."
patreon.com/posts/long-history-of-150939663

I’m really looking forward to doing this. Do join us if you can.

Silence and Plurality: Emotions of Adolescent Suicide under 1930s Chinese Political Culture Jianhao Xu, Newcastle University. This blog accompanies Xu’s forthcoming article in Cultural and Social History.  The historical context examined in this study is the profound social and poli…

@jianhaoxu.bsky.social has also written a blog post about his work on the @socialhistsoc.bsky.social blog here: socialhistory.org.uk/shs_exchange...

Politics, Media, and the Representation of Chinese Youth Suicide and Melancholy (1930–1937) In the 1930s, Chinese media extensively reported on youth suicides, commonly attributing them to patriotism, academic pressure, and economic hardship. Adult commentators overwhelmingly condemned th...

Congratulations 🎉 to @jianhaoxu.bsky.social whose article below is available in @cultsochistory.bsky.social ahead of publication as #openaccess
I help supervise Jianhao with Joseph Lawson and @lauratisdall.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1080/1478...

Well done Jianhao!

Economic Warfare and Sanctions Since 1688 Cambridge Core - Economic History - Economic Warfare and Sanctions Since 1688

Excellent launch this evening for outstanding book by @mark4harrison.bsky.social and Broadberry S., with special added value from @duncanweldon.bsky.social

www.cambridge.org/core/books/e...

An Unknown Woman: how I discovered a hidden tragedy tied to Russia’s most famous painting It caused a scandal in imperial Russia, then became a staple of popular art in the USSR. But when I spied a copy of Ivan Kramsky’s portrait in the film Sentimental Value, it opened a door to an untold...

An Unknown Woman: how I discovered a hidden tragedy tied to Russia’s most famous painting www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

Families bid to take over their children’s care home that amassed huge tax debts Parents wish to ‘take matters into our own hands’ as William Blake House faces potential winding up order

Charity facing a winding-up notice over unpaid taxes, Trustees paying themselves a million pounds, assets sold and money unaccounted for and yet West Northants Council and the Charity Commission continue to watch and wait....

www.theguardian.com/society/2026...