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Mat Coward
The Porteous Mob, by James Drummond
Rebel Britannia / 26 April 2025
26 April 2025

Edinburgh can take great pride in an episode of its history where a murderous captain of the city guard was brought to justice by a righteous crowd — and nobody snitched to Westminster in the aftermath, writes MAT COWARD

 

Tree spinach
Features / 12 April 2025
12 April 2025
Well, MAT COWARD did, and here’s his introduction to it
INNOVATOR: Postgate, pictured in 1970
Features / 6 April 2025
6 April 2025
MAT COWARD introduces the creator of the Good Food Guide, communist and crime fiction writer – Raymond Postgate
Crime fiction / 1 April 2025
1 April 2025
High quality pulp, rollicking online murders, Abnorman Britain, and high skates drama: reviews of The Get Off, Everyone In The Group Chat Dies, Pagans and First To Fall
Crime fiction / 11 March 2025
11 March 2025
A no-nonsense ex-Garda female cop, Scandi-noir’s newest flawed hero, the lure of Aussie gold, and unexpected decency in Silicon valley
A crowd of people at Heathrow Airport, who had waited to see
Features / 10 March 2025
10 March 2025
MAT COWARD recalls the occasion when the first man in space paid a visit to our shores in 1961
Gardening / 8 March 2025
8 March 2025
It’s a dead easy crop to grow and can be made into one of Britain’s best sauces. MAT COWARD explains how
The ice-based building material ‘pykrete’ narrowly misse
Features / 25 February 2025
25 February 2025
MAT COWARD looks at the personal ideology of a man as concerned with the psychology of inventing as with inventing itself, whose ideas about education – and contributions to the war effort against the Nazis – live on
Gardening / 8 February 2025
8 February 2025
MAT COWARD battles wayward pigeons in pursuit of a crop of purple sprouting broccoli
TALK OF THE TOWN: (L to R) John Wilkes caricatured by Willia
Features / 25 January 2025
25 January 2025
Despite his wealthy background and membership of a secretive aristocratic occult club, the radical politician forged an alliance with the working class to fight for democracy and free speech against the Georgian elite, writes MAT COWARD
Labour MP Philip Noel-Baker had a Nobel Prize and an Olympic
Features / 30 December 2024
30 December 2024
MAT COWARD offers a roll call of refuseniks – some for political reasons, others for quirky reasons of their own
Actors rehearsing for a performance of Another Christmas Car
Features / 28 December 2024
28 December 2024
Charles Dickens was facing a return to the destitution that had blighted his childhood, and it was this which drove him to write the remarkable best-seller which changed the politics of Christmas forever, writes MAT COWARD
A massive gathers in Hyde Park for a meeting during the the
Features / 10 December 2024
10 December 2024
From swimming pool soviets to piano factory occupations, early 20th-century radical organiser Lillian Thring chose street battles and mass action over the electoral path, writes MAT COWARD
YUMMY: (L to R) Beefsteak tomato; blue cheese, basil, tomato
Gardening / 6 December 2024
6 December 2024
MAT COWARD offers invaluable advice on which type to grow according to flavour preferences, size of you pocket, timing and plant reliability
A PEOPLE’S ARMY: A broomstick parade on a London roof by a
Features / 3 December 2024
3 December 2024
A crucial part of the war effort, the Home Guard, was launched partly due to the influence of Tom Wintringham, a revolutionary communist with a passion for DIY grenades and guerilla warfare, writes MAT COWARD
CHANGING FORTUNES: (L to R) An engraving of Joseph Rayner St
Features / 20 November 2024
20 November 2024
MAT COWARD explores how the ‘Tory-Radical’ Christian minister became a fiery opponent of the Poor Law, advocating armed resistance against its brutal cruelty against the emerging working class
Crime fiction / 19 November 2024
19 November 2024
Daring Scottish gothic, a murderer in their midst, the best spy story of the year and a classic list of clues
ICON OF STRUGGLE: Charlotte Despard speaks to a crowd in Tra
Features / 14 November 2024
14 November 2024
Taking up social work after being widowed transformed a Victorian liberal into a lifelong fighter for causes as wide-ranging as Sinn Fein and Indian independence to the right of women to drink in pubs, writes MAT COWARD
Garlic chives on a plate
Gardening / 9 November 2024
9 November 2024
MAT COWARD declares this plant to be one that ‘everyone should grow’
Features / 30 October 2024
30 October 2024
From aristocratic upbringing to undercover communist courier and finally respected labour historian, MAT COWARD chronicles how personal tragedy and socialist conviction shaped an extraordinary activist’s journey
Books / 28 October 2024
28 October 2024
From the conundrums of a parallel London to a rewilding project in rural Ireland via a disturbing post-plagues world mystery thrives
SKULDUGGERY: LCS speakers address the crowds at the now-demo
Features / 9 October 2024
9 October 2024
MAT COWARD takes us back 230 years to the inglorious era of George III and a treasonous plan by the London Corresponding Society, in which all was not as it seemed…
Major John Cartwright
Features / 2 October 2024
2 October 2024
MAT COWARD traces how ill health and voracious reading transformed a military man into the Father of Reform, championing American independence, universal suffrage and secret ballots against Establishment resistance
MILITARIST ANTHEM: 
I Vow to Thee, My Country is performed a
Features / 28 September 2024
28 September 2024
MAT COWARD unearths Gustav Holst’s radical roots, from meetings at William Morris’s house to pamphlet-printing and agitation with the Red Vicar of Thaxted — and laments that he is remembered today for the entirely wrong reason
Gardening / 21 September 2024
21 September 2024
Despite being tasty and nutritious, this root veg did not fit into the capitalist mould, so never won the popularity of the more durable potato, writes MAT COWARD
The Corn Exchange 1808
Features / 19 September 2024
19 September 2024
MAT COWARD tells the story of how rising food prices in 1800 sparked six days of protests at the Corn Exchange, as Londoners demanded affordable food and challenged mind-bogglingly stupid government policies about bread
A monument to Margaret MacDonald in London
Features / 12 September 2024
12 September 2024
MAT COWARD resurrects the radical spirit of early Labour’s overlooked matriarch, whose tireless activism and financial support laid the foundations for the party’s early success
Caister Camp Halt was a railway station on the Midland and G
Features / 3 September 2024
3 September 2024
MAT COWARD looks at how the bicycle helped spread socialist education and the holiday camp was invented for the benefit of the working class
LONG OVERDUE: (L to R) Portrait of Henry Hetherington, publi
Features / 27 August 2024
27 August 2024
MAT COWARD introduces a remarkable radical publisher and his remarkable manifesto
(L to R) Handbill for an April 11 1910 National Federation o
Features / 20 August 2024
20 August 2024
MAT COWARD recalls a time when imaginative employment of newsreels helped secure a memorable victory for an industrial action by the chainmakers
(Left to right) Alpine strawberries; and a strawberry depict
Gardening / 16 August 2024
16 August 2024
MAT COWARD recommends growing Alpine strawberries, which have a stronger flavour than their larger cousins, but which are happily unappealing to slugs and birds
Features / 25 July 2024
25 July 2024
MAT COWARD delves into the riots that saw ex-soldiers ransack a banquet, commandeer a piano and torch the town hall, enraged by tone-deaf officials’ elitist armistice celebrations
Simon Hibbs (left) and Paul McGuffie at New Farm Produce Ltd
Gardening / 22 June 2024
22 June 2024
From seed to sumptuous spears, MAT COWARD offers advice to gardeners with less-than-ideal conditions
Books / 10 June 2024
10 June 2024
Steampunk Victoriana, time travel and Martian nativism
Amaranth
Features / 10 May 2024
10 May 2024
MAT COWARD recommends any variety of the hardy plant, both decorative and edible, that only needs watering a few days after planting
People observe the marrow and cabbage entries during the Can
Gardening / 11 April 2024
11 April 2024
Previously staple of all our gardens, the neglected marrow is making a culinary comeback, offering versatile flavours and textures when picked and prepared properly – so let your courgettes live large, writes MAT COWARD
Gardening / 23 March 2024
23 March 2024
Red cabbage is a high-maintenance crop but worth the effort, says MAT COWARD
Crime Fiction / 20 February 2024
20 February 2024
Japan’s post-war secrets; a missing journalist; courtroom face-off; and a killer cop
GARDENING / 10 February 2024
10 February 2024
MAT COWARD explains the preparation needed this month for the moisture-loving marshland plant
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer during a visit to Alder Hey
Features / 24 January 2024
24 January 2024
MAT COWARD wonders what is to be done in an election year when the options for socialists appear so utterly dismal
Culture / 22 January 2024
22 January 2024
Features / 17 December 2023
17 December 2023
MAT COWARD looks at some of the more interesting options for gardeners available for order now for planting in the new year
Culture / 19 September 2023
19 September 2023
A crime wave like no other includes narratives from JL Blackhurst, Stella Blomkvist, Linwood Barclay, Chris Nickson
Culture / 22 August 2023
22 August 2023
An impertinent detective, bereavement and vengeance in New York, an eye on the Lakes, and a Welsh Blair Witch
GARDENING / 4 August 2023
4 August 2023
Versatile Japanese greens are best sown now for an autumn harvest, says MAT COWARD
FROM PLANT TO POT: Cucumbers pickled, Polish style, in a cer
Gardening / 15 June 2023
15 June 2023
This adaptable native of the Himalayas is rich in vitamin K which gives the liver a helping hand. Here are MAT COWARD tips for successful growing
Culture / 12 May 2023
12 May 2023
Literate Marxists, surgical prose, lifelike Highlanders and a body on the beach
Basil leaves
Features / 12 May 2023
12 May 2023
MAT COWARD recommends planting basil if you are worried about a washout or a heatwave this summer
Culture / 18 April 2023
18 April 2023
Patricide, double identity, surveillance paranoia and an all-female crime ring that has the air of an instant classic
Culture / 19 March 2023
19 March 2023
Underfunded cops, sleight of hand, murder qualifications and fascist infidelity
Books / 14 March 2023
14 March 2023
Skeletons in cupboards, futuristic Sophocles and the hell that awaits hereditary wealth
Culture / 21 February 2023
21 February 2023
Lawyers, hoodlums, spy-cops and driverless cars: new titles from Mercedes Rosende, John Fairfax, Joe Thomas and Linwood Barclay
Harsha S Hirve / Unsplash
Gardening / 9 December 2022
9 December 2022
MAT COWARD reviews some of the latest veg to try growing in the cold months
Books / 2 October 2022
2 October 2022
New titles from Ace Atkins, TM Logan, Chris Nickson and Helen Monks Takhar
A growing head of a cauliflower
MAT COWARD GARDENING SEPTEMBER / 9 September 2022
9 September 2022
Ready now for a spring harvest rich in naturally high in fibre, B-vitamins, antioxidants and phytonutrients. MAT COWARD provides all advice you need
Raised bed of lettuce, tomatoes, six different types of basi
Features / 13 August 2022
13 August 2022
Much of a gardener’s time in August, especially one as hot as this, is spent watering — but how much of that time is useful and how much is wasted? MAT COWARD has the answers
PERFECT COMBINATION: (L to R) Comfrey Bocking 14 and Bumble
Gardening / 3 June 2022
3 June 2022
Want to grow awesome potatoes and tomatoes? MAT COWARD has a suggestion
Gardening with Mat Coward / 13 May 2022
13 May 2022
Culture / 3 May 2022
3 May 2022
Books / 19 April 2022
19 April 2022
with Mat Coward
GARDENING / 8 April 2022
8 April 2022
From planting them deeper and watering them less than you might expect, MAT COWARD gives us the secrets to conquering tomato trouble
Culture / 3 April 2022
3 April 2022
New titles from Louise Hare, Christobel Kent, Cate Ray and Peter Lovesey
Books Review / 13 March 2022
13 March 2022
New titles from Alex Gray, Paul Finch, Christopher Fowler and Robert Gold
Features / 4 March 2022
4 March 2022
Gardening with MAT COWARD
Features / 18 February 2022
18 February 2022
Gardening with MAT COWARD
Books Review / 11 February 2022
11 February 2022
New titles from Michelle Davies, Linwood Barclay, Mari Hannah and Louise Jensen
Book Reviews / 31 January 2022
31 January 2022
New titles from Dan Abnett & INJ Culbard, JT Nicholas, WM Cleese and Ally Wilkes
Features / 21 January 2022
21 January 2022
There are always new variants and varieties you won’t have heard of, from disease-resistant leeks to blue potatoes. To find them, look in seed catalogues, recommends MAT COWARD
Culture / 18 January 2022
18 January 2022
New titles from Seraphina Nova Glass, Hansjorg Schneider, Chris Nickson and Liza Cody
Gardening with Mat Coward / 12 November 2021
12 November 2021
Cabbage leaves
Features / 4 October 2021
4 October 2021
Gardening with MAT COWARD
Features / 27 August 2021
27 August 2021
Gardening with MAT COWARD
LITERATURE / 8 August 2021
8 August 2021
Reviews of Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza, The Anatomy Of Desire by LR Dorn, The Turnout by Megan Abbott, and Rider on the Rain by Sebastien Japrisot
FICTION / 7 July 2021
7 July 2021
Reviews of Good Neighbours by Sarah Langan, The Basel Killings by Hansjorg Schneider, The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix and The Crooked Shore by Martin Edwards
FICTION / 15 June 2021
15 June 2021
Reviews of The Cottingley Cuckoo by AJ Elwood, Artifact Space by Miles Cameron and The Caduca by Elaine Graham-Leigh
FICTION / 7 June 2021
7 June 2021
Reviews of The Perfect Guests by Emma Rousa, Confess to Me by Sharon Doering, Leave the Lights On by Egan Hughes and Highland Fling by Sara Sheridan
GARDENING / 5 June 2021
5 June 2021
by Mat Coward
Features / 7 May 2021
7 May 2021
Gardening with MAT COWARD
LITERATURE / 2 May 2021
2 May 2021
Reviews of Pretty Things by Janelle Brown, How to Kidnap the Rich by Rahul Raina, Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by TA Willberg and Guilty by Siobhan MacDonald
Scorzonera
Gardening / 17 April 2021
17 April 2021
April is the time to get planting a crop of scorzonera, says MAT COWARD
LITERATURE / 1 April 2021
1 April 2021
Reviews of The Lady Thrillers, How to Betray Your Country by James Wolff, Hellyer's Coup by Philip Prowse and The April Dead by Alan Parks
Features / 10 March 2021
10 March 2021
Gardening with MAT COWARD
LITERATURE / 3 March 2021
3 March 2021
Reviews of the Cut by Chris Brookmyre, The Measure of Time by Gianrico Carofiglio, The Art of the Assassin by Kevin Sullivan and The Moment Before Impact by Alison Bruce
FICTION / 16 February 2021
16 February 2021
Reviews of The Oxford Brotherhood by Guillermo Martinez, Repentance by Eloisa Diaz, Powder Smoke by Andrew Martin and Shadow of a Doubt by Michelle Davies