World
Jacques Delors: an unlikely Brexit hero
‘Up yours, Delors!’ It was the perfect headline for the Sun: crude, defiant, unambiguous and directed at a Frenchman. The paper’s…
Glasnost grips Whitehall, at last
The Cabinet Office is sometimes described as the ‘thinking brain of government’. So it’s a pity then that so little…
2024 will be a tough foreign policy year for Joe Biden
In the United States, presidential elections are rarely won or lost on foreign policy. Domestic matters like the economy, crime,…
Why are theatres so cowardly?
Looking back at the year’s West End theatre, a few shows stand out. First, the best. Vanya, starring Andrew Scott…
Can things get any worse for Olaf Scholz?
A ‘smurf’, a ‘plumber’, a ‘know-it-all’: Olaf Scholz has been called many things. But so far Germany’s chancellor has brushed…
Was 2023 Meghan and Harry’s annus horribilis?
If ever Prince Harry writes another volume of memoir, he may choose to look back on 2023 as his annus…
Why New Year trumps Christmas in Russia
What a difference a decade makes. Exactly ten years ago, Russians celebrated New Year by watching Goluboi Ogoniek (‘Little Blue…
Will Nigel Farage team up with the Tories?
How is the idea that Nigel Farage might join the ‘broad church’ Conservative party going then? Given that he floated…
I voted Remain, but there should be more pro-Brexit lords
Liz Truss has sent Matthew Elliott to the House of Lords in her resignation honours list. There are some obvious…
Is there really a ‘genocide’ of white farmers in South Africa?
Is a crime against humanity at risk of unfolding in South Africa? Elon Musk, the Pretoria-born billionaire who owns X…
When will Harvard give Claudine Gay the boot?
You are probably almost as sick of hearing about Claudine Gay — as of this writing, still the president of…
What James Daly’s parenting jibe says about the Tories
I am guessing that Tory MP James Daly has given up trying to defend his majority of 105 in Bury…
Benefits caseload to rise by 920 a day – for the next five years
Back when Radio 4’s Thought for the Day was original and insightful, Lionel Blue was a regular source of rabbinical…
Thank God Tony Blair failed to meddle in football
It seems there is a side to the former prime minister, Sir Tony Blair, that few knew existed. Until now.…
The Tories have messed up the return to imperial measurements
Cheers! You will soon once again be able to buy champagne and wine in pint bottles – Winston Churchill’s favourite measure. It…
Why can’t the BBC leave Agatha Christie alone?
I would like to report a murder. It took place in the evening of 27 December in millions of homes…
Is Keir Starmer too boring to be prime minister?
‘What do you know about Keir Starmer?’ My friend’s question came as we sat in the pub. It was part of…
The British Museum is the best home for the Elgin Marbles
Should the Elgin Marbles be returned? Greece’s argument, put forward recently by the country’s foreign minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is well…
What’s the truth about South Africa’s ‘genocide’ of white farmers?
Is a crime against humanity at risk of unfolding in South Africa? Elon Musk, the Pretoria-born billionaire who owns X…
Get ready for the 2024 Great Election Freak-Out
“If Trump wasn’t running,” said Joe Biden last week, “I’m not sure I’d be running.” That’s a curiously uninspiring remark…
Why Sunak hasn’t yet decided when to call an election
When will the election be? It’s the question that is asked whenever MPs meet. Over the Christmas recess, the issue…
Why don’t anti-racists care about anti-Semitism?
Where have all the anti-racists gone? You couldn’t move for anti-racists in recent years. They thundered from their newspaper pulpits…
The QAnon-style in anti-Israel conspiracy theories
On Boxing Day pro-Palestine demonstrators met customers at the Zara sale in the Westfield shopping centre, in Stratford, east London.…
Do evil and suffering discredit Christian belief?
It is the question of questions for most believers, let alone countless others either drawn to religion or repelled by…
Why 2024 will be tough on Joe Biden
In the United States, presidential elections are rarely won or lost on foreign policy. Domestic matters like the economy, crime,…
