Archives
The contradictions of Keir
Why is the Labour leader’s record such a muddle
How were we so wrong?
The Iraq invasion was never more than folly
Can we be heroes?
Cowardice is inescapable in British public life
A collapsing tent
The SNP is heading for disaster
The costs of war
Providing military assistance to Ukraine may be the right thing to do, but it’s not cheap
Bring back plain English
Most literary criticism is don addressing don, in a style designed to exclude ordinary people
Chasing champions
Potentially winning picks for the Cheltenham Festival
Between deterrence and escalation
The Chinese doom argument
A welter of emotions
Rachmaninov: 2nd symphony (Chandos/Vox)
Most Read
How religion shapes football fandom
The meaning of football is intertwined with the meaning of faith
Labour’s mercurial kingmaker
The eventful career of Josh Simons, the man who gave up his seat for Andy Burnham
In defence of Lara Bird
There is nothing weird or dishonest about having a dual existence
Why has Keir Starmer been so unpopular?
He was the perfect embodiment of a failing system
How the Civil Service was the ruin of Keir Starmer
A weak and indecisive prime minister delegated too much to Whitehall
Dismantle the infrastructure of censoriousness
Digital technology and private intelligence are bolstering cultural censoriousness in universities
The hidden bureaucracy shaping Britain’s university curriculum
Putting an end to ideological capture must start with the Quality Assurance Agency
Manchesterism is dead in the water
Andy Burnham already appears to have abandoned hope for meaningful change
The slow vibe shift
Escaping our “post-cultural state” will not happen overnight
The pro-nature case for regulatory reform
England’s environmental regime hasn’t delivered a restoration of nature — only decline, delay, and bureaucracy
Brave new world or fools’ paradise?
For Dubai’s quarter of a million British expats, the Iran war is a mere blip in a luxurious lifestyle
The ties that bind
A revived society tie has raised thousands for hedgehogs — and reminds us what Britain has lost with the decline of the club tie
What if the AI bubble bursts?
Arguing that an AI bubble is a good thing reeks of techno-optimist complacency
The Book of JO’B
James O’Brien’s aggressive incuriosity is becoming ever more embattled as his worldview crumbles
The fire in him
Gary Oldman is superb in Krapp’s Last Tape at the Royal Court
Women should not have to apologise for their rights
There is nothing cruel about women wanting single-sex spaces