The martyrdom of Young Bob
On ebbing power of the political influencer
Unholy war
The Kremlin’s actions contradict its image of itself
Real culture wars
On the perils of being on the right side of art history
Rewatching a TV show from a lost world
In River Cottage, a chef escaped to Dorset from London in search of the good life
On travellers and trail hunting
Left-wingers have bizarrely irrational double standards when it comes to protecting culture
The soul of Putin
Twenty-five years after George W. Bush first looked into Vladimir Putin’s eyes, the Russian president has changed less than America would like to believe
By the by-elections
Do not expect major surprises or lasting change as a result of the latest Scottish by-elections
When can we believe what we read?
Technology can make knowing the truth more difficult — but we should always have asked more questions about what we read
Stop ignoring the Islamisation of our democracy
The British state is bending to Islamism, not attempting to defeat it
Hey, Starmer, leave those kids alone
Banning under-16s from social media is more prohibitionist stupidity
Digging for gold
La fanciulla del West, Opera Holland Park
The cost of equal outcomes
By treating disparities in mental health detention as evidence of racism, the NHS is sacrificing safety
The last of the fine arts
Hockney insisted on doing exactly as he pleased — and his cigarettes were as much a part of his artistic philosophy as his paintbrush.
Scotland’s biggest legal scandal
Hundreds of men could have being denied their right to a fair trial because of a justice system that rules important character evidence inadmissible
Dear Prudence
A reflection on the Tory Party’s historic suspicion of interventionism
Jorge Luis Borges
A giant of Spanish letters who was forged by childhood exposure to his father’s vast English library
Beware the British ICE
Mass deportation of Muslims will not solve antisemitism, but feed feelings of alienation
The testing of Giorgia Meloni
Italy’s first woman PM has proved a pragmatic conservative who has brought stability to her country
What makes an American?
What characterises a US citizen in the 21st century, beyond abiding by the country’s laws and supporting its constitution?
Why nationalisation is not the answer to our problems
Planning, not privatisation, is the big problem with our water
Vandalising the law
Activists and politicians should respect the law even if they don’t like it
Once more unto the speeches
There was a great deal of talking today, but how much of it meant anything?
Sport’s regime changes
Canadian snooker has gone the way of Hungarian table tennis
The intractable problems pulling modern Britain apart
When does upholding free speech become an act of self-sabotage?
Deciphering the royal dress code
Fashion, in royal hands, became a form of branding
Strange new world
A new art history hinges on a proleptic reading of Edwardian history
The excesses of intellectual illiberalism
Justified dissatisfaction with liberal modernity has curdled into something alarmist and authoritarian
The spy chief who sold us Blue Nun
Raise a glass to a long life, very well lived
Operatic satire is a Shaw thing
The old Art has an armoury of skunk-like defence mechanisms to keep the unwashed at bay
Knowingly crass and conflicted
This American culture is hegemonic because even to steal from it is to propel it
Fond portrait of an odd couple
Two irascible, elderly artists and two beautiful younger women in unusual relationships
Unusual summer reds
Think exotic spices, maraschino cherries and curly shoes
Hurry hurry to Chop Chop
Gambling on Cantonese cuisine
A king’s ramsons
Look after the woods, and they will continue to give
Outside the box
why traditional topiary is
making a comeback