Books
Spinoza, the true conservative
Spinoza’s earth-bound philosophy is a safeguard against idealism
Wandering thoughts
When my legs stopped walking, my mind carried on
Murders for July
My murder of the month is The Other Couple by Diane Jeffrey
Striving for peak perseverance
Energetic oddballs asked if the limits of the possible had really been reached
A story of doublings
If you want to understand how the world works now, read a classic
Beating the retreat
Wokeness represents an autoimmune disorder of liberalism itself
Should we make Classics history?
Enthusiasm may cause less harm, and prompt more good, than cynicism
The artist, naked and alone
I wrote a novel to expose the shallowness of the gallery system, but my biggest target was myself
Panic on the streets
A new book is a gripping account of terror and death in London
My advice to young writers
You are hoping for a successful career, but it’s going to take more than just the work
Most Read
The Book of JO’B
James O’Brien’s aggressive incuriosity is becoming ever more embattled as his worldview crumbles
A failed war on fags
The black market has taken over the tobacco trade Down Under
Thank God for Brexit
The EU is a bureaucratic monster and Britain is better off out
I don’t trust the British state
British institutions simply are not functioning in the interests of the people they are meant to serve
The lonely death of Henry Nowak
We must draw lessons from a horrendous and disgraceful case
Bypassing the parasites
Too often, lawyers add little to business transactions except delays and questionable costs
Keeping the faith
Brexit triumphalists can’t understand how other people living in the UK in 2026 do not share their enthusiasm
Food pairing is folly
A warning against trying to match wine to dish
The shape of a different Britain
Early modernist homes in Frinton-on-Sea capture a moment of confidence in a rapidly changing world
The underworld on the high street
Beneath the façade of everyday commerce, organised crime has quietly captured British high streets
Why people smuggling means profits
People smuggling is one of the few functioning markets left in the UK
The enduring fascination of Richard Nixon
Why America’s most contradictory president still exerts a strange grip on the political imagination.
The roots of hatred
Antisemitism, an ancient subject, has once again become a hot topic
Leading us a not- so-merry dance
Virtually every moment of physical theatre has to include some sort of balletic lunge
Is this the end of art?
Cultural renewal cannot simply chase demand
Gradually, then suddenly
You don’t expect everything to change until it does