British history: the losers do some re-writing
History, as they say, is written by the winners. So, in the industrial revolution that would be the bosses. I have been up in Leeds in the last week to interview the writers and performers in a new play-come-panto about the Luddites: industrial revolutionaries from the working class side of the argument who have somehow got a bad name for themselves, with their moniker most often used to describe computer refuseniks etc. Anyway, the show is on in the north from 2 December and my piece in the Gua

To be British…
Everyone has their own idea of what it means to be British. For some it is the inalienable right to call someone a Paki and think that is okay because Brit is short for British, just as Paki is short for Pakistani. Only context says the truth is somewhat different. It has always been used as a soft or hard form of racism, usually directed as an insult at those of Indian, Bengali, Iranian, Turkish, Sri Lankan and yes even Pakistani heritage. Sometimes there is a four-letter

Britain’s new anthem
In We’re British, Innit I moot the idea of this Chas and Dave track as a possible new anthem for Britain. Was sad to hear of the loss of Dave’s wife and the subsequent split of the band, who I interviewed for the Guardian back in 2005. Enjoy.

The Home Internationals
With England qualifying for the World Cup Finals last night, but the other home nations failing, I thought it apt to revisit that old debate about the Home Internationals, which took place between England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland from 1894 to 1984. Northern Ireland are technically the current holders of the title of champions of Britain, as they won the contest the final summer it was played. Often overshadowed by larger competitions, such as the World Cup, the Home Internationals began a steep decline in 1977 when crowd trouble marred Scotland’s 2-1 victory over England at Wembley. Scots fans famously broke the crossbar of one goal and dug up parts of the