World
The time is ripe for a liberal revival of the Church of England
Things are looking up for the Church of England. Its painful era of disunity is behind it, or soon will…
New Zealand’s election spells trouble for Hipkins’ Labour party
New Zealand’s parliament adjourns this week, officially kicking off six weeks of political campaigning ahead of a general election on…
James Cleverly is clueless on China
At least James Cleverly had somebody to meet. The Foreign Secretary’s last effort to get to Beijing was postponed after…
Heart of Invictus shows Prince Harry at his best
After a year that would have exhausted any normal human being – with the past 12 months including, but not…
James Cleverly’s China trip is a betrayal of the Uyghurs
Think of the genocides that have taken place in the past. Picture the hardened faces of the perpetrators you’ve seen…
The break up of Bosnia-Herzegovina cannot come soon enough
If you fret about a democratic deficit in the EU or even Britain, turn your mind for a moment to…
Spain’s MeToo problem goes far beyond the Rubiales scandal
The Luis Rubiales scandal is being presented in Britain as ‘The kiss that started Spain’s MeToo movement’. But, in reality,…
The truth about the backlash to France’s abaya school ban
The intellectual infirmity that has laid low much of Europe’s left this century had been painfully exposed this week in…
How Macron is preparing for Trump’s return
We are still fifteen months away from the 2024 U.S. presidential election, but much of the world is already busy trying to…
Ulez could mark the end of the road for Sadiq Khan
The metropolitan bohemian Withnail, played by Richard E Grant in the film Withnail & I, is so appalled by life…
Why this year’s Edinburgh fringe was so obsessed with death
The Edinburgh Festival is finally over, but why was this year’s event so obsessed with dying? Death is the new…
Fear and complacency in Taiwan
On a recent trip to Taiwan as a guest of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I knew that war with…
You seriously expect me to pick one favorite bar?
I was born in Wisconsin and I’ve learned a curious thing traversing it. There appears to be a state law…
What Prigozhin’s clandestine funeral says about the Kremlin
For the past week, the arrangements for Yevgeny Prigozhin’s funeral have been shrouded in secrecy. Now it has been confirmed…
Gove is right to tackle EU pollution laws blocking housing
Michael Gove has announced today that the government will scrap EU-era pollution laws which are preventing homes being built. The…
Brussel or Bruxelles? Even the locals can’t agree
Brussels is the source of all evil to many of those who supported Brexit, and even for Americans. “What’s a…
Meet the soldiers clearing mines for Ukraine’s counteroffensive
Nearly three months into their counteroffensive, the Ukrainian army has finally found a way to breach the first line of…
James Cleverly faces his biggest challenge yet on his trip to China
Much has changed since the last time a British Foreign Secretary visited China. Back in 2018, when Jeremy Hunt met…
When will the Scottish government get a grip on alcohol deaths?
Is there any amount of evidence that could convince the ‘public health’ lobby that one of their bright ideas didn’t…
Is one badly filed flight plan really to blame for the airport chaos?
A faulty flight plan filed by a French airline is unofficially being blamed for the meltdown in our national air…
Biddy Baxter and the perils of remembering the past
I’ve been reading the cracking, crackling new biography Biddy Baxter: The Woman Who Made Blue Peter by Richard Marson (he’s a friend,…
How the West made a mess of Syria
It was the last week of August 2013. I was Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The course of the Arab uprisings of…
Why weren’t police forces investigating every theft?
Police must investigate every theft. This is the message from the Home Secretary as the government heralds an agreement from…
Confessions of a Russiagate survivor
As the latest special counsel files new charges against former president Donald Trump, it’s beginning to look like legal crusades…
What Jeremy Vine gets wrong about cyclists
I can’t believe we need to say this, but here goes: Motorists should not pull over to allow cyclists to…