Thoughts for the day...

I recently picked up Timothy Snyder's recent book "On Tyranny". The subtitle tells its purpose " Twenty lessons from the twentieth century". The front piece states, "Today, we are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to totalitarianism in the 20th century. But when the political order seems imperilled, our advantage is that we can learn from their experience to resist the advance of tyranny."

It is clearly aimed at an American audience (concerned at the rise of Trump and the ultra-radical Right who now hold power in the Republican Party). But its arguments are relevant to us in Europe, and in Brexit-Britain. I'll be commenting on specific chapters in the coming days, and giving my view of the applicability both sides of the Atlantic.

It's easy to read, but very thought provoking. More than ever we need to look at the warnings and lessons from the past - as we seek to avoid from suffering the repeats of history.