Vernon Bogdanor Journalist Profile

Articles

'Making the Weather': The six movers and shakers in British politics - review

Jan 18, 2025 | jpost.com | Colin Shindler |Vernon Bogdanor

The author, Vernon Bogdanor, a respected professor of government, argues that the influence of these six was based on being good communicators and “important teachers.” During the 1930s, Winston Churchill cast out from the political establishment as an eccentric warmonger, earned his living through his writing.
Command and control from London runs England, but that must stop: give the people money and power | Vernon Bogdanor

Dec 18, 2024 | theguardian.com | Vernon Bogdanor

The biggest shake-up in local government for 50 years – that is how Labour’s white paper, Power and partnership: Foundations for growth, has been described. It proposes a constitutional settlement extending devolution to the whole of England. The case for devolution is the stimulus it offers to local patriotism and pride in the development of public services. In a decentralised system, each authority will strive to ensure that its performance is better than that of its competitors.
If universities won't stand up to anti-Semitism, they must lose government funding

Dec 4, 2024 | telegraph.co.uk | Vernon Bogdanor

A pro-Palestine camp at Oxford university Credit: Isabel Infantes/Reuters “Whore” “mother f---ing genocidal maniac” An altercation between rival gang leaders in a run down part of an inner city? No, these quotes come from the Oxford Union last week, an organisation advertising itself as “one of our last bastions of civilised debate”. The first oath was directed at Hassan Yousef, a speaker opposing the tendentious motion – Israel is an Apartheid State responsible for Genocide – which was...
Happy 150th birthday, Winston Churchill

Nov 30, 2024 | telegraph.co.uk | Vernon Bogdanor

150 years ago, Britain’s greatest statesman, Winston Churchill, was born. 1874 was the heyday of Victorian liberal imperialism, and a liberal imperialist was what Churchill always remained. Imperialism then was regarded as beneficent. Today some see it as the incarnation of evil. The truth of course lies somewhere between, but we still lack sufficient historical perspective to achieve balance.
Is this the end of France’s Fifth Republic?

Oct 7, 2024 | prospectmagazine.co.uk | Vernon Bogdanor

The French Revolution established the principle of the sovereignty of the people. But France has never found a clear means of putting that principle into effect. Since 1789, it has had no fewer than 14 constitutions, including five republics. How, General de Gaulle asked, can anyone govern a country that has 246 varieties of cheese? TheThird and Fourth Republics—1875-1940 and 1946-1958 respectively—sought the answer in a powerful legislature representing the people: a régime d’assemblée.
Starmer has forgotten the hard lessons of New Labour

Sep 12, 2024 | telegraph.co.uk | Vernon Bogdanor

Keir Starmer hasn’t learnt the hard lessons of New Labour Credit: Stefan Rousseau /PA “He has a fantastic belief in the power of the government and individual ministers to supervise and decide things for the public good.”A Right-wing commentator on Keir Starmer?
We are living in the Britain Keith Joseph created

Sep 5, 2024 | capx.co | Vernon Bogdanor

Margaret Thatcher was a politician driven by instinct – Keith Joseph gave her ideas There is now broad agreement that conquering inflation should be our major economic priority Tony Blair and Gordon Brown owe their success to the environment created by Keith JosephFew politicians have been mocked as much as Keith Joseph, who found himself labelled the Mad Monk; and Labour’s Denis Healey once characterised Joseph as a combination of Rasputin, Hamlet and Tommy Cooper.
If Jewish students wanted to sue Oxford, they’d have a strong case

Aug 14, 2024 | thejc.com | Vernon Bogdanor

“There are too many Jews in the university.” “Jews run all the banks in the world.” This university is “not a nice place for – Jews and there is nothing we can do about it”. A German university in the 1920s when the Nazi movement was gaining traction? No, Oxford after October 7.
Whisper it, but the election shows that Britain is fast turning French

Jul 7, 2024 | telegraph.co.uk | Vernon Bogdanor

Britain, the Brexiteers claimed in 2016, is fundamentally different from the Continent – above all in its political culture, but also economically and constitutionally. At first sight, the 2024 election would seem to confirm that judgment. France appears likely to elect Marine Le Pen’s radical-Right National Rally as the leading party in the National Assembly, and similar parties are making headway in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
Reform is no gimmick - the party is here to stay

Jul 6, 2024 | inews.co.uk | Vernon Bogdanor

The year 2024 has been England’s first six party election. Four parties from the Left – Labour, Liberal Democrats, Greens and George Galloway’s Workers Party which contested around one sixth of the constituencies – have been fighting two parties from the Right – Conservatives and Reform. In Scotland and Wales the nationalists have made it a seven party election.