Victims
Perfect victims and a tale of two films
Don’t idealise victims — listen to them
Messing with the master’s work
Beethoven: Emperor Concerto; Brett Dean: A Winter’s Journey (Orchid)
Being economical with the truth
The Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism (& How It Came to Control Your Life). By George Monbiot and Peter Hutchison
The vindication of Cass
An attempt to overturn restrictions on providing puberty blockers has failed
Immigration is still the elephant in the room
Violence is appalling, yet we have to understand the conditions from which it emerged
Vicarious pleasure
On the enduring allure of celebrity cast-offs
Three cheers for peers of mature years
Removing some of the wisest and most experienced voices in the House would be destructive and wrong
Keir Starmer cannot ignore us
The gender debate is not going to disappear
Enthralling eclecticism
Roberto Gerhard: Don Quixote, &c. (Chandos)
The blame game
Some terrible villain has made the Conservative Party unpopular. But who could it be?
Brooding blokes
Russian writers loved a pouting, picturesquely pained protagonist
Seasonal style
Picking the right outfit for summer socials
