Biography
Great Lives — great, The Essay — awful
Radio 3 maintains its course towards self-destruction
Fifth magician blues
He made the tea, he forged the autographs, and only once did he run out of plectrums
The truth about London Bridge
Flawed narratives should not distort historical memory of the planning for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
Life versus learning: a battle of the titans
In their lives we find fiercely opposed poles of a culture that has profoundly shaped our world
Chapter and verse on the unknowable Bard
The striking thing about Sir Stanley’s Shakespeare is how unsexy he is
Napoleon sold short
On Ridley Scott’s Napoleon and the challenge of biopics
Spare us the wagging finger
Few things are more tedious than books moralising about the deficiencies of yesteryear
The lovelorn lady who broke the rules
A romantic forced by peculiar privilege into perpetual masquerade
Those golden years
Ultimately it’s the music that brings to each of us our personal Bowie
The people’s captain
What our politics can learn from Kevin Sinfield
As flies to wanton boys
Gambling with human lives is just another day in the lives of the one per cent
Let’s at least agree rape is wrong
Fundamental feminist theories are under attack from within feminism itself
The West needs more decisive diplomacy
Diplomatic vacillation is enabling the spread of armed conflict
The first rule of Plot Club is…
The Tories are absolutely, definitely, certainly not scheming to replace Rishi Sunak
Britain must develop economic resilience
The Houthis have exposed our devastating economic insecurity
A festival for women — and men?
You cannot address the underrepresentation of women by including men
Common prayer
Britain, and her monarchy, have a language fitted for times of joy and sorrow alike — so why does the Church of England make such poor use of our traditional liturgy?
Why is the US facing a “crisis of credibility”?
It is a crisis that has been created by the hubris of the establishment
Chinese whispers
Oliver Dowden’s tough talk on Chinese hacking is less than wholly convincing
Free speech and fashionable hypocrisy
Between the Tory government and the University and College Union, will anyone be consistent?
Saving London from the czar
London’s nightlife could be great — but it needs real change
