“Americans also seem to believe that the monarchy is a kind of mediaeval hangover, encumbered by premodern notions of decorum; the reality is that the British monarchy, for good or ill, is a modern political institution - perhaps the first modern political institution.” FirstsBelieveKindRealitySeemsPoliticalModernInstitutionsNotionIllBritishMonarchyHangoverDecorumPolitical InstitutionsConstitutional MonarchyBritish Monarchy Author:Adam Gopnik
“Contrary to received wisdom, the British are not an insular people in the conventional sense - far from it. For most of their early modern and modern history, they have had more contact with more parts of the world than almost any other nation - it is just that this contact has regularly taken the form of aggressive military and commercial enterprise.” PeopleWorldFormNationsTakenModernMilitaryBritishContraryContactEnterpriseAggressiveConventionalBritish HistoryModern History Book:Britons: Forging the Nation, 1707-1837 Source: Britons: Forging the Nation, 1707-1837
“Of all the memorable phrases that have been minted and mobilised to describe modern British royalty, 'constitutional monarchy' is virtually the only one which seemes to have neither been anticipated nor invented by Walter Bagehot. It was he who insisted that 'a princely marriage is the brilliant edition of a universal fact, and as such it rivets mankind'; and he who warned that the monarchy's 'mystery is its life. We must not let in daylight upon magic'.” Has BeensFactsMagicMysteryModernMankindUniversalBritishBrilliantPhrasesMemorableRoyaltyMonarchyDaylightBritish HistoryConstitutional Monarchy Author:David Cannadine
“In his fierce, bold determination to see the lives of modern-day slaves up close, Benjamin Skinner reminds me of the British abolitionist of two hundred years ago, Zachary Macaulay, who once traveled on a slave ship across the Atlantic, taking notes. Skinner goes everywhere, from border crossings to brothels to bargaining sessions with dealers in human beings, to bring us this vivid, searing account of the wide network of human trafficking and servitude which spans today's globe.” YearsHumansTwoTodayHuman BeingsModernHundredYears AgoDeterminationAccountsSlaveNotesBritishWideShipsBordersFierceGlobesTraveledVividSessionCrossingsDealerServitudeModern DayHuman TraffickingBargainingTraffickingAbolitionistBrothelsSkinnerSlave Ships Author:Adam Hochschild
“That's one of the good things about a lot of the young British bands, they are mixing all styles of music. I think that's very good because that's very now.” ThinkingYoungModernStyleBandGood ThingsVery GoodBritishMixing Author:Mick Jagger
“The British Government in India constitutes a struggle between modern civilization, which is the Kingdom of Satan, and the ancient civilization, which is the Kingdom of God.” GovernmentStruggleModernCivilizationIndiaAncientBritishKingdomsSatanKingdom Of GodModern CivilizationAncient CivilizationsBritish Government Book:Hind Swaraj Source: Hind Swaraj
“I'd like to do a little bit of everything. I think the only thing I can't do is a British accent, so that's out. No Shakespeare for me. Unless it's like one of those modern-day remakes.” ThinkingLittlesI CanBitsModernLittle BitBritishAccentsRemakesModern Day Author:Jenny Slate