How Margaret Thatcher could have saved London’s skyline
If, like Prince Albert, the then Prince Charles had been appointed head of the Royal Fine Art Commission, we might have been spared many architectural outrages
Was the flapper style of the 1920s so liberating?
Women certainly found the bob a welcome change – but with shorter skirts came agonising over diets, depilatories, make-up and dangerous cosmetic surgery
A walled garden in Suffolk yields up its secrets
When Olivia Laing began restoring the former property of a garden designer, she had no idea of the beauty that lay hidden by rampant weeds
Abba’s genius was never to write a happy love song
Benny and Björn may have composed some of the catchiest tunes ever, but even their bounciest melodies are ballasted with melancholy
A haunting mystery: Enlightenment, by Sarah Perry, reviewed
The story of the disappearance from an Essex manor house of a Romanian astronomer named Maria Vaduva starts to obsess a local journalist a century later
Western economies are failing – but capitalism isn’t the problem
Left-wing polemicists accuse neoliberals, inspired by Friedrich Hayek, of secretly running the world – but if so, they’re not concealing the whole sinister project very well
From Cleopatra to Elizabeth Taylor, women have found jewels irresistible
Helen Molesworth has produced a magnificent history of gemstones – their symbolism, provenance, and the legends surrounding the best ones
A middle-aged man in crisis: How to Make a Bomb, by Rupert Thomson, reviewed
Travelling home from an academic conference, Philip Notman suddenly feels sick and disorientated. But it will take a long time for him to identify the cause, and possible cure
Learning the art lingo: the people, periods and -isms
An aspiring artist turned journalist, Bianca Bosker wheedles her way into the New York art scene – of gallerists, collectors, glamour and gossip
The glories and blunders of Michael Gove
On the way to work, I pass a Lidl supermarket that has a new school built on top of it.…
Who dares, wins? Not Michael Gove
Michael Gove has just announced he is standing down at the election. He spent the past few days agonising privately…
Why Israeli politicians will ignore the ICJ’s ruling
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that Israel has to immediately stop the Rafah operation wouldn’t have surprised anyone…
Reform branch urges its voters to turn out on a Saturday
Richard Tice was out yesterday at Reform’s big election launch, proudly declaring that his party is ready for the upcoming…
Macron’s empire is falling apart
‘Maoré na Farantsa paka tcho!’, Emmanuel Macron declared five years ago campaigning in Mamoudzou, speaking the local language of Shimaoré…
John Swinney is making a mess of the SNP’s election campaign
Humza Yousaf lasted just over 400 days as SNP leader. Will his replacement John Swinney get that far? The question…
JK Rowling takes aim at Starmer over Duffield snub
Oh dear. It’s not yet 48 hours since Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election and already tensions are…
What’s really behind the Tories’ present woes?
Philip Hensher 25 May 2024 9:00 am
Geoffrey Wheatcroft identifies two root causes: the disastrous revision of the leadership election procedure, and David Cameron’s turn to the referendum as a device to govern