Daniel Jones
@narson.bsky.social
Historian and archivist. Working on far right and antifascism post1945, research/archive ethics and pedagogy. Work and teach at an English university. Liberal, nerdy and often under attack from his cat.
Pinned
Daniel Jones
@narson.bsky.social
· Nov 10
Given the seeming explosion in history sky (skystorians? Whatever we call it!), I thought I'd copy everyone else and do an introduction. Hi! I'm Dan, and I'm a historian of antifascism and the far right post-1945. I primarily work on the UK, but also other anglophone countries so far. (1/8)
Also looks like they took out the colonnade - which was originally built under Thomas Jefferson (along with its counterpart on the west side).
Breaking news: The East Wing of the White House is gone.
Wrecking crews completely removed the decades-old annex by midday Thursday, just three days after they started, to make way for a pet project of President Trump: a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
Wrecking crews completely removed the decades-old annex by midday Thursday, just three days after they started, to make way for a pet project of President Trump: a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
The East Wing is gone, and Trump turns to damage control
Demolition crews appeared to finish taking down the bulk of the White House wing Thursday, while President Donald Trump defended the project.
wapo.st
October 23, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Also looks like they took out the colonnade - which was originally built under Thomas Jefferson (along with its counterpart on the west side).
Utterly amazed that the BBC Radio 4's You and Yours had an economist on who started raving about some conspiracy that world banks are planning for zero or negative growth, in service to a globalist agenda. Barmy, and most likely antisemitic.
October 22, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Utterly amazed that the BBC Radio 4's You and Yours had an economist on who started raving about some conspiracy that world banks are planning for zero or negative growth, in service to a globalist agenda. Barmy, and most likely antisemitic.
Watching Polanski back peddle on PR…yeesh. Disappointing, but not surprising.
October 8, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Watching Polanski back peddle on PR…yeesh. Disappointing, but not surprising.
BBC now running stories entirely predicated on talks with Zia Yousef, whose position now is....running an internal policy group within Reform?
Trying to think of the last time the head of the Lib Dem Federal Policy Committee or internal figures from other parties were used as the basis for a story.
Trying to think of the last time the head of the Lib Dem Federal Policy Committee or internal figures from other parties were used as the basis for a story.
October 1, 2025 at 12:14 PM
BBC now running stories entirely predicated on talks with Zia Yousef, whose position now is....running an internal policy group within Reform?
Trying to think of the last time the head of the Lib Dem Federal Policy Committee or internal figures from other parties were used as the basis for a story.
Trying to think of the last time the head of the Lib Dem Federal Policy Committee or internal figures from other parties were used as the basis for a story.
Maintenance grants should never have been eliminated. Bringing them back is good. But not by taking from other parts of the sector, not by assuming government knows best for what adults should study, and not while allowing the sector to shrink in a way that most harms those eligible for grants.
September 29, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Maintenance grants should never have been eliminated. Bringing them back is good. But not by taking from other parts of the sector, not by assuming government knows best for what adults should study, and not while allowing the sector to shrink in a way that most harms those eligible for grants.
Delighted to get my author copy of this - including my chapter with @siobhanhyland.bsky.social on some of our wellbeing approaches from the @searchlightarchive.bsky.social. A fantastic first book from the annual conferences of @uninorthampton.bsky.social’s Centre for Historical studies.
September 25, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Delighted to get my author copy of this - including my chapter with @siobhanhyland.bsky.social on some of our wellbeing approaches from the @searchlightarchive.bsky.social. A fantastic first book from the annual conferences of @uninorthampton.bsky.social’s Centre for Historical studies.
Reposted by Daniel Jones
The Express asked us about awarding the Patsy Carlton Prize to Cllr Chris Northwood. We responded:
"This prize acknowledged an exceptional woman in Cllr Chris Northwood. The message it sends to women members and voters is that the Liberal Democrats honour and value all of our women members."
"This prize acknowledged an exceptional woman in Cllr Chris Northwood. The message it sends to women members and voters is that the Liberal Democrats honour and value all of our women members."
September 24, 2025 at 1:11 PM
The Express asked us about awarding the Patsy Carlton Prize to Cllr Chris Northwood. We responded:
"This prize acknowledged an exceptional woman in Cllr Chris Northwood. The message it sends to women members and voters is that the Liberal Democrats honour and value all of our women members."
"This prize acknowledged an exceptional woman in Cllr Chris Northwood. The message it sends to women members and voters is that the Liberal Democrats honour and value all of our women members."
There seems to be a decent amount of 'Reform could win the next election' fever going around. I have to say, I think that is deeply unlikely. But, we could see a hollowing out of the state below Parliament as they do well in local elections. And we should talk about that more.
September 24, 2025 at 9:09 AM
There seems to be a decent amount of 'Reform could win the next election' fever going around. I have to say, I think that is deeply unlikely. But, we could see a hollowing out of the state below Parliament as they do well in local elections. And we should talk about that more.
About to do my first tv interview about non archive stuff. Argh
September 18, 2025 at 2:02 PM
About to do my first tv interview about non archive stuff. Argh
Historians of political ideas or movements seem to often be politically active themselves (perhaps not a surprise!). But often also seem to be the most despondent about their party. I wonder if historians see flaws more readily, whether we dream of purity, or if we are just a moody bunch of gits.
September 9, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Historians of political ideas or movements seem to often be politically active themselves (perhaps not a surprise!). But often also seem to be the most despondent about their party. I wonder if historians see flaws more readily, whether we dream of purity, or if we are just a moody bunch of gits.
Always good to have email confirmation that UCU’s Higher Education Committee are still no closer to briefly flirting with reality.
Huge sums wasted on a national pay ballot, and work on casualisation, precarious contracts, work loads and equality likely tossed to the side.
Huge sums wasted on a national pay ballot, and work on casualisation, precarious contracts, work loads and equality likely tossed to the side.
September 8, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Always good to have email confirmation that UCU’s Higher Education Committee are still no closer to briefly flirting with reality.
Huge sums wasted on a national pay ballot, and work on casualisation, precarious contracts, work loads and equality likely tossed to the side.
Huge sums wasted on a national pay ballot, and work on casualisation, precarious contracts, work loads and equality likely tossed to the side.
On a more serious note, it is good to see pro-trans stances generally winning out in the Green Party - though unfortunate to see one of their new deputies now minimising transphobia and providing support to anti-trans MPs. Shall hope it was a misstep rather than a hidden flaw.
September 2, 2025 at 5:10 PM
On a more serious note, it is good to see pro-trans stances generally winning out in the Green Party - though unfortunate to see one of their new deputies now minimising transphobia and providing support to anti-trans MPs. Shall hope it was a misstep rather than a hidden flaw.
So the Greens have gone for a leader who wants to push their party to be more radical and populist, who is a former Lib Dem. I mean. I wonder if anyone has tried that before, and if so I wonder how it went....
September 2, 2025 at 11:52 AM
So the Greens have gone for a leader who wants to push their party to be more radical and populist, who is a former Lib Dem. I mean. I wonder if anyone has tried that before, and if so I wonder how it went....
The campaign by those on the right to grant special clemency for what she admitted was a criminal act, often while campaigning for harsher treatment of others, is the only attempt at "two-tier justice". The adoption of these radical and far right talking points by the mainstream is deeply harmful.
August 22, 2025 at 9:05 AM
The campaign by those on the right to grant special clemency for what she admitted was a criminal act, often while campaigning for harsher treatment of others, is the only attempt at "two-tier justice". The adoption of these radical and far right talking points by the mainstream is deeply harmful.
A little story from the @searchlightarchive.bsky.social - with a huge thank you to Jen and the press team at @uninorthampton.bsky.social. A letter from Otto Frank to Maurice Ludmer, then editor of @searchlightmag.bsky.social. www.northampton.ac.uk/news/a-fathe...
A Father’s Fight for Justice: Unpublished letter from Otto Frank to the British press discovered in University of Northampton’s Searchlight Archive | UON
A discovery has been made deep within the archives at the University of Northampton which casts a new spotlight on a father’s fight for justice in...
www.northampton.ac.uk
August 21, 2025 at 6:22 PM
A little story from the @searchlightarchive.bsky.social - with a huge thank you to Jen and the press team at @uninorthampton.bsky.social. A letter from Otto Frank to Maurice Ludmer, then editor of @searchlightmag.bsky.social. www.northampton.ac.uk/news/a-fathe...
Thankfully, it isn't me.
August 19, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Thankfully, it isn't me.
That reminder that pay was one half of the negotiations - employers have offered work on precarious contracts, workload and equality issues. These are winnable fights. Pay, sector wide, in this climate? I doubt it. And trying for the latter costs us the chance at former.
August 19, 2025 at 4:31 PM
That reminder that pay was one half of the negotiations - employers have offered work on precarious contracts, workload and equality issues. These are winnable fights. Pay, sector wide, in this climate? I doubt it. And trying for the latter costs us the chance at former.
Reports that the governments solution to uni collapse will be a kind of clearing to find students new courses. That will be a nightmare - ignoring credit transfer etc, many universities are already struggling for teaching space. Taking out a whole uni worth of estate … just fund the sector properly.
August 14, 2025 at 6:31 AM
Reports that the governments solution to uni collapse will be a kind of clearing to find students new courses. That will be a nightmare - ignoring credit transfer etc, many universities are already struggling for teaching space. Taking out a whole uni worth of estate … just fund the sector properly.
The suggestion migration has made cities no go areas, the linking of migration to crime, the use of inflammatory combative language that risks violence, the conspiracy claims, the idea of the state apparatus prosecuting them for speaking ‘truth’, claims of being a true voice of ordinary people…
July 27, 2025 at 12:13 PM
The suggestion migration has made cities no go areas, the linking of migration to crime, the use of inflammatory combative language that risks violence, the conspiracy claims, the idea of the state apparatus prosecuting them for speaking ‘truth’, claims of being a true voice of ordinary people…
Judging from how bad this list of careers that AI will replace from Microsoft is, I wonder if they used their janky AI to make it. Historians number two on the list, really? Good luck with that given the paucity of digitised sources.
July 25, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Judging from how bad this list of careers that AI will replace from Microsoft is, I wonder if they used their janky AI to make it. Historians number two on the list, really? Good luck with that given the paucity of digitised sources.
With Farage spreading nonsense about the police bussing in anti racists, you are left with wondering if it might be that he either doesn’t care if he stokes tensions that lead to violence (like last summer), or if it could perhaps be a deliberate choice. I’m not sure I can believe he is just - fool.
July 23, 2025 at 5:35 PM
With Farage spreading nonsense about the police bussing in anti racists, you are left with wondering if it might be that he either doesn’t care if he stokes tensions that lead to violence (like last summer), or if it could perhaps be a deliberate choice. I’m not sure I can believe he is just - fool.
Was very sad to miss the UON Centre for Historical studies conference on marginalisation - sadly I was having rather painful liver issues and was bed bound. And I once again missed @liamliburd.bsky.social! Hope everyone had a great time, and will make it up to all.
July 8, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Was very sad to miss the UON Centre for Historical studies conference on marginalisation - sadly I was having rather painful liver issues and was bed bound. And I once again missed @liamliburd.bsky.social! Hope everyone had a great time, and will make it up to all.
Reposted by Daniel Jones
Out this morning & Open Access! 📢 My new article in Public Archaeology on the entanglement of archaeology, the far right and ancient genetic studies, using the British National Party as a case study: ‘In Our Blood’: Archaeology and ‘Indigeneity’ in the British National Party’s Magazine Identity'
‘In Our Blood’: Archaeology and ‘Indigeneity’ in the British National Party’s Magazine Identity
This paper presents the first diachronic analysis of the appropriation of archaeological themes in British far-right politics, focusing on the British National Party’s publication Identity from 200...
www.tandfonline.com
May 28, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Out this morning & Open Access! 📢 My new article in Public Archaeology on the entanglement of archaeology, the far right and ancient genetic studies, using the British National Party as a case study: ‘In Our Blood’: Archaeology and ‘Indigeneity’ in the British National Party’s Magazine Identity'
A conference Monday and Tuesday and then I’m on leave! Not sure I’ve needed it more than I do this year.
July 4, 2025 at 11:39 PM
A conference Monday and Tuesday and then I’m on leave! Not sure I’ve needed it more than I do this year.
All credit to the BBC for making sure their online story on benefit cuts highlighted that PIP is given to those in work as well as those out of work. For many it supports the choice to stay in work while handling complex conditions, making work pay. The very people the Gov says it wants to help.
June 20, 2025 at 7:57 AM
All credit to the BBC for making sure their online story on benefit cuts highlighted that PIP is given to those in work as well as those out of work. For many it supports the choice to stay in work while handling complex conditions, making work pay. The very people the Gov says it wants to help.