Liz Truss has a language problem
‘Grow the pie’. Somebody thought ‘grow the pie’ was The Thing, that ‘grow the pie’ was it. That this knockout…
Why can't MPs let Truss be Truss?
Our common culture – the huge audiences that tv, film and pop music used to attract – has evaporated. Politics…
The British Social Attitudes survey misunderstands social attitudes
‘I’m not sure I even know what woke means,’ tweeted barrister Chris Daw at the weekend, ‘but if it’s just…
Why ordinary people cannot enter the arts world
Recent sad events have seen everybody behaving exactly as you would expect. There’s nothing wrong about that. A certain continuity…
David Bowie was not authentic
The death of the Queen has led to a host of peculiar postponements. Perhaps the strangest was the announcement that…
Why don’t we put warnings on smartphones?
On a recent trip to Sainsbury’s, I was perplexed to find nothing where it should be. I’m used to things…
The Tory party myth isn’t real
The Conservative party leadership contest (sometimes referred to as a ‘race’, which is pushing it) is nearing its end. It’ll…
Why is JK Rowling missing from this influential artists list?
Rarified cable TV channel Sky Arts has recently revealed its list of the top 50 most influential British artists of…
Did my generation break Britain?
When I was 11, I was a pompous little git, but was I also a playground prophet? It first dawned on me…
Who is Sandi Toksvig to lecture Justin Welby about sin?
Has Justin Welby met his match in Sandi Toksvig? The entertainer has sent an open letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury,…
Does Stonewall have no shame?
Watching people brazening it out can be tremendous fun. The higher the stakes, the more extreme the disparity between reality…
Liz Truss is wooden. And it works
Barring a disaster — given her record, that’s not impossible — Liz Truss will soon be the prime minister. She…
The death of bad-taste humour
The death of bad-taste humour
It’s impossible to know which crisis to take seriously
As I write this, the first day of the heatwave has just dawned. FEAR COMES THE SUN is the Daily…
The desperate drive to be the next Tory leader
There’s a scent in the air around the Tory leadership contest. It is the whiff of desperation. The aroma of…
