Oxford’s civil war
The never-ending fallout over Cecil Rhodes has bleak consequences for the future of academia
What Magdalen College students get wrong
It is bizarre in the extreme to focus criticism of empire on the Crown
Murders for early June
Jeremy Black’s ominous murder mystery round-up for the early summer
Anatomy of disaster
The psychology of political incompetence is brought out well in Niall Ferguson’s Doom
Murders for late May
From psychological character studies to witty and fast-paced detective novels, Jeremy Black rounds up the best crime fiction for late Spring
Should the government launch a culture war?
Jeremy Black says that the question is not whether the Conservatives should initiate a culture war but how far and how best to conduct a defence
Faustian bargains of the review world
Jeremy Black delves into a history book which disappoints and a biography not to be missed
Murders for early May
From seedy sex clubs to the streets of Paris: Jeremy Black selects British Library Crime Classics to enjoy over the May Bank Holiday
Is it really time for the monarchy to go?
How the case for monarchy rests not only in its advantages, but also in its alternatives
What do literary prizes tell us about publishing in 2021?
The implications of identity politics on literary trends
Is Boris Johnson just a boy who can’t say ‘No’?
The prime minister always says “come on, let’s go” – jist when he orta say nix!
Labouring unloved
In the West we’ve yet to make the acknowledgment that overwork can be deadly, says Katrina Gulliver
Novel weapons
Could we be unwittingly researching both sides of a hypersonic arms race?
Vaccine certification: when intolerance meets hypochondria
It’s high time that we stop allowing fear to rule our lives and re-establish a healthy relationship with the risks that have surrounded us since time immemorial
Let’s stop wrapping our children in cotton wool
As questions are now being raised about the consequences of having shut playgrounds during lockdown, Joanna Williams says that we need to let kids be kids
The Earl of Leicester vs Wells Harbour Railway
The debacle involving Holkham Estate and Wells Harbour Railway is the latest example of the cultural erosion of British towns
Letter from Washington: Same old special relationship
Neediness has defined US-UK relations for 80 years
Jabs for the boys
Why should we vaccinate healthy children to protect unvaccinated adults?
The FARC and me
David Smith recalls time spent with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia: the most murderous army of insurrection in Latin America’s modern history