Ed West

London

Writer at Freelance

Writer at Wrong Side of History

Writer, the Wrong Side of History substack

Articles

The reason of crowds

1 week ago | edwest.co.uk | Ed West

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The reason of crowds

1 week ago | open.substack.com | Ed West

In his bookHow to Be a Dictator, Frank Dikötter described the moment in 1989 when Romania’s feared dictatorship came crashing down. ‘On 21 December, Nicolae Ceaușescu appeared on the balcony of the party headquarters in the centre of Bucharest, flanked by the entire apparatus, to address a mass rally organised in support of the regime. For once the assembled crowd failed to cheer him. Within minutes, people at the back began whistling and jeering.
Whose land is it anyway?

3 weeks ago | open.substack.com | Ed West

In 1278 King Edward I, determined to learn which subjects had usurped royal privileges, demanded of each man proof of how he came by his property, using a royal writ called quo warranto (‘by what right’). Not everyone reacted to this in the manner hoped for.
... And Justice for All?

1 month ago | open.substack.com | Ed West

Earlier this week I wrote about the imprisonment of Lucy Connolly for a tweet posted after the Southport murders. Since her appeal failed, a small number of politicians have called for the childminder’s release, including the five MPs who signed an early daily motion and, most recently, Boris Johnson (a father once again - congratulations, if you’re reading). For now, though, Connolly remains in jail, and some people feel that justice has been done.
Lucy Connolly is in prison because of her politics

1 month ago | spectator.com.au | Ed West

Childminder Lucy Connolly was caring for infants at her home in Northampton on July 29 last year when she heard on the news about the murder of three young girls in Southport. She was upset – like many people – and had seen – again, like many – rumours that an illegal immigrant was responsible.
Lucy Connolly is in prison because of her politics

1 month ago | spectator.co.uk | Ed West

Childminder Lucy Connolly was caring for infants at her home in Northampton on July 29 last year when she heard on the news about the murder of three young girls in Southport. She was upset – like many people – and had seen – again, like many – rumours that an illegal immigrant was responsible.
The troubling case of Lucy Connolly

1 month ago | edwest.co.uk | Ed West

Childminder Lucy Connolly was caring for infants at her home in Northampton on July 29 last year when she heard on the news about the murder of three young girls in Southport. She was upset – like many people - and had seen – again, like many – rumours that an illegal immigrant was responsible.
The troubling case of Lucy Connolly

1 month ago | open.substack.com | Ed West

Childminder Lucy Connolly was caring for infants at her home in Northampton on July 29 last year when she heard on the news about the murder of three young girls in Southport. She was upset – like many people - and had seen – again, like many – rumours that an illegal immigrant was responsible.
Strangers in a strange land

1 month ago | edwest.co.uk | Ed West

‘Nations depend on rules – fair rules. Sometimes they’re written down, often they’re not, but either way, they give shape to our values. They guide us towards our rights, of course, but also our responsibilities, the obligations we owe to one another. Now, in a diverse nation like ours, and I celebrate that, these rules become even more important.
The thrill of guilt

1 month ago | open.substack.com | Ed West

‘Just as the Greeks, according to Aristotle, sought to avoid the snares of Persian despotism and just as the Hebrews were told by the God of the Old Testament not to be like the Egyptians, so too are liberal democratic citizens exhorted not to be fascists. ‘Modern democracies are to be constantly on guard against fascism, and their perhaps unnamed telos is to combat this danger, partly by seeking to act and think in a way that clearly distinguishes democracy from what it opposes.