Ed West

London

Writer at Freelance

Writer at Wrong Side of History

Writer, the Wrong Side of History substack

Articles

... And Justice for All?

1 week 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

2 weeks 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

2 weeks 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

2 weeks 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

2 weeks 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

3 weeks 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

3 weeks 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.
Reflections on the Turquoise Revolution in England

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

Good morning, and welcome to the era of Leo XIV - the first Anglophone pope since Adrian IV, and that was so long ago that the English he spoke was Middle English (in fact, Nicholas Breakspear grew up in an England where Old English could still be heard). Remarkable to think that, God willing, the United States will celebrate its 250th birthday with an American pope in Rome and an American Caesar in Washington.
Reflections on the Turquoise Revolution in England

4 weeks ago | edwest.co.uk | Ed West

Good morning, and welcome to the era of Leo XIV - the first Anglophone pope since Adrian IV, and that was so long ago that the English he spoke was Middle English (in fact, Nicholas Breakspear grew up in an England where Old English could still be heard). Remarkable to think that, God willing, the United States will celebrate its 250th birthday with an American pope in Rome and an American Caesar in Washington.
A nation’s rebirth after Nazism

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

On a train journey earlier this year between Cologne and Berlin, I began to read Harald Jähner’s Aftermath, a fascinating account of the years when Germany emerged from the destruction and shame of the Third Reich. The war ended 80 years ago today, and in the defeated nation the scenes were primeval and apocalyptic.