World
The sham of an assisted dying ‘citizen’s jury’
It is remarkable that the BBC decided to give the latest PR exercise in favour of assisted suicide a big…
Could Starmer face a smoking ban rebellion?
Oh dear. It appears that Sir Keir Starmer’s own MPs are rather unhappy about the Prime Minister’s proposed smoking ban…
Russia started the war. Don’t forget that
It is easy to become frustrated when politicians make statements that are blindingly obvious. Sometimes, however, it can be a…
Cheap electric cars could be the latest Brexit benefit
If Starmer were to rejoin the EU tomorrow, arch-Remainer Gavin Esler tweeted the other day, what benefits of Brexit would…
Why is Putin expelling more British diplomats?
Another six bite the dust. The British Embassy in Moscow, already pared to the bone, is being reduced by another…
How Grenoble became one of the most dangerous places in France
At the start of this year Grenoble was described as ‘France’s Silicon Valley’ and listed as one of the most…
Should prisoners jump the queue for housing?
With the mass releases from prison underway, politicians have turned their attention to what happens after inmates leave jail. On…
Ed Miliband’s Grangemouth hypocrisy
To Scotland, where the closure of the country’s only oil refinery has been announced today. The site will shut next…
Policing minister’s purse stolen at conference about theft
Sir Keir’s Labour government may be determined to deprive daily life of all fun, but there’s still a little humour…
The NHS is not underfunded
John Bell, the former Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford, was interviewed on today’s episode of the Today programme podcast.…
Facing down the Democratic legal tsunami
Sydney Smith (1771-1845), the great English wit and Anglican divine, once said that he never read a book before reviewing…
What has the SNP got against school blazers?
The much-maligned school blazer has come under attack once again, this time by Scottish government. In new guidance issued this morning, head…
Tim Walz’s Minnesota vibes
The first thing a Minnesota political activist tells me when I ask about Tim Walz is this: when he gets…
What does Appalachia mean?
The selection of J.D. Vance as Donald Trump’s running mate has made Appalachia the regional epicenter of America’s political universe.…
The pro-life problem
The pro-life movement has reason to be grateful to Donald Trump, even as it has reason to feel exasperated as…
Israel is turning its sights on Hezbollah
As its Gaza campaign cools, Israel’s attention is returning northwards. Approximately 60,000 Israelis from northern communities are still refugees. A…
Is Keir Starmer serious about reforming the NHS?
Does Keir Starmer want to use Lord Darzi’s report on the NHS today merely as the latest ‘shocking’ piece of…
My parental lobotomy
On August 25, 1953, neurosurgeon William Beecher Scoville drilled holes into the skull of a young epileptic named Henry Gustav…
The thrill of being recognized
I had just left Tate Britain and was heading toward the Pimlico underground station when I noticed an attractive woman…
A matter of presidents
Virginia spawned four of the first five US presidents. Between Reconstruction and the roaring twenties, Ohio’s executive fecundity earned it…
The Basement Government
The last presidential election was one in which the term “popular front” took on new meaning owing to the Covid…
Eighty years on, Smokey Bear has aged like a fine oak
On a muggy mid-morning in early August, I arrived at the Berks County (Pennsylvania) Heritage Center to celebrate the birthday…
Mick Lynch blasted for ‘bonkers’ pro-Palestine comments
To the Trades Union Congress conference, where Mick Lynch is once again at the centre of political controversy. The RMT…
The return of CRT TVs
Cathode-ray televisions — the thick, “fat” CRT TVs of my youth — were dead. You couldn’t find them in secondhand…
Falling in love with Montana
“You have a big mountain to climb!” is not the sort of text you eagerly await from your girlfriend’s father.…
