The Critics
Back to Blackstuff
The Boys from the Blackstuff hit the stage in Liverpool
My war stories
The role of the war film in British cinema
Haunting Ghosts
Two timely dramatisations of espionage in the Middle East
Tove Jansson’s humane vision
A major Paris exhibition highlights timeless themes of the Finnish artist’s ouvre
Forever stuck in the nineties
Sarah Lucas and the sexual revolution that wasn’t
Frans Hals’ sense of fun
A delightful display of portraiture at the National Gallery
A maverick medic
A theatrical biography of a life saver
Is the party over for festivals?
Why music festivals have lost their purpose
Content warning
On triggering opera and Arts Council England
Banned played on
The hit on Roisin Murphy’s ‘Hit Parade’
Hatred without end
A year on from October 7th, mutual dehumanisation and refusal of moral responsibility characterises our “debate” over the Gaza war
Developing nations will be forced to choose
Sitting on the fence between China and the USA is unsustainable
Can Nigel Farage do his job?
Against the grim passivity of British politics
Public sector pay
Bumper pay rises for doctors and teachers are bound to result in higher inflation
Will judges protect free speech for Christians?
A new case will determine whether expressing normal Christian beliefs precludes employment
4B and the futility of heteropessimism
Romance is painful but it is also possible
Farewell, knights errant of the road
Once one of London’s most distinctive tribes, cycle messengers are a dying breed
Don’t appeal to our worst instincts
How many will talk themselves into asking for a parent’s early death if money is involved?
Murders for November
Another mélange of murders, from Japan to Scotland
When the farmers took on Starmer
It was an inspiring day in London as farmers resisted Labour’s class warfare
Draining the swamp
Residents are hopeful that the mayor’s grip on Venice might at last be easing
