Status anxiety
The number at my Christmas table is growing ever smaller
When I imagine the perfect Christmas lunch, I think of the end of A Christmas Carol in which Scrooge turns…
‘Climate scepticism’ and ‘disinformation’ are not the same thing
According to a quote in a recent article by the environment editor of the Times, I’m ‘the most prominent UK…
Michael Beale has broken my heart
Most football fans have had their attention riveted on Qatar for the past couple of weeks, but for those of…
My prescription for surviving the winter
Winter is finally upon us and I’m relying on my usual array of tablets and powders to ward off seasonal…
Gary Neville’s fairweather morality
Should England be participating in the Qatar World Cup? On the face of it, the case for a boycott is…
The case against climate change reparations
I was a little disappointed by Boris Johnson’s argument against Britain paying reparations for the damage done to developing countries…
What to do about the Equality Act
Among people of a conservative disposition, it’s long been accepted that the Equality Act needs to be repealed. This legislation,…
At last, a PM I can look down to
Rishi Sunak’s victory is a testament to how much progress we have made on the equalities front. As recently as…
The embarrassing truth about how I got injured
I had a bicycle accident last week. Not terrible, but not great either. Of the five I’ve had since I…
Will I be PayPal’s downfall?
Dan Schulman, the president and CEO of PayPal, gave an interview earlier this year entitled: ‘The thing that separates good…
Is Russell Brand really so dangerous?
Once the dust has settled over the government’s mini-Budget, another big political battle looms: the Online Safety Bill. This is…
I’m on Andrew Doyle’s side – for now
I’ve agreed to interview the author and journalist Andrew Doyle about his new book at the Conservative party conference –…
Why has PayPal cancelled the Free Speech Union?
I thought one of the benefits of being cancelled – I lost five positions in quick succession at the beginning…
What Charles shouldn’t do
One of the most regrettable trends of the past few decades is the creep of politics into every aspect of…
I’ve finally been offended by a joke
I went to the O2 on Sunday night to see the comedians Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock. Chappelle, who survived…
How science became politicised
Here’s a paradox. Over the past two-and-a-half years, a cadre of senior politicians and their ‘expert’ advisers across the world…
Confessions of a lawn obsessive
For the past few days I’ve been frantically watering my lawn in anticipation of the London hosepipe ban. True, there…
Why I’m defending a pro-Putin apologist
As a defender of free speech, I’m used to taking up the cudgels on behalf of unsavoury people. To quote…
The (occasional) joy of being a QPR fan
I made my way to Loftus Road on Saturday for QPR’s first home fixture of the season. We’ve got a…
Iceland’s scenery takes your breath away – but so do the prices
I’m writing this on the plane back from Iceland, a fact that fills me with relief. Not because I didn’t…
My Icelandic holiday with Kevin and Perry
I’m currently on holiday in Iceland. I say ‘holiday’, but I’m with my three teenage sons so it’s more like…
My brief career as a marijuana farmer
The latest heatwave reminded me of my brief career as a marijuana farmer. This wasn’t in the summer of 1976,…
Has identity politics had its day?
Have we reached peak woke? In Hollywood, that seems to be the emerging consensus. Thanks to the box office success…
My admiration for the other Toby Young
It’s started again. Sixteen years ago, another ‘Toby Young’ kept appearing in my email inbox. I’d created a Google Alert…
The day I got heckled at Speakers’ Corner
Monday was the 150th anniversary of Speakers’ Corner and, in the hope of drumming up some publicity for the Free…
