Polly Toynbee
Neither good nor serious
Against the Lost Cause Myth of Starmerism
Winning the argument, losing the country
Winning debates is all well and good, but it does not represent political progress
A class act?
Polly Toynbee’s memoirs test the reader’s patience
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
Reclaiming the rule of law
The rule of law was meant to protect liberty — not to be weaponised against democracy
Eulogy for rural life
A growing sense of gloom pervades Starmer’s Britain
Right-wing fight night
A debate over the future of right-wing politics in Britain offered little heat and less light
A revolutionary king
The monarch’s vision of “harmony” will have lasting impact
Any foreigner can have a UK degree — for a fee
Every British university has been chasing the benefits of foreign income with frenzied excitement
The miracle of the magical migrants
Is a man’s identity is fluid when he steps on British soil, but calcified on African soil?
The screaming spires
Oxford University must clarify where it stands on academic freedom
The last of the fine arts
Hockney insisted on doing exactly as he pleased — and his cigarettes were as much a part of his artistic philosophy as his paintbrush.
When can we believe what we read?
Technology can make knowing the truth more difficult — but we should always have asked more questions about what we read
Hyperventilating vexillology
Once councils flew the symbols of the realm; now they proclaim the enthusiasms of the age
A rare interview proved a delight
Eavesdropping on two intelligent people sharing a civilised conversation about interesting things