Sex
Laughing laureate of Western decline
Michel Houellebecq’s prescient, mocking critiques of our debased modern world
The Welsh variant
Why is Cardiff actively spreading queer theory in schools?
Is this the end of monogamy as we know it?
As couples move away from the traditional binds of marriage, Julie Bindel wonders whether heterosexuals are soon to become the new sexual outlaws
More sad than naughty
A BDSM book by a group keen to challenge gender norms is oddly conventional
Kisses in the dark
Choose ambience over aphrodisiacs for Valentine’s Day says Felipe Fernández-Armesto
Rise of the sex robots
Moral boundaries are being eroded by the rise of sex robots that claim to be “the perfect companion”
Sex tips from Semele
Opera was the tinder of Renaissance Venice, says Robert Thicknesse
The real facts of life
A welcome intervention by an author determined to return some rationalism to the trans discussion
A little bit of curve
In praise of pop smut
J K Rowling is not transphobic
Is it transphobic to say women get periods? Don’t be daft, says Ella Whelan
Do as Tories say, not as Tories do
Conservative politicians instruct us to wear masks — but vice-signal not doing so themselves
The American nightmare
San Francisco should serve as a cautionary tale as to what can happen when “progressive” far-left ideology dominates politics
World Class
On a phrase used by people with brains of tinsel
Anatomy of a miserable deal
Barnier’s Secret Journal should interest British readers due to the insights on whether the UK could have negotiated a better deal
Infinite enjoyment
Duff Cooper understood wine’s power as ‘firm friend and wise councillor’
Judge made disunion
The government needs to fix what the courts have done to the Union
Visual mess
The pride flag has ended up symbolising nothing at all
Can the plan
Mark Drakeford is desperate to impress with his LGBTQ+ Action Plan
Sparks of Life
The end of the Sparks brothers’ career matches the intensity and originality of its beginning
The faltering heart of the BBC
Amongst the dearth of decent BBC Radio content, “Start the Week” is outstanding