Right-wing historian Niall Ferguson argues that the Strait of Hormuz may end up worse for the US than Suez did for Britain
In October 1956 Britain along with France and Israel launched a military operation to gain control of the Suez Canal from Egypt which had nationalised it. The US did not back the mission and it ended in short order primarily because it was destabilising the British economy. It marked the end of Britain as an imperial power, and it might be argued that the ruling class has looking for a replacement role ever since.
Niall Ferguson is a veteran right-wing historian. That is not meant to denigrate his historical research much of which is interesting even if the conclusions can be debated. In recent times Ferguson has, perhaps, cast doubt on his professional judgement by becoming a Trump fan.
No more. In a lengthy piece in The Times (11th April) he suggests that Trump’s war with Iran may turn out even worse than Suez did, Trump knows nothing of history but JD Vance is aware of Suez, arguing that the US should have joined in. Now he is trying to find a way of extricating the US from the Strait of Hormuz debacle.
Ferguson who has clearly had his time with Trump suggests that the likely impact of the war on the US economy and a failure to achieve whatever the aim of the Iran War were supposed to be will also lead the US to find itself in a post imperial rolr.
He concludes ‘the core lesson of Suez is that time is not on the side of an overstretched hegemon because the economic costs of war pile up faster than the strategic benefits can be reaped’
On Thursday the Green candidate Rob Yates comfortably shaved the Reform candidate to be elected a Councillor for Cliftonville on Kent County Council. The sitting Reform Councillor had been jailed for 12 months and subsequently disbarred hence the by-election.
The Green vote soared compared to 2025 and one part of that is likely to have been that the successful candidate Rob Yates is the Mr Margate moustache wearer of the year in an annual contest held in March 2026.
Candidates are now declared for elections in England, Scotland and Wales in 2027.
A significant issue for the left is trying to at least take the edge off the Reform vote.
Another however is where the left vote itself will go, with Labour facing significant issues not least on war.
The FT has published a relatively sober analysis of the Green’s performance in local elections (map above). Historically where the Greens have run Councils the experience has been mixed (see Brighton). However that was then and the Greens now have over 200,000 members. If you look at the candidates standing in May many look like those who might once have stood for Labour.
The FT article seeks to draw a distinction (no doubt with some satisfaction) between what it sees as quite cautious Green Councils in practice and the radicalism of Zack Polanski’s leadership. It would indeed be interesting to see a radical Green Council in the way that some Labour Councils in the past have been in various ways. This may however be more theory than practice.
Of course as Reform Councillors have found out local Councils thanks to the austerity years are cash strapped and have legal responsibilities that they must carry out. There is little evidence that Reform Councillors have much of a clue what they are up to.
As the FT article perhaps grudgingly concedes that is not so much the case with most Green Councillors, often rooted in community campaigning. It does mean however that they can end up appearing not so different to the alternative Council leaderships they have replaced. In doing so they disappoint those who have supported them looking for a genuine change.
Of course building out and involving local communities, campaigns and trade unions can help to find a way out of this and the independent socialist candidates standing in a number of areas should be able to point the way here. Elections are important but there is a wider world of conflict and struggle out there.
On 10th April 1848 the Chartists held a rally for the vote on Kennington Common. They had mostly marched from north of the river. The plan was to take a huge petition for the vote to Parliament. However once the Chartists had passed south the police and soldiers blocked them.
A leader of left Chartism, George Julian Harney who worked with Marx and Engels, made his position on this clear at a Chartist delegate meeting on 11th April.:
‘He would never again consent to leave London to hold a meeting
Northern Star 15th April 1848
The Chartists did have options north of the Thames including Copenhagen Fields and Bishop Bonners Fields (Victoria Park). However Kennington Common has remained the starting point for large protests in the modern era. The 1990 Poll Tax demonstration being a case in point.
That said while some demonstrations do head south of the Thames (the US Embassy having moved to Nine Elms) very few gather anywhere but in central London north of the Thames. The police perhaps recognising the importance of the river recently dictated that the Al Quds Day demonstration in March 2026 being restricted to a static protest on the south side of the Thames while a counter protest was allowed to gather on the north side…
Phil Ochs Love Me I’m A Liberal was recorded in 1966 and aimed at those who were once radical or claimed be yet ended up on the side of authority. The context was the US involvement in the Vietnam War. The words remain relevant 60 years on
I cried when they shot Medgar Evers(3); Tears ran down my spine. I cried when they shot Mr. Kennedy(4), As though I’d lost a father of mine. But Malcolm X(5) got what was coming, He got what he asked for this time. So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal. I go to civil rights rallies. And I put down the old D.A.R.(6) I love Harry(7) and Sidney(8) and Sammy(9), I hope every colored boy becomes a star. But don’t talk about revolution, That’s going a little bit too far. So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal. I cheered when Humphrey(10) was chosen; My faith in the system restored. And I’m glad the commies were thrown out, of the A.F.L. C.I.O.(11) board. I love Puerto Ricans and Negros, as long as they don’t move next door. So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal. This song was originally posted on protestsonglyrics.net The people of old Mississippi, Should all hang their heads in shame. Now I can’t understand how their minds work. What’s the matter don’t they watch Les Crain(12)? But if you ask me to bus my children, I hope the cops take down your name. So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal. Yes, I read New Republic(13) and Nation(14), I’ve learned to take every view. You know, I’ve memorized Lerner(15) and Golden(16), I feel like I’m almost a Jew. But when it comes to times like Korea(17), There’s no one more red, white and blue. So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal. This song was originally posted on protestsonglyrics.net I vote for the Democratic Party, They want the U.N. to be strong. I go to all the Pete Seeger(18) concerts; He sure gets me singing those songs. And I’ll send all the money you ask for, But don’t ask me to come on along. So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal. Once I was young and impulsive; I wore every conceivable pin. Even went to the socialist meetings; Learned all the old union hymns. But I’ve grown older and wiser, And that’s why I’m turning you in. So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal.
Notes: 1 – Included in the 1966 album, Phil Ochs in Concert. 2 – Phil Ochs (1940 – 1976) biography. 3 – The assination of Medgar Evers, in Wikipedia. 4 – The assination of President Kennedy , in Wikipedia. 5 – The assination of Malcolm X, in Wikipedia. 6 – D.A.R., the Daughters of the American Revolution, in Wikipedia. 7 – Harry Belafonte, in Wikipedia. 8 – Sidney Poitier, in Wikipedia. 9 – Sammy Davis Jr., in Wikipedia. 10 – Hubert Humphrey, in Wikipedia. 11 – American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations AFL-CIO and the expulsion of communists. 12 – Les Crane, (often incorrectly spelt at Crain instead of Craine). 13 – The New Republic magazine, in Wikipedia. 14 – The Nation magazine, in Wikipedia. 15 – Probably, Leo Lerner, in Wikipedia. If you have citations to suggest somebody else, please let us know. 16 – Probably Harry Golden. If you have citations to suggest somebody else, please let us know. 17 – The Korean War, in Wikipedia. 18 – Pete Seeger, in Wikipedia.
When I started drinking in the 1970s (and joined CAMRA in 1975) the London beer scene was not the most encouraging. There were only two London brewers of note Fullers and Youngs. The former were moving away from hand pulled beer to top pressure dispense. Youngs of Wandsworth remained the only cask ale brewer in the Capital.
Living in North London, then as now, this wasnt of great help as Youngs pubs were mainly in south-west London. There were however a few outposts notably the Spreadeagle in Camden Town and the Prince (now Princess) of Wales at Lea Bridge.
The beers, Youngs Ordinary and Special and the seasonal Winter Warmer, were good examples of the brewers art. At 5% Winter Warmer was one of the two strongest beers then available in London pubs (the other being Fullers ESB). I even had the questionable honour of meeting John Young on occasion. He used to appear at social events at the old Telecoms (now BT) London HQ on the Albert Embankment…..
Anyway Youngs is no longer a brewery but a pub company. Its beers are brewed (probably) by Carlsberg at Burton.
Youngs have announced the acquisition of Cubitt House an upmarket chain of nine pubs for £30m. The pubs are mostly in inner West London.
The Times comments ‘Cubitt House is considered more upscale than Youngs. (Its pubs) feature gastropub menus (while Youngs) ‘menus lean towards pub classics’ (i.e pies). Perhaps the Times should acquaint themselves with the Tom Kerridge pies in the M&S Gastropub range.. although the Times report is by Isabella Fish so perhaps the issue is how upmarket you want your fish and chips
The Trump Government & William Cobbett’s pre-1832 Old Corruption
Robert Reich who was Labour Secretary in the Obama Administration posted the below on Blue Sky on 9th April 2026
A reminder: The Attorney General of the United States should be the people’s lawyer, not the president’s personal attorney. The Department of Justice should act to protect the public, not the occupant of the Oval Office and his political allies.
As if to underline the point Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is one of the US representatives at talks with Iran on 11th April. Kushner, a businessman, is not elected to any post and is unaccountable. His various titles- currently Peace Envoy- are a result of the patronage of Trump
While the US has a written Constitution and the UK mostly does not have it’s a reminder of the British Government in the days before the 1832 Reform Act
‘Old Corruption’ was the term used by the radical journalist and politician William Cobbett and others to describe Parliaments and politics before the 1832 Reform Act. Here people held positions because of who they knew not because they were competent. Here also were numerous political sinecures. People benefiting from a political office in which they did little or no work.
It’s worth noting that before the 1832 Reform Act started what was a very long process to achieve full adult suffrage (completed in 1928) Britain came very close to revolution in 1831/2
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