Columns
You think British trains are bad? Try German ones
I found Jean-Pierre standing at a half-open window gulping down lungfuls of stale Dutch air as our night train chuntered,…
The dangerous cult of ‘toxic parents’
Complaining about ‘toxic parents’ has been a viral hit on TikTok with videos on the topic racking up several billion…
Why should Vikings be diverse?
I don’t always watch ‘Strongest Viking’ competitions on cable. But the other day I was channel-hopping and became mesmerised by…
The doctrine of intersectionality is a dud
The almost complete absence of anything remotely resembling an intersection in the progressive doctrine of intersectionality poses a problem for…
What does the European centre-right stand for?
Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), dropped the bomb last weekend. In a TV interview, Merz…
Was I right about Iraq?
Back in March there was a glut of pieces about the 2003 Iraq war. The 20th anniversary seemed to much…
The problem with the Bibby Stockholm barge
For British taxpayers perturbed by their £6 million daily bill for housing asylum seekers in hotels, New York City mayor…
In defence of Coutts
Dame Alison Rose should not have resigned as head of NatWest over the Nigel Farage affair – and ministers who…
Labour’s reality check
Rishi Sunak goes into the summer holidays in the same position he began the year: 20 points behind in the…
The BBC’s biggest problem
As I write this, the director-general of the BBC is being quizzed on the corporation’s future by people who were…
Canada’s assisted dying horror story
My favourite Martin Amis novel was his 1991 book Time’s Arrow. It is a pyrotechnically brilliant work in which all…
When is a train strike not a train strike?
The first LNER train I booked on Sunday from Durham to London was cancelled due to ‘action short of a…
Labour vs the unions
The Labour party is preparing for power and the unions are deciding what role they might play. Friend or foe?…
The BBC is self-destructing
There are still 27 people left in the British Isles – at the time of writing – who are unaware…
Don’t write off Rishi
Were I sure this was about me alone, I’d hardly bother to mention it: but I may be typical of…
Daniel Korski and the lives of others
The news has been coming so thick and fast of late that every week there are dozens of stories we…
Heritable guilt is in vogue
I made a poor excuse for a Presbyterian even as a kid. I resented religious indoctrination every precious school-free Sunday.…
What’s there to celebrate about the NHS?
It’s a rare occasion that sees politicians put aside their feuds and rivalries to gather together at Westminster Abbey. These…
French racism is not the problem
Last week we learned that a woman in a park in Skegness was dragged into the bushes and raped by…
The narcissism of Gavin Newsom
Back in the late 1990s, when I lived in Dallas, Texas, I became fascinated by television evangelists. They were hucksters…
What does reshuffle season have in store?
Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak have something in common: both men are under pressure to reshuffle their front benches and…
The myth of intersectional politics
A few years ago I mentioned the profusion of moaning women on BBC Radio 4, after a longish car journey…
The unspeakable truth about housing
Earlier this year I was a panellist for Any Questions, and a young man in the audience asked what could…
Our God complex
Pantomime is meant to be silly and perhaps superficial, but fun. One does not (for example) join an audience for…
Joe Biden is not OK
One of the most reliable standards in international comedy has long been the outstanding ineloquence of American politicians. In this…
