geoffrey monmouth
Blog
A historic election – World leaders respond
An election like no other Here's how I imagine some world leaders might react to the current US election, if they were being honest. If. (I have omitted their surnames to preserve their anonymity, a thing they all crave.) "It reminds me of my historic victory in...
How inclusive is Black History Month?
Inclusive? Of course it is! Inclusive education is the whole point of Black History Month, surely? The aim was always to redress the balance, because many people thought history was all about white people. As I said before, history often seemed to be very narrow, and...
Build Back Better – will we do it?
Build Back Better is the new slogan of this government Build Back Better sounds good. I hope we all can agree with it. The Prime Minister's speech offering us a better future sounded good too. The trouble is that gave such little detail that we don't know where we're...
Should schools teach Black History?
Black History Month is October Black History Month takes on a special significance this year, as we have heard so much about race in the UK and the USA. I hope a historical perspective will help us all. As I have said in previous posts, I want us to face the truth,...
I need a title for my new novel
A title for what? I need a title for a book I have been writing for some time. It is set against the background of the English Civil War. It seemed so relevant when I began it last year, when the big issue was Brexit. The divisions in society in 2019 reminded me of...
What do you think of troublemakers?
Troublemakers have always been around Troublemakers sometimes start civil wars. For some time, I have been writing a book set in the so-called English Civil War. I wrote about it in a previous post. When I started it, our divisions over Brexit were in danger of...
Did I hibernate over the Summer?
You can hibernate only in Winter! By 'hibernate' I meant 'aestivate' but most people wouldn't get it. What I mean is that since I published my collection of short stories, Geoffrey's Historical Shorts, you haven't heard much from me. I've published no new books,...
Can we not celebrate a victory?
What victory might we not want to celebrate? Not everyone wants to celebrate Victory in Japan, or VJ, Day. Many people have always thought less of the War in the East than of the War in Europe against the Nazis. This is partly because it was far away and because it...
Do you need a catalyst before you change?
What's a catalyst? A catalyst is a chemical which enables or accelerates a reaction although it itself does not change. The word can mean people or things that encourage change in any aspect of life. Covid-19 has caused many changes already and there may well be more....
Statues and status need perspective and proportion.
Why argue about statues and status? The statues and status of certain historical figures have angered Black Lives Matter (BLM) supporters in the US and the UK. However, President Trump and others have again defended them passionately. I have argued recently that BLM...
Who is trying to rewrite American history?
Who says anyone is trying to rewrite American history? American history means a lot to Donald Trump, who says that supporters of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement who pull down statues or deface memorials are trying to suppress the history of the country. They are...
Have you seen my shorts?
What shorts? Shorts can mean short stories. I haven't published a book for some time, but I've written lots of things. I have now collected several of these and am in the process of publishing them. Many of these stories are extracts from novels, some I have ...