Alan Lester
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alanlester.bsky.social
Alan Lester
@alanlester.bsky.social

British Empire Professor, University of Sussex. Co-editor, MUP Studies in Imperialism series. Views here own.
Blogs on politics of colonial history here: https://alanlester.co.uk Editor https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/the-truth-about-empire/ .. more

Alan Lester is a British historical geographer and author who has worked for Sussex University since 2000. He was appointed Professor of Historical Geography in 2006. He is known for his research on imperial networks, colonial humanitarianism and imperial governance. .. more

Political science 40%
Sociology 34%
Pinned
The podcast of David Olusoga and I discussing Empire & the rewriting of history:

howtoacademy.com/podcasts/dav...
HOW TO PODCAST | David Olusoga & Alan Lester - The Truth About the British Empire
David Olusoga and Alan Lester reveal the dark realities of the British Empire, and reflect on the importance of historians amid the resurgence of nationalism and misinformation.
howtoacademy.com
“Speaking outside his chateau in France…”
I kid you not.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Former Brexit Party MEP denies taking payment from pro-Russian campaign
A prominent former MEP for Nigel Farage's old party denies taking bribes in a pro-Russian campaign.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Alan Lester

David Olusoga is correct...and to add further clarification: Mike Mountain Horse "signed on the dotted line..." 23 May 1916.

This is clearly shown on the online Canadian FWW Personnel Records for Mike Mountain Horse and his enlistment in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF).

Another patriotic Brexit ally (who lives in a French Chateau) implicated in Russian bribes. Feeling the heat Farage?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This highlights the Tories’ fundamental problem.They remain mired in the childish, insulting politics of the culture war introduced to the UK by Boris Johnson & Munira Mirza. Reform now have that pitch.

Badenoch defends calling chancellor 'spineless' in Budget row www.bbc.com/news/article...
Badenoch defends calling chancellor 'spineless' in Budget row
The Conservative Party leader says she was "channelling" public anger when she accused the chancellor of "whining about mansplaining".
www.bbc.com

Reposted by Alan Lester

It was Michael Prescott who kept referring to History Reclaimed in his Media select committee evidence - whether a history of Empire from the privateer/slave trader/overseer/Imperial administrator perspective will draw the viewers, another matter.

Reposted by Alan Lester

I hope that their botched hachet job brings more attention to this excellent programme. Of course it slipped over things I would have expected more on, but it brought out fresh angles. I actually learned some things, which is always a joy. Sadly not a pleasure that the Telegraph seems to enjoy.

Reposted by Alan Lester

This is particularly irksome. Olusoga was so, so clear to complicate the picture by pointing out that such people volunteered for the empire’s war. That sort of nuance around identity and military service is fascinating.

I do hope that the BBC board and editorial standards committee will not fall prey to this ridiculous attempt to control public history.
1/5 It was entirely predictable that The Telegraph would jump on @DavidOlusoga’s Empire series to fight its right wing culture war for control of our public history. Let’s see what they’ve done:

Just to confirm I’ve re-watched this. An interviewee: Mike Mountain Horse “signed on the dotted line to protect his country”. Olusoga: “…and they were not alone. Volunteers from the Caribbean …”. You cannot trust what History Reclaimed say in their media campaigns. Often it simply isn’t true.

Very good précis Sadiah!

Reposted by Alan Lester

How predictable and misleading. I thought the series was great for many reasons, from featuring Indigenous peoples in their own words, multiple languages, and its way of connecting huge political change to individual stories. Radically different, and better, than any previous BBC series on empire.

Exactly, and those same ‘concerns’ from the History Reclaimed activists are always amplified in The Spectator, Mail, GBNews etc.

That’s right.

5. Recycle the pretexts that British colonists at the time used to launch unprovoked invasions. The point of the Ijebu invasion was not that the state broke a trade agreement but that it would not allow aggressive British traders to usurp its control. Quote on right from Lugard.

4. Create straw men. Olusoga could not have been any clearer that Mountain Horse was a volunteer. This criticism suggests utter desperation to find something - anything - to criticise!

3. Berate the presenter for sticking to historical realities rather than myths Britain had not introduced democracy anywhere before the end of empire and there was no thought of developing colonies until 1929, even then based on loans with interest.

2. Pretend that you have consulted expert historians who accuse Olusoga of being an activist when the reality is the reverse. As ever, it is the private right wing lobbying company History Reclaimed who supply what insubstantial critique there is.

1. They didn’t bother to watch it all because they knew how they were going to attack it regardless. Maybe no one will pick up in the fact that it doesn’t actually end with WWI but extends into the 1950s.
1/5 It was entirely predictable that The Telegraph would jump on @DavidOlusoga’s Empire series to fight its right wing culture war for control of our public history. Let’s see what they’ve done:

Reposted by Alan Lester

"The allegations that I used to use hammers to murder rabbits are only being made because people don't like my policy of killing rabbits with hammers."

I don’t think this Telegraph contributor has actually watched the Empire series by @davidolusoga.bsky.social that he’s attacking. He suggests Olusoga focuses only on atrocities such as Amritsar, when that massacre wasn’t mentioned, and gets the date range wrong, saying it ends with WWI.

As Farage and Reform keep insisting, it’s not so much about 50 years ago; it’s all about what he’s like and what he does now …

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Starmer calls on Farage to apologise to his alleged victims of racial abuse at school
Prime minister says Reform leader’s explanations about alleged comments are ‘unconvincing to say the least’
www.theguardian.com

All things considered, a sensible budget that might just allow for lower debt repayments and future growth. Very unlikely that the baying Tories who still insist on treating voters like simpletons and the economically illiterate Reform could have pulled this off.

Another way of putting this: has the relentless ‘war on woke’ propaganda of recent years been so effective that millions of conservatives & former Labour supporters are now once again unashamed of overt antisemitism & racism?

Reposted by James Connelly

The big question is whether it would matter to most Reform supporters that Farage was an antisemitic bully and now seems pretty clearly to be lying about it.

Farage's racism denials are dishonest, says ex-classmate www.bbc.com/news/article...
Nigel Farage's racism denials are dishonest, says ex-classmate
Peter Ettedgui tells the BBC Nigel Farage targeted antisemitic abuse at him when they were teenagers.
www.bbc.com

Both in @thetimes.com today. There you go Daniel.

If you’ve appreciated @davidolusoga.bsky.social’s marvellous BBC Empire series, you might be interested in our conversation about the writing of its history:

Reposted by Alan Lester

Now if only they allowed a historian to give his opinion that Trump is the most corrupt US president, ever….. Historian criticises BBC for removing Trump line from Radio 4 lecture www.bbc.com/news/article...

Unlike Channel 5 who just aired his denial with no mention of the 20 witnesses who say he’s lying.

Well done BBC News for covering Nigel Farage’s antisemitic bullying at school and his lies about it since.