Fatalism
“No happiness in life”: a very Russian outlook
How endless optimism can make it difficult when confronted with unpleasant choices
Portugal must be more than an EU vassal
As elections approach, can Portugal break the stultifying hold of a progressive, big state worldview?
Three novelists pushing the bloat out
Some novels still dare to leave the reader’s hand unheld — without universal success
A judicial defence of religious liberty is long overdue
Christians should not be discriminated against because of their religious beliefs
Full steam ahead!
How British canal boats steamed towards the future
Kilkenny’s golden age
A fascinating exploration of Irish history could have been better and more comprehensively illustrated
Essential all-embracing warmth
Gidon Kremer: Songs of Fate (ECM)
When youth becomes period drama
The stakes feel very high when our younger years become the stuff of popular entertainment
Introducing Critical Mash
Our new arts podcast, broadcasting from the frontline of the (high) culture war
This England
We should celebrate the glorious wartime cinematic masterpiece that Churchill wanted to ban
Truss alone
Young Liz was accidentally left in charge of the country, only to be menaced by the worst sort of criminals: Tory MPs
Has Israel walked into a forever war?
A brutal conflict seems unlikely to be winnable any time soon
