Bruce Xiaoyu Liu
How to win at Chopin
Giving marks to people playing Chopin is no different from deciding on medals in gymnastics
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Labour’s mercurial kingmaker
The eventful career of Josh Simons, the man who gave up his seat for Andy Burnham
In defence of Lara Bird
There is nothing weird or dishonest about having a dual existence
The hitch with the Hitch
How Christopher Hitchens brought me back to Christ
The ties that bind
A revived society tie has raised thousands for hedgehogs — and reminds us what Britain has lost with the decline of the club tie
Against Northernism
“Northernism” is a superficial form of cultural branding, not a serious political project
The emperor’s old advisor
McSweeney’s performance before MPs suggests age and experience hasn’t brought clarity — only better excuses
One year later
Despite the Supreme Court ruling, the gender argument is not going anywhere
Let’s scrap the Table Tax
The state should stop using our cafes, pubs, and restaurants as a cash cow
All the Mendelssohn you will ever need
Mendelssohn: Symphonies and Oratorios (Deutsche Grammophon)
The emperor’s new AI
A satirical X account is doing what the media class has failed to do, and report on the great AI delusion
A.E. Housman
The poet is less read than he once was but his deep love of England still resonates
Will Spain become a Protestant country?
How immigration is changing the religious dynamics of a traditional Catholic stronghold
Scotland’s biggest legal scandal
Hundreds of men could have being denied their right to a fair trial because of a justice system that rules important character evidence inadmissible
Paris cinema
There are no songs or movies about Paris in the winter
Rich portrait of a master poet
Auden, Peter Ackroyd
The problem with optimisation
Feeling maximally healthy and productive is not the point of life