World
The BBC only has itself to blame for the licence fee mess
For an organisation that likes to be popular these are troubling times for the BBC. This month the Corporation started…
There is no ‘do no harm’ VP pick
If you’ve kept half an eye on the ‘who will it be?’ story that is the Democratic party’s vice-presidential nomination,…
How many years of life did lockdown save – or destroy?
It’s official – lockdown will eventually have a greater impact on our lives and health than Covid-19 itself. That, at…
Belarus’s regime is nearing collapse
It’s hard to believe Belarus’s Alexander Lukashenko will retain his half-affectionate, half-exasperated nickname ‘Batka’ (Dad) after his re-election yesterday in…
The Lib Dem paradox
Are the Lib Dems finished? It’s not the first time that question has been asked. In fact, it’s a fairly…
The Greens turn red
The Green party has nominated Howie Hawkins to the presidency of the United States. But Hawkins’s victory has seemed preordained…
The Democrats want a Cold War, but will they get a civil war?
With the Swamp lovingly tended under the Obama/Biden administration, the Democrats sense a chance to end President Trump and carry…
New York vs NRA — and the silencing of dissent
On Thursday morning, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a lawsuit against the National Rifle Association. According to James,…
Herd immunity is still key in the fight against Covid-19
Open or close? Open the schools and close the pubs? Open bowling alleys but not skating rinks? Allow open restaurants…
Why are black Americans likelier to die of COVID than Latinos?
Only part of the dramatic racial differences in age-adjusted COVID-19 death rates can be explained by racial differences. The remainder reflects a substantially lower black…
Meet Gen Z GOP, a group of confused liberals
Meet the hip new Republican youth group: ‘Gen Z GOP’. Media outlets welcomed the group with open arms. NeverTrumper Bill…
Will HSBC protect its pro-democracy staff in Hong Kong?
Noel Quinn, the chief executive of HSBC, declines to say whether his bank will disown pro-democracy staff who fall foul…
What’s on the agenda?
Donald Trump has been tight-lipped about his second-term agenda, preferring to speak about the past accomplishments of his administration when…
Spain's bizarre mask policies
Spain has a reputation for having some of the strictest policies on masks in Europe, with the public even encouraged…
What's up with Macron's Lawrence of Arabia stunt?
President Macron neither lacks chutzpah nor a lust for drama. His walkabout yesterday amid the devastation of Lebanon’s Beirut, following…
Evening Standard sacks nearly half its journalists after Covid crunch
Last Friday, Evgeny Lebedev, owner of the Independent and the Evening Standard, was celebrating his nomination for a peerage. But…
Palmerston's retirement leaves Larry as top cat
Power struggles at the heart of government continued today, with a key member of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office announcing…
The real Covid-19 threat
Daniel Kahneman called it anchoring; I call it tunnel vision. It’s when we depend too heavily on our pre-existing ideas…
Hidin’ Biden’s basement convention
Not everyone appreciates the extent to which the Democrats pushing Joe Biden for president are students of Samuel Taylor Coleridge.…
Cancelling Kindergarten Cop is a step too far
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s late-Eighties to early-Nineties comedies have not gone down in history as great triumphs. Films like Junior and Twins…
Top Democrats contemplate civil war if Biden loses
The chattering caste of Washington DC has spent much of the summer obsessed with the idea that Donald Trump will…
Facebook is wrong to censor Donald Trump
Donald Trump has hardly covered himself in glory in his latest public responses to the pandemic. His calamitous interview with…
Can Douglas Ross stop Scexit?
Douglas Ross is the new leader of the Scottish Conservatives and since his predecessor lasted all of 167 days, best…
Pakistan has transformed into a covid-19 success story
As the covid-19 pandemic rages on, Pakistan is emerging as an unheralded, and unlikely, success story. Despite having the fifth…
Europe is finally coming to terms with Brexit
An article in the Dutch, left-leaning newspaper Het Parool led with the headline ‘Despite Brexit, multinationals prefer London over Amsterdam…
