Reading
Time to start a new chapter
The rapid decline of reading should set alarm bells ringing at the Ministry of Education
Why does reading matter?
Books are not just a means to a morally superior end
Being a “book person” doesn’t make you a better human being
Being a bookworm can encourage a dangerous form of moral self-flattery
It’s the phones, stupid
How can we help books to compete with YouTube and Instagram?
The return of Victorian parenting
From the bus to the upmarket restaurant, we want our children to sit still and shut up
AI has not killed the author
Advanced technology can enhance rather than replacing the pleasure of a good book
The humanities aren’t dying; they’re emigrating
Humanities catastrophists are just professionally insecure
Read for pleasure
Against the functionalist approach to literature
On pretending to have read books
It is an art in itself
How I discovered secondhand books
A home with books is a launching pad for a life well lived, says Daniel Johnson
Most Read
The martyrdom of Young Bob
On ebbing power of the political influencer
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
Stop ignoring the Islamisation of our democracy
The British state is bending to Islamism, not attempting to defeat it
Why has Keir Starmer been so unpopular?
He was the perfect embodiment of a failing system
Unusual summer reds
Think exotic spices, maraschino cherries and curly shoes
“You can’t preach here!”
A hostile attitude towards preaching threatens freedom of religion and freedom of speech
The Farage flounce
A joke that worked, and an exit that didn’t.
From triple lock to price caps
Opinium polling for The Critic reveals the totemic pension policy has entrenched a politics that demands control over growth
Soft competition
There are participation prizes to everyone at the Venice Biennale
Out with the old?
Reform seems to be thriving, and Labour seems to be losing, but what can actually change?
Why Mali matters
Terrorism is spiralling out of control in West Africa
The trains have to run
Populists have had success in persuading people that they can govern — but can they actually govern?
Peston’s Inbox
Keir has my complete backing – Wes
The rise and fall of Nicola Sturgeon
The former SNP leader squandered her talents in a classic tale of hubris
Legal curiosities
The pursuit of justice in small or atypical jurisdictions has sometimes led to some unusual legal quandaries