Tag Archives: tom devine

Opinion: Gove’s history – Whiggish, patriotic and wrong, part 2

By Anonymous Lib Dem | Fri 7th October 2011 - 10:25 am

Britain’s history curriculum is about to return to the past. Michael Gove’s plan to change the way this important subject is taught in our schools “smells of Whiggery; of history as chauvinism”, according to Professor Tom Devine. In the second of a series of two articles (part one here), I look at the dangers of Gove’s desire to make history a patriotic subject.

History should be beyond ideology. History should be about the truth. It should be about looking at past societies, not judging them, and not attempting to own them. A patriotic view of history is equally as dangerous as …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , , and | 12 Comments

Opinion: Gove’s history – Whiggish, patriotic and wrong, part 1

By Anonymous Lib Dem | Thu 6th October 2011 - 10:25 am

Britain’s history curriculum is about to return to the past. Michael Gove’s plan to change the way this important subject is taught in our schools “smells of Whiggery; of history as chauvinism”, according to Professor Tom Devine. In the first of a series of two articles, I will look at the Whiggish side to Gove’s vision of history.

The Liberal Democrats are the political grandchildren of the Whigs, but we don’t need to share their interpretation of history. At the heart of Whig history is a sort of teleological view of the past, imagining that the ‘story’ of Britain is about …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , and | 12 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • David Raw
    @ Tom Bailey Given that Ms Ursula von der Leyen is a Lutheran not a Catholic you seem to have a vivid imagination....
  • Jenny Barnes
    Matt " I believe the only way forward on this as it is on on social issues, is rational, persuasive, constant debate and dialogue – of course, based on respec...
  • Tom Bailey
    Daniel Walker, I'm fully aware of how the EU elective system works, and the point is that European voters are not allowed any direct access to that process. [ p...
  • Gill Travers
    Charlotte Cane “Will the Minister consider changing the law so that the Equality Act lives up to its name?” is a valid contribution. Things have moved on si...
  • Alison Howarth
    @ Kira Collins So you think that a trans man should be treated as the biological woman they are and given pregnancy and maternity protections? That sounds very ...