The complexities of our colonial legacy
Weighing the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ effects of British imperialism is a futile exercise, says Sathnam Sanghera. But he comes perilously close to doing just that
Sisterly duty: The Painter’s Daughters, by Emily Howes, reviewed
In a celebrated portrait of his daughters, Thomas Gainsborough shows the older child protecting her sister from harm. The roles would be dramatically reversed in later life
Wishful thinking: Leaving, by Roxana Robinson, reviewed
Two former college sweethearts meet by chance in their sixties and fall in love again. But the trouble it causes makes a happy ending impossible
The English were never an overtly religious lot
Undeterred, Peter Ackroyd takes us on a breezy tour of the nation’s religious history, from the Venerable Bede to the present
Will Keir Starmer ever learn to loosen up?
The Labour leader comes across as compassionate and hard-working, but so ill at ease in front of the cameras that even his close friends fail to recognise him
There was nothing remotely pleasant about a peasant’s existence
Focusing on Ireland and his own peasant heritage, Patrick Joyce laments the passing of a distinctive way of life. But the world his parents left behind was truly horrible
Sorry? Who, us? What for?
They were the divas of the pandemic bio-security theatre crowd in Australia, with their names set up in lights every…
Iran and the Yakuza are natural criminal bedfellows
On Thursday, a 60-year-old Japanese crime boss appeared in a New York court to respond to charges that he helped…
Should Albanese rescue the nickel industry?
In 2020, Elon Musk issued a plea, ‘Please mine more nickel. Tesla will give you a giant contract for a…
Why Prevent is still failing to tackle Islamist extremism
What is the core mission of the Government’s ‘Prevent’ strategy? When William Shawcross presented his review of our flagship counter extremism programme…
Unreliable renewables will make energy more costly
It is of course good news that the Ofgem price cap for a dual fuel household bill will fall from…
Net Zero’s days are numbered
If a week is a long time in politics, then 2023 belongs to a different age in the politics of…
Was Cameron behind Prince William’s Gaza intervention?
Eyebrows in Westminster this week after Prince William opted to wade into the Gaza conflict. On Tuesday, the Prince of…
Europe’s elitist politicians have lost touch with the working classes
What links Rishi Sunak to Elly Schlein, the leader of the Italian left, and Raphaël Glucksmann, the great hope of…
Liz Truss’s Republican love-in at CPAC
‘Oh, that’s Liz Truss,’ a conservative reporter says as the former British prime minister passes us in the corridor at…
