“No happiness in life”: a very Russian outlook
How endless optimism can make it difficult when confronted with unpleasant choices
Clap for the modern gods
Once people prayed for rain or for sun. Now, we pray for our NHS
Most Read
Tame Impala fails to impress
unconquered by a
taste of Crusader food
Gary Stevenson is wrong about wealth taxes
The popular economist is irritating, but more importantly he is mistaken
Why they hated Ann Widdecombe
Fair-minded people could agree or disagree with her opinions. Left-wing bigots hated her for not abandoning them
What is wrong now was wrong before
Julia Gillard should not pretend that the “unintended consequences” of the gender debate were unknowable
Ethnic minorities are abandoning Labour
It is not just Muslim voters who have been abandoning the Labour Party
Today Havering, tomorrow Westminster
The local elections exposed a political class united mainly by its inability to feel embarrassment
Hippo critical
No Roman left a greater intellectual legacy than Augustine, whose writings shaped Christianity and the Western mind for more than a millennium
The last true Kapellmeister
Chaotic in all things except music, where he demanded precision and gave his all
The Middle Kingdom and the middle powers
China’s clash with Western power shattered its civilisational self-image. Europe is heading for a similar reckoning
Why the establishment hates X
It can be used to spread misinformation and abuse, yes, but it can also expose inconvenient facts
The paté of the Land
Chinese water deer, partridges and paté
Is Keir Starmer failing?
To fail at something, he would have to do something
Critical briefing: cuckooing
A hidden scourge has been plaguing British streets for too long
Why Brexit was right
Bad decisions have been made since we voted to leave but we were still right to leave
Peston’s Inbox
Farage: I’m not worried
The spy chief who sold us Blue Nun
Raise a glass to a long life, very well lived