Bread and circuses
Squalid optimist
The PM’s mendacity about the sunlit uplands of New Model Britain is psychotic
Tragedy, comedy and an Italian parable
Three great novels capture a moment of change for society
Shiva Naipaul
The younger brother of a controversial Nobel Prize winner who has been unjustly overlooked
Black holes and revelations
Keir Starmer has detected a previously unknown budgetary singularity from whose gravity no tax cuts can escape
End of the Long Peace?
Our technological and institutional sophistication will not eliminate conflict
Alive and flicking
A game invented by a man named Adolph might have been a hard sell to the British public, but it was an instant hit
Out of power for half a century
As the Conservatives face the prospect of a long spell in opposition, they must heed the lessons of their predecessors
In defence of the incredulous stare
To argue is to indulge in a practice, with all that this entails
Imaginary friends
The idea of a synthetic companion that knows everything about you goes well beyond friendship
Free speech is fascist
Words must be controlled to ensure that Starmer’s subjects behave themselves
The tragedy of Radio 3
The centenary “celebration” of the BBC Singers summed up everything that has gone wrong
Not a dull phrase
Ethel Smyth: 2nd sonata &c (Delphian)
