The Critics
The hounding of a poet and teacher
Communism is the only guarantee of human happiness
Why we need orchestras
China has grasped that an orchestra is more than a payroll of musicians
This drama in Tehran is fictional
The spy drama never flinches from portraying the savagery of the Ayatollahs’ regime
High Noon is a disappointing evening
Westerns, like science fiction and pornography, are a genre best left to film
Show me what love is
Don Giovanni, Flanders Opera, Antwerp
Classic humour?
Two experiments in drama and comedy offer mixed results
Day after day
It is easy to lose sight of art amid personal narratives
Adulterating Amadeus
A new series does an injustice to Mozart, Shaffer, Forman and TV in general
Scares and spies
From ghostly thrills to Cold War chills
Bring on the dinosaurs
For hardcore old opera buffers, there are still a few places of refuge
Most Read
Why they hated Ann Widdecombe
Fair-minded people could agree or disagree with her opinions. Left-wing bigots hated her for not abandoning them
Gary Stevenson is wrong about wealth taxes
The popular economist is irritating, but more importantly he is mistaken
Solent mean
Solent PhD student frozen out after introducing Roger Scruton into seminar
A chaplain’s vindication
The case of Dr Bernard Randall has exposed the rot in our institutions
The myth of banned books
If transgression is fun and easy, it is probably not transgressive
Cringing at the cliffedge
How British satire, and British politics, became painfully unfunny
Standing up for cultural freedom
We must follow the example of brave artists who oppose censorship
Grey expectations
Saving England’s native red squirrel will require harsh measures
Fast out of the blocs
how to acquire an
art collection quickly
Auntie’s autumn
Rather than wage war on the Beeb, a Reform government should strip it of its monopoly and force British broadcasting to compete again
Manic and messianic
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Royal Shakespeare Company
The chairwoman of the board
A story driven at a whip-crack pace, pulsing with manic energy and nail-biting
Time for change?
A new book might overstate the durability of Trumpian politics
Two cheers for Keir
Keir Starmer enjoyed a warm end to a chilly premiership
Critical briefing: EU-Taliban talks
As European governments harden their approach to migration, Brussels has taken the extraordinary step of negotiating directly with Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers
Running down the clock
Does Keir Starmer have any plans for his final weeks in Downing Street?