Features
Tony Abbott: How to save Brexit
It’s pretty hard for Britain’s friends, here in Australia, to make sense of the mess that’s being made of Brexit.…
Wildlife obsessives must learn when to back off
Richmond Park is an eerie place at this time of year. It’s not just that it’s the deer rutting season,…
In defence of circus animals
In a British circus, you will no longer find big cats, dancing bears or sea lions balancing on balls. Anne,…
The beauty – and eccentric parsons – of Cornwall’s wild north-east coast
The first time I encountered Morwenstowe on Cornwall’s wild north-west coast I was alone. It was early spring and the…
Divide and rule: how the EU used Ireland to take control of Brexit
The story of Britain and Ireland’s relationship has, all too often, been one of mutual incomprehension: 1066 and All That…
Why French kids don’t get fat – and British ones do
A decade ago a book called French Women Don’t Get Fat took the Anglophone world by storm. It was a…
How Bellingcat outfoxes the world’s spy agencies
Bellingcat is an independent group of exceptionally gifted Leicester-based internet researchers who use information gleaned from open sources to dig…
Getting the sack was a shock but not a surprise
It was a shock but not really a surprise. I came back from holiday at the beginning of August to…
Are you a politically correct pervert?
It hasn’t always been easy being a progressive-minded man who prides himself on his sensitivity to issues of race, gender,…
Happy Birthday, Blue Peter
Every Monday and Thursday afternoon when I was growing up, a drum roll would sound throughout suburban Britain. ‘Damian? Blue…
Durban Notebook: a nation in paralysis
No one likes uncertainty and in Britain we’ve got more than our fair share. But spare a thought for South…
Notes on Davenports Magic Shop, an emporium for serious conjurors
It’s a very fitting place for a magic shop. Hidden away in the maze of pedestrian tunnels that lead from…
Death of a dissident: Saudi Arabia and the rise of the mobster state
As someone who spent three decades working closely with intelligence services in the Arab world and the West, the Saudi…
As Assad recovers, Syria is returning to stability
In order to avoid the Labour conference and yet more predictable media attacks on Jeremy Corbyn, I escaped late last…
How the Irish see Brexit
In February, I spoke at the first ‘Irexit’ public meeting in Dublin, a discussion about options for Ireland in the…
In defence of Pret
Each year, about ten people in Britain die from allergic reactions to food. The case of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died…
Requiem for the Common Entrance Exam
So farewell, then, to the Common Entrance Exam, bane of a million schoolchildren’s lives since it was introduced in 1904.…
Thanks to Trump, the exclamation mark is having its best year! Ever!
‘The trade deal USMCA has received fantastic reviews. It will go down as one of the best ever made, and…
Break out the daiquiris, home bars are back in vogue
When I mention to people that I have written a book about home bars, the most common response is, ‘my…
Trans rights have gone wrong
Your 13-year-old daughter tells a teacher that’s she’s uncomfortable with her body. She prefers trousers to skirts, football to ballet.…
Don’t tell the parents: the official guidance to teachers of ‘trans children’
How can we help transgender children? This is a question greatly exercising politicians and many are confused about what to…
The joys of ‘Neglexit’: not being governed has its good points
The new political buzzword is ‘Neglexit’: the state of being in which, because the government is so wrapped up in…
The nowhere man of France: Corbyn’s new pal Jean-Luc Mélenchon
Jeremy Corbyn is promising to forge closer ties with his French counterpart Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the hard-left La…
A Greek tragedy: how the EU is destroying a country
‘Now Greece can finally turn the page in a crisis that has lasted too long. The worst is over.’ With…
All hail the return of the crane
The RSPB regularly gets calls from people who have seen ‘a funny bird’. ‘It’s got a red head and it’s…
