The Critics
A new madonna
On AI and authenticity
Wall St wolves
On money, morality and motive in three films
Paper trail
Thrillers from Finland to Afghanistan
Spotlight on the Black Country
BBC on the Black Country and on the passing of Michael Parkinson
High-octane despair
Das Rheingold, Royal Opera House
Bad-boy opera
Tosca, Grand Opera House, Belfast
From slobs to royalty
How the Royle Family mirrored working class life
Sound of a free press?
How did a film wishing to highlight the sexual exploitation of children become a culture war?
Growth, grift and speculation
What can art tell us about economics?
Not having a gay old time
On BBC radio’s preoccupation with Americans and identity politics.
Assisted dying and the risk of premature surrender
We should be very wary of the circumvention of true palliative care
Starmer’s tax will hurt children
It is not just a tax, it is cruel theft
Murders of 2024
Jeremy Black reviews the best (and worst) murders from the last year
Is public religion the new heresy?
It makes no sense to argue that faith should not inform ethical decisions
Which country?
Our rural landscape is much misunderstood
Don’t bet on green energy
Groupthink has blinded us into backing solar and wind. Will a big short make us see sense?
Too many silences in this book about music
The hazy treatment of what “music” even entails falls flat
Bants means bans
Scarcely any football chants will be allowed under Labour’s new “equality” rules
Dancing with Beethoven
Beethoven: String Quartets, vol.2 (Chandos)
Leo Varadkar is still stirring division
The former Taoiseach should have more humility
Should we feel pity for the Pelicot accused?
To have endured pain does not excuse inflicting pain
