Literary Festivals
Abigail Lamb Festival Fodder
Disaster strikes at the literary festival
Is Cheltenham beyond parody?
A books bash these days has to offer Geri and Geoff Hurst and that bloke out of Radiohead
Against literary celebriphilia
We need interesting authors, not “big names”
A very superior Season
Today’s Season may be more democratic and international than the old, but those in the know still cherish the hot tickets that guarantee exclusivity
Literary festivals: sheer hell in a tent
To make people laugh for an hour is good business sense — but it says nothing about writing, or creativity, or art
Most Read
The martyrdom of Young Bob
On ebbing power of the political influencer
Why has Keir Starmer been so unpopular?
He was the perfect embodiment of a failing system
Grooming gangs and the truth
We should not give ammunition to deniers of the grooming gangs scandal
Babies need women
Leaving children with only men who are not their parents is foolish and dangerous
Can Russell T Davies write “terfs”?
In Tip Toe, Russell T Davies is more nuanced than one might expect — much to the dismay of gender ideologues
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
Good news for the rule of law
Activists who break the law should not be able to appeal to their high-minded motives
The art of statesmanship
An exhibition at the Wallace Collection shows how Britain’s greatest wartime leader found solace and satisfaction in painting
Why nobody likes a smarty pants
Is it reasonable to conflate genuine intellectual endeavour with undue concern for supposed accuracy?
A memo crying in the wilderness
Why does the Church of England now sound like an HR department?
Frivolous and doomed
Classicism still has its place at the National Theatre
The memory wars
Poland and Ukraine must find some way to stop falling out over history
The meaning and meaninglessness of Makerfield
Andy Burnham has triumphed — but can he maintain his success?
What makes an American?
What characterises a US citizen in the 21st century, beyond abiding by the country’s laws and supporting its constitution?
Critical briefing: the Chişinău Declaration
Why the Chişinău Declaration is more of a symbolic gesture than a chance for real reform
Gender self-ID was never the law
Barrister Akua Reindorf KC speaks about the controversial trans guidance the government is so loath to implement