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SubscriptionsSection: Culture
History, music, cooking, travel, books, theatre, film – but also with an eye on the ‘culture wars’, nationalism and identity.
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Fiction in the Age of Fake News
After 40 years as a theatre director and author, Stephen Unwin sees the avant-garde as powerless against the Alt-Right and argues we need a new respect for reality.
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THE UPSIDE DOWN: The Lie of the Land – We Need to Talk about the Enclosures
John Mitchinson considers the economic and psychic dangers of land appropriation.
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‘The True Story of Ned Kelly’: Criminal or Freedom Fighter?
Chris Sullivan reviews an adaptation of the Booker Prize-winning novel that explores the boundary between banditry and rebellion.
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Postcards from the Red Wall: The Other Baker Street
83% in one suburb of Middlesborough voted to Leave the EU. But Graham Williamson sees self-sufficiency and a new spirit despite stereotypes of ‘Northern Towns’.
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Odeon of Death Film of the Month: 28 Kids Later
The Odeon of Death takes a look at the month’s events through the medium of cinema.
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‘Dark Waters’: Bringing A Corporation To Account
Chris Sullivan reviews a new film exploring corporate destruction and greed and the tenacity of lawyers and litigants to achieve accountability and justice.
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Fowl Play: How US Chicken Imports will Pollute Britain’s Poor
Since joining the EU British food has gone from bog-awful to top-notch, but Otto English reveals how a US Trade deal will unravel 40 years of progress.
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‘Downstream of Culture’: How Identity Politics Swept Labour Away
While the right has turned politics into a culture war, the left has yet to tackle the politics of culture, says Hardeep Matharu.
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From Sunderland to the Bullingdon Club: Englishness Unravelled
Unsatisfied with George Orwell’s description of patriotism, John Mitchinson digs deep into his own personal history to untangle the complex roots of his Englishness.
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THE UPSIDE DOWN: Reasons to be Cheerful
John Mitchinson sets out why the Greek philosopher Epicurus’ legacy has been claimed by hedonism but actually represents the opposite and is so relevant for our anxious times.
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‘Greed’ is Good: A Fast, Funny and Infuriating Take on the Emptiness of Acquisition
Chris Sullivan reviews a new comedy drama based on one of Britain’s most controversial modern businessmen.
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History and the Cult of Victory: The Kremlin’s Revisionist “Soft Power”
As Putin rewrites the past in order to control the future, Kseniya Kirillova reveals what it tells us about Russia’s strategic goals.
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What Carrie Did Next: Chapter One
The first chapter of the secret memoirs of the first lady of the United Kingdom (FLOTUK). As told to Otto English…
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Eugenics was Behind Some of the Policy Disasters of the 20th Century
Samir Jeraj considers the role British elites gave to eugenics as a deeply flawed method of providing the nation with a healthy stock of soldiers.
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‘Why Does Anyone Young Want to Elect Bernie Sanders for President?’
Bonnie Greer remembers her Baby Boomer past and wonders what happened to a healthy disrespect for your elders.
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THE UPSIDE DOWN: Mongrel Tongue – Is English Really So Special?
John Mitchinson on why we should celebrate the success of the flexibility of the English language which enables its richness.
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Eugenics and the Intellectuals
Stephen Unwin explores how some of the most civilised and intelligent thinkers have supported one of the most dark and barbaric philosophies in modern history.
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From Sajid Javid to Rishi Sunak: Boris Johnson’s New Version of the Old Colonial ‘Divide and Rule’ Game
Hardeep Matharu explores what the rise of Conservative ethnic minority politicians reveals about the party’s approach to race and diversity.
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The Day I Discovered My Ancestor was a Slave Owner
Stephen Colegrave uncovers a family secret and realises how easy it is to whitewash our slavery roots.
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Fear – the Most Infectious Contagion
With the Coronavirus the subject of headlines the world over, fears of a pandemic have again arisen. Along with media speculation, however, there is a far more insidious contagion.
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THE GREAT BRITISH BREAK-UP: Lessons and Warnings from Dublin and Belfast
Byline Times travelled to Northern Ireland and the Republic to uncover what Britain can learn about the dangers of a repressed English nationalism
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‘Cosh Boy’ Review: Gang Culture is the Stuff that Newspaper Sales are Made Of
Chris Sullivan explains how the tabloid panic about knife crime today is a repeat of the 1950s and wonders when we’ll actually do something about the real causes.
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THE UPSIDE DOWN: Why Are We So Quiet About Language Death?
John Mitchinson on why biodiversity helps explain why we are all impoverished by the loss of languages.
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The Long Goodbye: Britain and Europe –1975-2020
In Part Two of his look back at Britain’s journey with the EU, Otto English charts how Eurosceptic forces were unleashed after the 1975 Referendum and channelled in the 2010s by those looking to capitalise on the increasingly hard lives of many in the UK.
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THE IDEA OF EUROPE: A True Story of British Accession
In Part One of his romantic misadventures after the first Brexit Referendum, Peter Jukes and his best friend discover a mysterious dark Continent.
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The Slow Hello: Britain and Europe – 1946 -1975
In Part One of his look back at Britain’s journey with the EU, Otto English charts the UK’s pivotal role in its formation, initial British reluctance at the project and the 1975 referendum which seemed to provide hope for a happy future in the bloc.
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A Birthday Present that Shines a Light on a Better Future
Stephen Colegrave considers how a birthday present of a refurbished Anglepoise lamp presents a guide to how we can create a more sustainable world.
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GOLD DUST WOMAN: The Story of Sybilla von Anhalt
Mike Stuchbery on the story of a pioneering woman chemist in 16th Century Germany. Every weekend in Stuttgart, I wake early on a Sunday morning to head into the city centre and lead a walking tour. It’s something that I started doing after realising that so many parts of the Swabian capital have stories that…
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Hollywood’s Take on Poverty and the Financial Crisis Lacks Political Bite
Jon Bailes considers whether big screen hits such as The Big Short and The Laundromat actually leave viewers inspired to act for political change or informed but pessimistic.
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The Toll of Empty Nationalism – The Brexit Bell Ends
As Big Ben (doesn’t) count down to ‘Brexit Day’ on 31 January, Otto English considers how Britain fell into the grip of a petty nationalism, warned against by the world’s greatest physicist.
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‘1917’ Review: Tales my Grandfather Never Told Me
Chris Sullivan rates Sam Mendes’ new war film up with the classics and remembers his grandfather’s survival through the worst of World War One.
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Boris Johnson Will ‘Play the Nationalist Card’ to Stay in Power, Gordon Brown Warns
The former Prime Minister said in a speech that he agrees with George Orwell’s distinction between “patriotism” and “nationalism” and fears the Union of the UK could be over without fundamental constitutional reform.
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THE UPSIDE DOWN: Puppy Love
Why do dogs and humans have such a special affinity? They tamed each other.
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R.I.P. The Great White Man
Bonnie Greer on what Prince Harry and Laurence Fox’s different approaches to the world in which we live tell us about privilege, race and hierarchy – and the distinction between the White Man and the white man.
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Fox in the Coop: The Legacy of Roger Ailes
Ellin Stein reviews two dramatisations of the life and crimes of Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News supremo.
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The Fires of Bamberg are Still Burning
Mike Stuchbery returns with his telling short histories – this time of how climate change and panic led to an explosion of persecution, mainly of women.
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An Audio Tour of the Fantastic 2022 Festival of Brexit
Otto English has advance copies of the plans for the coming attractions – A Nostalgia Zone, Gallery of Brexit Heroes and much more…
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‘La Dolce Vita’ Review: A Stylish and Thought-Provoking Look at Celebrity Culture and Its Cost
Chris Sullivan reviews the 1960 classic which has left its mark on our culture in many ways, beyond simply its famous title.
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THE UPSIDE DOWN: Not So New New Year – The original Winterval
John Mitchinson traces the significance of New Year and where the customs associated with it originated.
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Odeon of Death Film of the Week: Starmer Wars
The Odeon of Death takes a look at the week’s events through the medium of cinema. This week Starmer Wars (2020)
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The Harder the Brexit, the More Likely a United Ireland
MEP and leader of Northern Ireland’s Alliance Party says the DUP were fools for trusting Boris Johnson who was always going to betray Unionism.
