World
Beer and loathing: Why Russians loved and hated Gorbachev
A paradox about Mikhail Gorbachev for my generation of Russians – I was seven years old when he became general…
Why Poland wants Germany to pay war reparations
Poland commemorated the 83rd anniversary of its invasion by Nazi Germany this week. To mark the occasion the leader of…
Will Liz Truss's Tory party practice what it preaches?
The Tory party is very good at pointing out — and profiting from — how the Labour party often values…
Will Chad become Africa’s next warzone?
If you went to Doha this summer, you may have seen some militiamen from Chad. Perhaps at breakfast. For the…
Vaccines disguised the errors of our lockdown policy
Liz Truss’s statement that she would never authorise another lockdown and The Spectator’s interview with Rishi Sunak have triggered a…
The case for energy nationalisation
We are living through an energy crisis unlike anything since the oil shocks of 1973 and 1979. The average household…
The problem with parliament’s partygate inquiry
Boris Johnson has recently employed the services of the lawyer Lord Pannick, who has given his legal opinion on a…
Why it’s still worth asking questions on lockdown
Rishi Sunak’s interview in last week’s magazine has inspired a lot of comment. Two this week: Lee Cain, ex-No. 10…
Macron is blaming Putin for his own net zero folly
France is at war again, or as good as, according to Emmanuel Manuel’s recent rhetoric. This time the enemy is…
Putin’s closure of Nord Stream 1 has left Britain exposed
Few will be minded to believe Russia’s explanation for cutting off Nord Stream 1 pipeline – that it is a…
Remembering Gorbachev
In early January 1997, I met my boyhood hero. It was in the grounds of his wintry dacha outside Moscow.…
Ukraine’s Kherson offensive may have already been a success
The Ukrainian armed forces launched a long–awaited offensive on Kherson this week. However, the counter-offensive was signalled for so long…
Is Liz Truss the British Trump?
Readers must understand how the jargon of political chicanery has corrupted journalism if they are to make sense of the…
Why the Baltics fear Russia
In the historic heart of Riga, Latvia’s lively capital, there is a building that reveals why the Baltic States remain…
Biden declares war on half the country
Joe Biden’s speech at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall on Thursday was one of the most remarkable in living memory. By “remarkable,” I…
The truth about Extinction Rebellion
Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse – Extinction Rebellion are back! Well, if you thought an unprecedented…
Is the Boris partygate probe 'flawed'?
The new prime minister has not been announced yet, but Lord Marland – an ally of Boris Johnson – has…
Boris's resignation honours list: runners and riders
There’s very much an end of days feel in SW1 right now. With parliament in recess and a Truss coronation…
France can’t keep its Jews safe
France is home to roughly half-a-million Jews. The country’s Jewish community is the largest in Europe, and the third largest…
Will Marine Le Pen betray her voters the way Boris did?
How do you solve a problem like Jean-Marie? That is dilemma facing Marine Le Pen as her National Rally party…
What the defenestration of Ravil Maganov says about Russia
In my travels when I was still persona grata in Russia, I never got the sense that their windows were…
US lockdowns wipe out decades of maths and reading progress
In Britain, the damage of lockdown was easily covered up by grade inflation: with 45 per cent of A Level…
Who will fill the Boris void?
Boris Johnson’s last set piece speech today was typical him. There were references to Ladybird books, attempts to blame the…
Truss's Oxford Europhilia revealed
Throughout the leadership contest, Liz Truss has been all too keen to paint herself as a Brexit queen, keen to…
Poll: voters don't want Boris in Truss's Cabinet
The Tory leadership race is almost over and at last a new PM will be announced. Most expect that next…
