Stuff of legends: the surprising truth about old myths
I visited Mycenae for the first time this autumn. While the ruins of classical Athens can seem almost familiar, the…
The right reason to give back the Elgin marbles
I took my daughter to Athens for a short holiday at half-term. She is studying Ancient Greek at GCSE, which…
Why Britain should actually woo Trump
We went to Skye last year on a family holiday – an amazing island, beautiful scenery, so many great people.…
We have no idea how many people are living in Britain
A few years ago, a conspiracy theory was born, based on the idea that the population of Britain was far…
Donald Trump is still the funniest politician of our age
Donald Trump is arguably the most unsuitable candidate of any major western political party in living memory, let alone leader…
Elon Musk has a point about free speech in Britain
If there is one thing that can be said about Elon Musk, whether you like him or not, he is…
Is Britain falling apart?
My brand is pessimism so I’m wary of flogging it to death or becoming a parody of myself, but it’s…
How bad will a Labour government be?
I’m old enough to remember the sense of optimism, hope and promise felt when Tony Blair was elected back in…
The plot to erase the Anglo-Saxons
Sea-thieves messenger, deliver back in reply, tell your people this spiteful message, that here stands undaunted an Earl with his…
Britain isn’t a free country
I’m old enough to remember when ‘it’s a free country’ was a phrase people used in conversation. It feels like…
The Tories aren’t being honest about foreign marriages
Western liberalism was built on the principle of marrying out. Our beliefs about the freedom of the individual ultimately stem from…
Can post-liberalism save the Conservative party?
‘We – conservatives of left and right, all those who believe in the old way – need to win this…
What Horrible Histories gets wrong about history
I love the BBC’s Horrible Histories; in fact, I’m on record as saying it’s among the best things about being a…
National service is a bad idea that won’t go away
My father did National Service and was lucky enough to end up in Trieste, which was probably the best posting…
Blame the breed, not the owner: the truth about American Bully XLs
My dog is great with children, I will give her that. The family pet and I don’t really get on,…
The rise of the French Intifada
Seven years ago on Friday, a 31-year-old man got behind the wheel of a 19-tonne lorry and purposefully drove it…
The long defeat of the French language
After Brexit, it was all going to be so different for Europe. Following years of growing dominance by the English-speaking…
The Windrush myth
Seventy-five years ago today perhaps the most famous ship in British history arrived at this island. A new nation was…
Where is the moral outrage about Britain’s grooming gangs?
Tabloid journalism begins with W.T. Stead, who as editor of the Pall Mall Gazette in the 1880s brought news and scandal to…
What the experts got wrong about migration
On New Year’s Day, 2014, during those sunny, innocent times of Cameron, Clegg and Miliband, Labour MP Keith Vaz headed down to…
Why the Tories are more diverse than Labour
‘The candidates fighting to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative party leader and Britain’s prime minister reflect the country’s rich diversity,’…
What is the point of Boris Johnson?
However badly Boris Johnson’s career ends, it will surely be a better finale than that of his great-grandfather, the Turkish…
Why the Vikings are winning the culture war
The young woman’s screams were drowned out by the sound of drums. No older than her teens, she had been…
The mind virus killing academia
We lost a giant last month with E.O. Wilson’s passing. A man who stood on Darwin’s shoulders, Wilson had that…
