World
What is behind the increase of non-Covid related deaths?
The latest data on weekly deaths in England and Wales, published today by the Office of National Statistics, show what…
Did Erdogan order his generals to sink a Greek warship?
Could war finally be coming to the eastern Mediterranean? It’s not as excitable a question as it might first appear.…
Keir Starmer’s big problem? It's his party
When Labour MP Neil Coyle took to Twitter for his extraordinary rant against Jacob Rees-Mogg and Brexit voters, he perfectly…
Will Tory MPs really back tax rises?
Another day, another story mooting a new tax rise. Today the Sun reports the Chancellor is considering a rise in National Insurance…
No, racism isn't a 'creation of white people'
I remember that, as a small child, I was told not to talk when my father took me inside the…
The media’s wavering burden of proof
President Trump spoke mildly in defense of Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse on Tuesday, saying that the 17-year-old seemed to be…
Blaming Trump for the riots is a Democratic disaster
After months of trying to spin the nationwide unrest as ‘mostly peaceful’ or ignoring it entirely, Democrats have discovered some…
Delivering the goods?
Seattle My local post office in suburban Seattle seems to be rigged to obstruct customers these days. After standing motionless…
‘It’s not a crime to understand science': Behind the scenes at Extinction Rebellion
There was plastic aplenty at today’s Extinction Rebellion rally in Parliament Square. Plastic shoes, plastic badges, plastic sunglasses, plastic phone covers. A…
Boris's U-turn defence
Is Boris Johnson’s government jumping from one crisis to the next or is No. 10’s agenda progressing roughly as planned? It…
Swing states are the best states
Swing state season, that three- to four-month stretch of peak American crazy, is upon us. The big three states —…
The real test for Starmer will come post-Covid
Labour is gearing up for its first big Commons clash since returning from recess this afternoon, with shadow education secretary…
Putin's culture war
One thing we know that Putin reads is history. He’s keen on chronicles and biography of great Russians, presumably with an…
Coronavirus cases are mounting but deaths remain stable. Why?
Something rather odd is happening in the two Europeans nations worst hit by Covid-19. The UK and Italy have a…
Most lockdown pupils are ‘three months behind’
As schools return to full in-person teaching, a survey reveals just how far behind pupils are in their education. The…
No fun, no sex, and Zoom: the misery of the Covid campus
Usually I can’t wait for the start of a new term at university. But not this year. When students return,…
The China election
Bill Clinton, in a speech heralding China’s entry into the World Trade Organization in 2000, remarked that ‘by joining the WTO,…
After Trump, the reckoning
As voters prepare to pass judgment on Donald Trump’s presidency in November, they might want to entertain a few counterfactuals.…
Germany’s far-right and the rise of the anti-corona protests
Germany has been in uproar over the events that unfolded this Saturday, when 38,000 protesters gathered in Berlin and clashed…
Why Navalny may not be a friend of the West
At first glance, Alexei Navalny seems like exactly the sort of man the West would want to sit in the…
Boris needs to do more to fight back in the culture war
As one battles on, a reluctant volunteer in the culture war which the left is fighting on every front with…
The BBC's real problem is nothing to do with the licence fee
Lord Hall, the outgoing director general of the BBC, used his valedictory interview on Radio 4’s Media Show this week to ruminate…
Students need real teaching – not virtual campuses
The recent U-turn on masks in schools will likely undermine teaching, not only in schools but also further afield. It…
2016 all over again
I’m not an election prognosticator. I have no magic insight telling me what will happen on November 3, 2020. Frankly,…
Scexit has become a matter of faith, not fact
There is a satirical flowchart that sums up Scottish nationalism better than a thousand articles. It begins with the question:…
