World
France’s Boomers have a lot to answer for
Paris has banned e-scooters after the people were asked to vote in a referendum. Not many of the capital’s 1.38…
The National Audubon Society considers canceling itself
How thoroughly has diversity, equity and inclusion penetrated the sciences? “To the core!” at least if the recent travails of…
Watching baseball as Seattle crumbles
It’s a better thing to travel hopefully than to arrive, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote back in 1881. I find myself…
Nigel Lawson: 1932-2023
Nigel Lawson has died at the age of 91. He was the editor of The Spectator from 1966 to 1970…
By reducing oil production, Opec is only helping Russia
Just when we thought inflationary forces were softening, the price of crude oil has shot up sharply today in response…
How to take an iconic mugshot
So you’re going to be arrested imminently: how do you prepare? I’ve dwelled on this question often since my arrest…
What would be the real cost of defending Taiwan?
It’s 2026 and China begins its invasion of Taiwan with an intense missile bombardment that in a few hours destroys…
Watch: Jacinda Ardern’s successor struggles to define a woman
Is Labour’s state of confusion about sex and gender going global? Labour leader Keir Starmer was widely mocked this weekend…
Who is behind the murder of Putin’s propagandist?
Those who live by hate often die by hate, too. Maxim Fomin, better known as Vladlen Tatarsky, was one of…
Now Humza’s henchman takes aim at Rod
There’s no shortage of problems in Humza Yousaf’s in-tray as he gets his feet under the desk at Bute House.…
Britain deserves better than Keir Starmer’s opportunism
A few weeks ago, Keir Starmer was told by his advisers that he would have to U-turn on his radical…
Why Sanna Marin lost Finland’s election
A journalist and observer of Finnish politics once said there is one headline that works for every Finnish election: ‘Finland…
Don’t spare us the asparagus
Asparagus inspires gentle thoughts, or so said Charles Lamb in an essay about grace before meals. Other vegetables had come…
It’s time for a reckoning with Chinese big tech
It has been a bumpy week for China’s beleaguered technology giants. They are under increasing scrutiny overseas, and the communist…
Britain’s new trade deal is about more than GDP
With the announcement this week confirming the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the…
The problem with holding iftar in Manchester Cathedral
During Ramadan, which began last week, sunset finds observant Muslims taking their iftar, a ceremonial breaking of the rigorous fast,…
The Guardian’s self-laceration is embarrassing to watch
The Guardian is currently engaged in an orgy of sanctimonious breast-beating. After two years’ research commissioned by its proprietor, the…
The rise and fall of bohemia
In the Kunsthalle Praha, a smart new gallery in Prague, a Scottish professor from UCLA called Russell Ferguson is trying…
Dominic Cummings understands Singapore. The Tories still don’t
I’ve read Kwasi Kwarteng’s surprisingly positive review of my book, Crack-Up Capitalism. Although it was unexpected to see someone from the…
Is North Korea about to test another nuke?
North Korea’s spring has started with a bang. The United States and South Korea have staged their largest joint military exercises in five years,…
Putin is copying the propaganda playbook of Serbian war criminals
A year ago, Ukrainian soldiers discovered evidence of the Bucha massacre in which Russian forces slaughtered hundreds of Ukrainians in…
For once, there’s a battle of ideas happening in the Tory party
Yesterday’s announcement that the UK has joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership brought with it a unique sense of…
After 50 years: where next for VAT?
What is the appropriate act to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Value Added Tax in the UK? Are we celebrating?…
AI is the death of porn
I have a friend, let’s call her Ellie, who has a diverting side hustle: she sells erotic images of herself…
Did Brexit save Britain from France’s fate?
Stéphane Rozès, the author of a book entitled ‘Chaos’, was on French radio this week receiving congratulations for being a…
