Butskellism
Politicians versus mandarins
Spats between governments and civil servants are inevitable when administrations have a radical agenda
Laid-back Bach
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Württemburg sonatas (ECM)
Beheading a pigeon
For all its quirks, bushcraft offered valuable insights into modernity and tradition
Whisperings of the cruel sea
Britten: Concertos (Orfeo)
Three novelists pushing the bloat out
Some novels still dare to leave the reader’s hand unheld — without universal success
Why not the Taliban Line?
These new overground lines are not sufficiently progressive
Taking Pride
If sexual orientation is not a choice and therefore nothing to be ashamed of, then it can be nothing to be proud of either
Plagiarism: a racist weapon
It has been genuinely disturbing to see Claudine Gay ousted simply for being an empowered black woman
Arresting the fertility crisis
Britain needs more babies — and it is far from alone
The slick glide through the institutions
When values are outsourced to third-party organisations, everybody suffers
Devolution has been a disaster
SNP incompetence is a feature of the system and not a bug
Soothing sounds in time of war
There are expectations going back to 1948 that musicians turn up to provide relief
