Issue: February 2026
Don’t be beastly to the Germans
British conservatives have much to learn from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
A Major punt
Sometimes a bet comes along which is impossible to resist
The Alpine express
There’s much to love in the Winter Olympics
No longer the best advert for good art
If contemporary art is stuck, what is the fix?
The hounding of a poet and teacher
Communism is the only guarantee of human happiness
Stop preaching about politics
The Church is in danger of missing an opportunity to be at the centre of national life
Why we need orchestras
China has grasped that an orchestra is more than a payroll of musicians
Ethics? What ethics?
On the decision to allow puberty blockers for children
Great pretenders
On talking a good game
The world at my feet
D. J. Taylor recalls a time when he was the future of the English novel
Most Read
American strategy in Iran is wiser than it seems
President Trump’s intervention will leave the world safer than it was
Saint Nicola
Nicola Sturgeon wants sympathy for her husband’s crimes—but after years spent avoiding awkward questions, her latest reinvention may be the hardest sell yet.
The lonely death of Henry Nowak
We must draw lessons from a horrendous and disgraceful case
Rewatching the English
English identity has become too surreal and discomfiting to define
A failed war on fags
The black market has taken over the tobacco trade Down Under
Polish piano
Andre Tchaikowsky: Piano concertos (Ondine)
Borne back into the past … of Bolton
Oh no, not another cliche!
A criminal abuse of the law
Our criminal justice system is deferential to those who abuse it while coming down hard on the innocent
Soft competition
There are participation prizes to everyone at the Venice Biennale
Going for Broke
It’s that time of year to publicly humiliate oneself with Cheltenham tips
Grin and bear it
Carelessness and frivolity sabotage any attempt at a serious discussion
“Fauxcest” is not a free speech issue
The government should ban this dangerous and disgusting genre
Why are doctors special?
Doctors have a lot less to complain about than other workers
Laughing to hide the tears
Beware: prime ministerial jokes ahead
Carl Schmitt in Miami
Can Marco Rubio establish a new American system in Latin America?
Graphics, games and occult entities
A retrospective of Treister’s work reveals the frictions in the artist’s motivations