London Socialist Historians Group
3rd November
Contact Dr Keith Flett 07803 167266
Historians say Today programme attack on National Trust colonial history project reflects poor Editorial judgement.
The London Socialist Historians Group, which organises the socialist history seminar at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London has said that an attack on Radio 4’s Today programme on the National Trust’s colonial history project, reflected poor Editorial judgement by the programme.
Two people were interviewed and both attacked the project without any attempt at a balanced discussion.
Neil Bennett who is the organiser of a hard right group of National Trust members, Restore, claimed that a 2020 report showing that 93 Trust properties was ‘bad history’ while Simon Jenkins opined that those involved in drawing up the report were ‘dire’. Neither man was able to point to any historical errors.
One of those closely involved with the on-going work to document the impact of Britain’s colonial history on the properties the National Trust oversees, Prof. Corinne Fowler has called out the continuing attacks as part of a culture war which has nothing to do with genuine historical research and scholarship.
LSHG Convenor Dr Keith Flett said, we fully support the important research of Prof Fowler and her colleagues. Boris Johnson has said that he wants the whole of British history to be told. The impact of centuries of British colonialism is part of that history. Those who want to airbrush it from the record deserve to be robustly challenged, not allowed to opine without contest as they did on the Today programme.
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