Ian Botham
L’esprit de Boeuf
What sort of political XI will Botham join at Westminster?
Dissolve the hotbeds of wokery
Failing universities should go the way of the monasteries under Henry VIII
The enemy of the Civil Service is my friend
Conservatives should hope that Keir Starmer can weaken its grip on British policy
An Oxford arriviste
Shades of Brideshead and Saltburn at an unconvincing “classy” Oxford restaurant
Izzy Hardcastle
Ornament of the book-world
A full-blooded blow-out
Kurt Weill: Symphonies, Seven Deadly Sins (DG)
The liberal establishment is to blame for public outrage
Ignoring and enabling horrendous crimes has encouraged a nativist backlash
Soporific Starmer
The Prime Minister appears to be making a virtue of his own dullness
Sean Scully in France
He’s been showered with honours and awards — yet plenty of people can’t stand his work
Medieval treasures of Germany
Aachen and the great temples of medieval Europe seem like vast spiritual power stations
They call it Poppy love
Poppy is, simply, a dog who knows what she wants
Reasons to be cheerful
A pessimist tries to summon up Christmas cheer
