Thoroughly bizarre to see this framed as a story about an “attempt to revive” what was WH Smith, when every single detail makes it crystal clear that it’s a bunch of vulture capitalists sucking vast amounts of cash out of the company until it collapses. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

I don’t suppose there’s any point in my playing this game anymore. I’ll never do this well again! www.maptap.gg May 13 100🎯 100🎯 100🎯 100🎯 100🎯 Final score: 1000

In the 1960s, the U.S. created a migration pipeline from Mexico. In the 1970s, Mexico came up with a plan to stop the flow. The U.S. rejected long-term economic partnership in favor of unilateral punishment: zps.la/4sTACxf

After all the hue & cry about dual nationals caught out by the requirement to enter the UK with a UK passport following the introduction of the electronic travel authorisation (ETA) requirement, note the same thing will happen in reverse with the launch of the EU’s ETIAS system later this year.

Privitizing the postal service continues to go well for the UK, I see. ( #SaveTheUSPS )

Nice to see my former @raioxford.bsky.social colleague Jay Sexton featured here.

Sad to see this news. Dan Howe was a longtime Rhodes Professor of American History at Oxford and regularly made return visits to @raioxford.bsky.social during my time there. newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/in-m...

Well, yes, who *actually* does the bulk of the teaching at a place like Harvard?

I’ve written a piece on the curious lack of media and political interest in the issues faced by our national @britishlibrary.bsky.social. This is strange given we live in a world where ideas, knowledge and research are a long-term source of innovation and insight www.cityam.com/the-british-...

FRUS in the news …

Mexico really did have the strongest WWII poster game

Mexico Versus Nazis is a theme that’s really resonating with me of late

This Mexican WWII poster is some of the hardest shit ever

Interesting about Harvard’s President visiting the UK, but the Crimson has done the weird (American?) thing of conflating the capital with the country: Though the reception with Rhodes Scholars and meetings with Oxford officials apparently took place in Oxford, it’s described as a “London trip”.

A lengthy piece in today’s FT on the Mexican political landscape on.ft.com/4okwcfV How long can Mexico’s president straddle populism and pragmatism?

People know that buying (or winning) a house in another country doesn’t actually entitle you to move and take up residence there, right? I fear many of the Americans who might think this sounds like a good idea don’t know anything about UK immigration law.

One of my occasional rants about the UK’s increasingly extortionate international postage rates: After a big hike in April — the point in the year when rate changes are usually made — Royal Mail will next month again raise the price to send a letter or postcard abroad, to £3.40. 1/X

One of my occasional rants about the UK’s increasingly extortionate international postage rates: After a big hike in April — the point in the year when rate changes are usually made — Royal Mail will next month again raise the price to send a letter or postcard abroad, to £3.40. 1/X

Those most inconvenienced by having to apply for a US visa in their country of nationality or residence will be those living in the US: Though the US is their country of residence, you can’t get a US visa *there*. Previously, renewals could be done in Canada or Mexico, subject to appt availability.

An afterthought, in paragraph 16: “The Department of Defense and the secretary of defense were named through acts of Congress, so it is unclear if Mr. Trump’s order will go into effect immediately.”

The FBI returned to Mexico a 500-year-old manuscript page signed by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. The manuscript was initially stored in Mexico’s national archives, but archivists microfilming the collection in 1993 found that 15 pages had gone missing. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

A West End/Broadway star on belonging in Britain & becoming a citizen: “[In the UK] They saw me for who I was. I didn’t have to change anything about myself; I didn’t have to be anybody else.” … Britain, she said, “was the first place I ever felt like I belonged somewhere, and they understood me.”

The framing here is (as so often) exasperating. The headline: “Trump threatens to strip Rosie O’Donnell of U.S. citizenship” Not until 9 paragraphs in: “Experts said the president does not have the power to take away the citizenship of a U.S.-born citizen.” www.nytimes.com/2025/07/12/u...

The comments on this are exactly what you would expect …

Interesting to see the US included here (and I like that Uruguay is down as ‘Uruguay’!) …

Ah, the old hometown …

The media is really hitting the key points in its coverage of the move to strip Harvard of its ability to enrol international students …

Hmm. I suppose knowledge of history might be a bit of ‘spoiler’ here …

Spotted in the city centre today: a reminder that Oxford is home to a significant East Timorese community … and that East Timor is one of handful of countries (along with El Salvador, Panama, and Ecuador to use the US dollar as its official currency.

The FT on a backlash against narcocorridos …

Interesting from the FT on Sheinbaum’s quiet shift in Mexico’s security strategy. on.ft.com/42ktM95 Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum woos Donald Trump with security shake-up

MAYBE it would be a good idea for our national library to actually buy hard copies of books to, you know, preserve them and make them accessible to researchers for decades to come

If you’re planning a visit to the UK within the 2 years and need the new “electronic travel authorisation” (ETA) for visa-exempt travellers, looks like the date for the ETA fee hike — from £10 to £16 — is now set to be 9th April (if I read these regs correctly), so apply now for big savings!

UK naturalisation and passport fees increasing, as well …

If you’re planning a visit to the UK within the 2 years and need the new “electronic travel authorisation” (ETA) for visa-exempt travellers, looks like the date for the ETA fee hike — from £10 to £16 — is now set to be 9th April (if I read these regs correctly), so apply now for big savings!

¡Feliz 18 de marzo to those who celebrate! 🇲🇽🗃️

I thought the “news alert” informing me that a new Canadian PM had been “sworn in” must have been drafted by an American unfamiliar with how executive power is transferred in Westminster-style parliamentary systems, but turns out that a prime ministerial oath of office is a thing in Canada!

Little known fact: The post in the Azores that is down on the list to be closed claims to be “the oldest continuously-operating U.S. Consulate in the world”, with a consular presence running all the way back to 1795.

Marysa was a formidable, and immensely positive, presence, at Harvard’s DRCLAS when I was there. I remember her very fondly and know she will be missed.

There are a million differences and I don't actually think this is particularly meaningful, but I will note that at the beginning of the Cold War the Soviet Union's global propaganda apparatus defended the idea that the USSR was the head of the "peace" camp and the West was full of warmongers

Books designed to be read only by human eyes are different from books designed to be read by machines, which is why Google will tell you that the phrase “shake my booty” can be found in an 1863 English translation of Don Quixote.

ICYMI: These books on Mexico from our backlist are now available as paperbacks! Now is a great time to snag a copy of these titles or request them from your fave indie bookstore 🧡 #ReadUP #newbooks

On 18th February, Prof Kimberley Johnson (NYU) will be delivering the Winant Lecture, "The End of Black Politics", at Oxford's Rothermere American Institute. Details/How to attend:

In much of the country, Royal Mail isn’t consistently managing to deliver the post every day as it is. Would be nice if the regulator, instead of letting them off the hook, held them to their obligations.

Feels relevant to note that my former colleague @nadiahilliard.bsky.social wrote a whole book on the role of independent Inspectors General in the federal government (and has some thoughts on recent developments).

Belize becomes the latest Commonwealth realm to drop the British monarch (the current one of which is also, for the moment, at least, “King of Belize”) from its banknotes. New designs (see link below to the Central Bank’s website) feature independence heroes Philip Goldson and George Price.

Nice to see my work on Mexico and World War II highlighted here!

Anyone (with a nationality not requiring a visa to visit the UK) who might be planning a trip to Britain in the next 2 years might want to apply now for their newly required Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), before the fee is hiked (from £10 to £16).