In these ways, the history of Ireland for many decades after independence was in some ways an unhappy one. As we studied only one short module on the Agrarian and Industrial Revolution and the Peninsular Wars, even Wilberforce was relegated to a single sentence, shared with Shaftesbury and child labour reforms. It's an entertaining read and no doubt has opened my eyes to some moments in history the United Kingdom would like to forget. I have no doubt it will make perfect comedy television at a time when Britain's global reputation is under the microscope, and I hope it introduces more people to James' brilliant book, which we are very proud to publish on the Sphere list.

This book is headlined as “things you didn’t learn at school” and that’s the first problem with it, as much of the content I did. What obviously counts, rather, is the actual ability of a state to influence the world around it such that its interests are safeguarded, and if this is more effectively achieved by membership in a supranational union, then the purpose of sovereignty is clearly attained, even though the formal description of such a state would, to the clueless observer, suggest that its freedom is reduced. His books 52 Times Britain was a Bellend, Sunburn and You Don't Want to Know have between them sold over 125,000 copies. A very amusing - at times laugh out loud funny - account of the ‘history we’re not taught at school’. There are many other examples, of both positive and negative elements, which could be mentioned, but the cherry-picking issue regarding history has been sufficiently identified.

This simple history would be something like the diffusion to the world of the rule of law, liberal democracy, and international trade, as a perhaps unwarranted gift to all other nations. Initially both amusing and shocking, this slim volume received as a Christmas present was entertaining and absorbing.

These events can't exactly be excused, but giving the rationale behind the actions would be helpful, as Felton's prose makes it look as if Britain was being capricious at best, or malevolent for the sake of it, at worst.

This nationalism, in its very crudest versions, reduces history to the World War II years only, where England did indeed shine so well, but where by contrast, the continentals get all cast as either goose-stepping Nazis, or feeble cowards who surrendered because of a lack of grit. that being said, it’s a good jumping off point to do your own googling, and is a really accessible way of bringing light to serious issues which are rarely spoken about in britain and would probably recommend for that alone! James Felton tries to inject some humour along the way, but it still makes grim reading, and there were a few incidences where I was genuinely horrified. My viewpoint has been changing and I think this slim and irreverent volume may teach me a great deal about the reality. Personal highlights from the book, nearly going to war with America over a pig, getting an elephant regularly blind drunk on wine, cleaning chimneys with a goose and paying slave owners 40% of the nation's yearly budget in compensation for losing their slaves, taking out a loan to do so, one which we only finished paying off in 2015.