Renaissance Art
The Kunstkammer
A gallery that contains the curiosities of many peoples
Let there be light
Raphael’s masterful depiction of divine light owes much to Dante, who incorporated the latest
optical thinking in his visionary poetry
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The Book of JO’B
James O’Brien’s aggressive incuriosity is becoming ever more embattled as his worldview crumbles
The rise and fall of Nicola Sturgeon
The former SNP leader squandered her talents in a classic tale of hubris
Losing control of the narrative
The British establishment no longer sets the terms of public debate over migration
Fear and fury in Belfast
Violence spiralled out of control in Northern Ireland in the aftermath of a shocking crime
How the Southport riots broke Starmer’s government
A combination of authoritarianism and hypocrisy proved fatal
The excesses of intellectual illiberalism
Justified dissatisfaction with liberal modernity has curdled into something alarmist and authoritarian
Saved from the flames
We should feel fortunate indeed to have the Aeneid
The mirage of majesty
Royal charm cannot disguise Britain’s shrinking power in a transactional world
Dumbed-down democracy
“Public opinion” is useless when the public is largely ignorant
Britain lacks a party of the young
Britain’s alienated young are drifting leftwards because no serious movement on the right is speaking to their interests
The great recoupling
Our politicians have a bizarre sense of costs and benefits when it comes to energy
A second Northern Ireland?
How the SNP squandered a major opportunity for independence
How to build a Europe of the peripheries
Resetting Britain’s relations with the EU should not mean being beholden to France and Germany
Amazing Grace? Meh, it was OK
If there is a reason to see this play, it is Ralph Fiennes
The malicious and the mad
Two recent productions offer two different perspectives on dark sides of masculinity
Jorge Luis Borges
A giant of Spanish letters who was forged by childhood exposure to his father’s vast English library