Cushman Writes

On Monday, the 13th of October, I was sitting in Exam Schools listening to Professor George Garnett unravel the Anglo-Saxon state. His argument, built on extensive reading of the likes of Campbell, Wormald, and Molyneaux, was succinct: Anglo-Saxon society and its organisation were much greater in complexity than they are given credit for. Most British people are taught about the importance of 1066 at school. It is a focal point in particular for the British monarch, as King Charles III is the 26 th great-grandson of William the Conqueror. Our school curriculum is often Norman-centric for the ‘Middle Ages’, and for a long time, the importance of the Battle of Hastings has made it appear as a starting point for British history in general. However, this is not the case, particularly in terms of state organisation. Taking the arguments presented through the evidence of our professor, this post highlights the ways in which 1066 was perhaps not as significant for the state as you may th...

Back in January, I wrote about why studying history still matters; last month’s Labour Conference left me questioning whether our system still values that idea. I am a member of the Labour Party, which nowadays seems a fairly unpopular thing to publicly admit. I am not ashamed of it, and I am extremely privileged to have been given the opportunity by my constituency party to attend the Labour Party Conference last month. Among the bustling week of hearing speeches, having conversations, and most importantly voting, one of the key announcements I latched onto was the government's move from a target of 50% of young people attending university, now shifting to two-thirds in a ‘gold standard apprenticeship’ or at university. In this post, I outline how this announcement concerns me, given the current state of the UK higher education sector.   Higher Education Today The UK’s higher education sector has faced a series of financial challenges that have become headline news in th...