The publication of the Private Eye Annual 2025 edited by Ian Hislop (£12.99) is not only a source of fun (and a good Xmas present) but also the first take on history, that of the satirist. It is all-too-easy in the sober practice of history to forget the role of satire, but that is a key aspect of how people engage with events. It is also a way to introduce reflections that cut to the quick, reflections on social matters, cultural trends, and the immediacy of politics. Thus, for the rapid-turn in attitudes following the election of Donald Trump, we have ‘Donald Trump An Apology’: ‘In common with all other media organisations, we may in the past have given the impression that we thought…. We now realise…. That he is in fact a political colossus…’
Heavy-handed, but accurate. So also with the proceedings of Keir Starmer’s WhatsApp group, which serves as a way to consider ministerial rivalries, the presentation of the Ukraine War in terms of ‘A Tank Driver writes’, a series of mordant comments on the environmental crisis, Gaza developments, the Police Log of Neasden Central Police Station which reflects brilliantly on the nature of police priorities, and so on. This is pointed and funny.