Who really betrayed the Great Escape prisoners?
Anyone for whom a screening of the film The Great Escape is an annual Christmas tradition will know how strong…
In defence of private members’ clubs
The members list of the men-only Garrick Club in London’s West End has remained a closely-guarded secret – until now.…
The enduring lesson of Julius Caesar’s assassination
In Rome today a group of ancient history enthusiasts will drape themselves in togas and re-enact that most infamous act of…
Meet Portugal’s new hard-right kingmakers
Portugal goes to the polls this weekend for parliamentary elections and it looks likely to become the latest European country…
Germany is the West’s weakest link against Putin
Two massive security scandals this weekend have given a shot in the arm to Putin’s war on Ukraine. Yet again…
David Cameron and the long history of the posh Arabist
Anyone with a smattering of knowledge of Britain’s troubled history in the Middle East will be unsurprised by Lord Cameron’s…
King Charles’s openness about his health marks a change for the Royals
The great ages achieved by King Charles’ mother, the Queen (96), and maternal grandmother, the Queen mother (101), show that…
Why have Germany’s spies opened a file on their old chief?
It’s not often that an ex-spymaster is spied upon by his former colleagues. But just that has happened in Germany,…
What explains the rise of Austria’s Freedom Party?
We don’t hear much about Austrian politics in Britain, which is not perhaps surprising since the landlocked Central European republic…
Conrad Black adheres firmly to the ‘great man’ view of history
The movers and shakers of Volume I of his projected history of the world are Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Hannibal rather than any socio-economic forces
The thankless life of a Post Office mistress
One of the fascinating aspects of the Horizon Post Office scandal is the way that the sub-post masters and mistresses…
When will Nigel Farage get off the fence?
Nigel Farage’s indecision continues. Despite being hyped in advance as a major unveiling of the rebel party’s programme, Reform UK’s…
Why is Sunak snubbing the Greeks?
Whatever position people take on the long-running dispute over the ownership of the Elgin marbles, there can be little doubt…
Of course Richard III killed the Princes in the Tower
When archaeologists digging beneath a Leicester car park in 2012 uncovered the battered skeleton of King Richard III, it made…
Nigel Farage’s ‘I’m A Celebrity’ appearance could come back to haunt him
After days of speculation, Nigel Farage has finally confirmed that he has accepted ITV’s invitation to go into the jungle…
Looking on the bright side
The Rochdale lass who sang her way from music hall to the silver screen encouraged a spirit of resilience and community in the interwar years, says Simon Heffer
Germany’s Ukraine tank blunder is embarrassing for Berlin
Ukraine is reported to have rejected a consignment of Germany’s Leopard 1 tanks – on the grounds that they are…
Biden and Trump are too old for office
Like the little boy who pointed out that the emperor was naked, veteran US politician Mitt Romney has just voiced…
Rishi Sunak’s crime crackdown is too little, too late
Conservative parties everywhere have traditionally been identified with maintaining law and order and cracking down on crime. As part of…
Is Putin outsourcing his espionage to Bulgaria?
Bulgaria is a country that doesn’t often feature on Britain’s radar – beyond being a location for cheap package holidays and…
Why can’t the AfD work out where it stands on Europe?
Members of Germany’s AfD (Alternative fur Deutschland) party gathered in the eastern city of Magdeburg this weekend. The party’s aim…
The shadow of the Valkyrie plot to kill Hitler still haunts Germany
Seventy-nine years ago today, 20 July 1944, Colonel Count Claus von Stauffenberg, a much-wounded young Wehrmacht officer, packed a briefcase…
Dutch government collapses following migration row
The growing continent-wide crisis caused by mass immigration into Europe has claimed another country with the collapse of the Dutch…
John Major has learned nothing over Brexit
Rishi Sunak’s government is sometimes compared to that of John Major, the man who succeeded Margaret Thatcher in 1990, went…
In seven years, Lenin changed the course of history
Between his return from exile and his death, Lenin launched – and perverted – the revolution that shapes world politics today
