Language
Give this word a miss
We should be respectful enough to use appropriate honorifics
This show has said it all before
Not all bad, but the tone is too breezy
A rare victory for proportion
The connotations of words can depend on their context, numpties
Jargon in excelsis
On “cisheteropatriarchy” and the ugliness and obscurity of cultural discourse
The thoughtlessness of guilt by association
We cannot judge ideas on the basis of the people who happen to hold them
Gyles Brandreth’s bon mots
An obsession with linguistic and historical marginalia has infected British culture
In defence of the stiff upper lip
Emotional reserve in public does not mean neglecting our interior lives, it means being serious about them
The joy of old English
Interest in language was once the domain of antiquarians and clergymen
The wrongs of Proudman
Criticism does not amount to discrimination or abuse
March of the guys
How did one honorific colonise our language?
Most Read
Tame Impala fails to impress
unconquered by a
taste of Crusader food
Gary Stevenson is wrong about wealth taxes
The popular economist is irritating, but more importantly he is mistaken
What is wrong now was wrong before
Julia Gillard should not pretend that the “unintended consequences” of the gender debate were unknowable
Why they hated Ann Widdecombe
Fair-minded people could agree or disagree with her opinions. Left-wing bigots hated her for not abandoning them
Ethnic minorities are abandoning Labour
It is not just Muslim voters who have been abandoning the Labour Party
Kurdish delight
Witnessing ancient traditions that have endured through fraught and tumultuous histories
NigeDosh: an urgent appeal
Tonight’s political coverage is repeatedly interrupted by urgent appeals for charities that may or may not be fictional
Migration musings
A new book on immigration is welcome in its honestly and openness
Keeping the faith
Brexit triumphalists can’t understand how other people living in the UK in 2026 do not share their enthusiasm
The shape of a different Britain
Early modernist homes in Frinton-on-Sea capture a moment of confidence in a rapidly changing world
Don’t bet against the SNP
The complete ineptitude of their rivals has kept them at the top of Scottish politics
Bypassing the parasites
Too often, lawyers add little to business transactions except delays and questionable costs
No, rent controls don’t work
Stop toying with failed ideas and build some damn houses
Don’t panic about “Angry Young Women”
Despite everything, most people are still fairly normal
Ancient bones of contention
The burgeoning and irregulated market for dinosaur skeletons
From the Desk of Lord Kronsteen
When a sketchwriter faces awkward questions, only a billionaire’s dictated letter of support will do