Leading article
Indefensible
With the exception of 1983, when Michael Foot promised unilateral nuclear disarmament, defence has played little role in modern election…
The Conservatives should be the party of immigrants — and here’s how they can be
For a long while, the Conservatives have been puzzled about their lack of popularity among immigrants. In theory, the Conservative…
Migrant muddle
For a long while, the Conservatives have been puzzled about their lack of popularity among immigrants. In theory, the Conservative…
James McAvoy is wrong – the arts are better off without subsidy
The season of cringe-making acceptance speeches at arts awards ceremonies is nearly over, thank heavens. But it hasn’t passed without…
If you really love the NHS, you know it needs to change
To adapt Aeschylus’s aphorism on war and truth, the first casualty in a general election campaign is objectivity. Over the…
The real problem with our MPs: they’re obsessed with the super-rich
Had the public been asked, before Monday morning, to identify two MPs who stood for honesty and decency, the names…
Let Greece leave the eurozone
To listen to Greek government ministers addressing the outside world during their breaks from negotiations with eurozone leaders this week,…
In this election, won't someone please weaponise defence?
Britain is forfeiting its position on the world stage. With no national debate, we are surrendering our claim to be…
Proof that the schools revolution isn’t over
For those who assumed that the removal of Michael Gove as Education Secretary marked the end of the Conservatives’ scholastic…
Calling the Green party socialist is an insult to socialists
The Green party has been likened to a watermelon: green on the outside and red on the inside. But that…
Don't believe the gloom-mongers: deflation will be good for Britain
Campaigning in Putney in 1978, Mrs Thatcher famously took out a pair of scissors and cut a pound note down…
David Cameron has a very strange idea of freedom
Last Sunday, David Cameron marched through Paris in solidarity, so it seemed, with those who stand up for free speech.…
The attack on Charlie Hebdo is an attack on freedom
The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo lambasts, attacks and lampoons absolutely everybody. Its targets include all religions, all identity groups,…
What David Cameron must do to win (properly this time)
Almost exactly five years ago, the Conservatives fired the starting gun for a general election — and shot themselves in…
Why do the Liberal Democrats see the over-65s as a "time bomb"?
We are living longer, healthier and more prosperous lives than ever — it’s one of the greatest advances of our…
George Osborne's ambition deficit
When George Osborne first became Chancellor, he asked to be judged on his ability to reduce the deficit. He does…
Playing chicken with Vladimir Putin
An official end to the Cold War was declared at a summit between President George H. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev…
Spare us a Bob?
Anyone listening to the BBC this week could be forgiven for thinking that the musician Bob Geldof had just emerged…
Thank heavens for Justin Welby!
For decades, interventions of the Archbishop of Canterbury in national debate were like a sporadic bombardment of small pebbles against…
Say no to devolution without democracy
Imagine if, in one of her first acts as First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon announced that, in spite of…
How to fight Ukip
In the 2005 general election this magazine supported the Conservatives, with one exception — we urged voters in Medway not to…
Deal with the debt, George Osborne? You’ve hardly started
George Osborne has declared victory over Ed Balls, the IMF and all the others who warned that his austerity measures…
If Turkey turns on the West, what hope is there for Syria and Iraq?
Turkey has long been a bridge between the West and the Middle East. Its record on free speech may be…
There is a way to beat Ebola (and we're already doing it)
There is something depressing about the fact that it has taken a sick Spanish nurse to put Ebola back on…
Britain doesn't need hateful laws to defeat hate preachers
If the Labour party conference in Manchester felt like a funeral, the Conservatives’ gathering in Birmingham had the air of…
