Biography
Alcibiades
The Ancient Greek orator, philanderer, drunk, traitor and hero would have felt at home in modern politics
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
Most Read
The martyrdom of Young Bob
On ebbing power of the political influencer
Grooming gangs and the truth
We should not give ammunition to deniers of the grooming gangs scandal
Babies need women
Leaving children with only men who are not their parents is foolish and dangerous
Stop ignoring the Islamisation of our democracy
The British state is bending to Islamism, not attempting to defeat it
Why has Keir Starmer been so unpopular?
He was the perfect embodiment of a failing system
Gregory Halting
Procrastinator extraordinaire
Homes for Ukraine — and everywhere else
Why were some non-Ukrainians far more likely to enter Britain under a scheme meant for Ukrainians?
The last true Kapellmeister
Chaotic in all things except music, where he demanded precision and gave his all
Vandalising the law
Activists and politicians should respect the law even if they don’t like it
Ant & Dec: heroically bland
Clear separation between private and public selves is faintly refreshing
I don’t trust the British state
British institutions simply are not functioning in the interests of the people they are meant to serve
Hope and stories
Bicinia (Claves)
Farewell to an intellectual giant
Patrick Nash pays tribute to the late
David Abulafia, fastidious champion of
Oxbridge’s academic standards
It is time for antidisestablishmentarianism
Church establishment is still worth fighting for
There is nothing authentic about Andy Burnham
The blokeish Labour man is as slimy a politician as the rest of them
A moment of profound national unseriousness
Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch know that the world faces crises — but are they part of the crises?