Manufacturing output, in 1997, was well above the level in 1979. It only levelled off, after 2000. But, yes, far fewer people were employed in coal mining, and that is a good thing. (View Post)

I think you're seeing the pre-1979 period through rose-tinted spectacles (oddly, the same charge that gets levelled at Reform supporters). (View Post)

Many “anti-imperialists” turn out to be very much in favour of imperialism, when carried out by those they approve of. Post-colonial discourse tends to prioritise between imperialists. (View Post)

The Russian elite internalised the values of their Mongol conquerors (the House of Rurik proudly claimed descent from Genghis Khan.). Under the Tsars, the Reds, and now Putin, its leaders see it as a… (View Post)

There’s enough schoolboy interest in geography and history to keep the hobby going. (View Post)