Migrants face many dangers. Are we one of them?
A few weeks ago someone very dear to me passed on a question about The Spectator, asked them by a…
In praise of the pit bull terrier
Last night I saw a woman dancing with a pit bull terrier. It was about 9 p.m. and her curtains…
In praise of the pit bull
Last night I saw a woman dancing with a pit bull terrier. It was about 9 p.m. and her curtains…
Original sin makes us better people. I wish Muslims believed in it
These days, on the subject of Islam, non-Muslims have mostly divided into two camps — though there’s a little wandering…
Original sin makes us better people. I wish Muslims believed in it
These days, on the subject of Islam, non-Muslims have mostly divided into two camps — though there’s a little wandering…
How do bright schoolgirls fall for jihadis? The same way they fall for Justin Bieber
How could they? How could girls brought up in the wealthy West abandon their families and their own bright futures…
Why do bright schoolgirls run away to Syria?
How could they? How could girls brought up in the wealthy West abandon their families and their own bright futures…
Do I really care about Ebola? Do you? Does Oxfam?
It’s strange how quickly we all forgot about Ebola. Speak for yourself, you might say — and I will. Until…
Do I care about Liberia? Do you? Does Oxfam?
It’s strange how quickly we all forgot about Ebola. Speak for yourself, you might say — and I will. Until…
The real reason GPs are grumpy: the robots are coming for them
There’s something wrong with the relationship between patients and their GPs. I’ve spent much of this winter in my local…
Would you put your life in the care of Dr Droid?
There’s something wrong with the relationship between patients and their GPs. I’ve spent much of this winter in my local…
Why scary fairy stories are the best
Moving house, stacking books in boxes, I came across a clutch of fairy books, Andrew Lang’s folk tales from around…
Patriotism isn’t uncivilised - it’s what makes civilisation possible
Is it racist to be patriotic? Is patriotism, by definition, small-minded and exclusive? When you strip away the onion layers…
Without patriotism, there’s no civilisation
Is it racist to be patriotic? Is patriotism, by definition, small-minded and exclusive? When you strip away the onion layers…
What are 16-year-olds supposed to learn by making posters?
My niece, Lara, 15, has a mind like a surgical blade. On any subject, from calculus to The X Factor,…
Why are kids making posters for their GCSEs?
My niece, Lara, 15, has a mind like a surgical blade. On any subject, from calculus to The X Factor,…
Why there’s no such thing as an Etonian
Finally, just in the last few years I’d say, we’ve all begun to accept the role of nature in the…
There’s no such thing as an Etonian
Finally, just in the last few years I’d say, we’ve all begun to accept the role of nature in the…
Is forgiveness a weapon in the war on terror?
Could you ever torture someone? Could you, under different circumstances, in a different world (I hope) than the one which…
Can brutalised jihadis be saved?
Could you ever torture someone? Could you, under different circumstances, in a different world (I hope) than the one which…
The perfectionist builder I always wanted
I have a friend who is perhaps best described by that old-fashioned phrase ‘ladies’ man’. He’s not a cad or…
Revealed: The hidden crisis in Britain's ambulance services
Britain’s ambulance services are in crisis. When will the government notice?
The ambulance service is in a state of emergency
Tom leant back against the bathroom wall, his face streaked with blood from the nosebleed, eyes half shut like an…
The ambulance service is in a state of emergency
Tom leant back against the bathroom wall, his face streaked with blood from the nosebleed, eyes half shut like an…