Where the jackboot never fades
George Orwell once wrote: ‘All tyrannies rule through fraud and force, but once the fraud is exposed they must rely…
Is Joe Biden… winning?
Well, well, well – Joe Biden seems to be making something of a comeback. His approval rating, which dropped to…
Can Moldova resist Russia’s embrace?
At the Cathedral of the Nativity, in the middle of Moldova’s capital Chisinau, many of those bowed in prayer before…
The Dnieper rapids and why Putin does not belong in Ukraine
Za in Ukrainian – and other Slavic languages – means ‘Beyond’, and porohi means ‘the Rapids’; so Zaporizhia stands for…
The four-day working week is a sham
The challenger bank sector has been such a graveyard in recent years that I don’t hold out much hope that…
What is Pope Francis up to?
If you think your diary looks busy over the next few days, spare a thought for Pope Francis. The 85-year-old,…
Is the right about to backslide on gay rights?
In a speech to August’s CPAC gathering in Dallas, Hungarian president Viktor Orbán said a good many admirable things about the…
Transition teething problem or permanent disaster?
Politicians, regulators, and subsidy-seekers portray the present difficulties in the energy market as being part of the transition from fossil…
Setting the flacks loose on the hacks
It’s time for the flacks to be a lot tougher on the hacks. There’s absolutely no reason you should want…
Strewth-telling
As Neil Brown points out this week, the Victorian government has now embarked on the insanity of ‘our very own…
Political dystrophy
New Zealanders let down by the political party system
His lightning art
The combinations and permutations of different forms of artistic activity are always weird. Stacks of people will want to see…
Heroes of the siege
Sometimes the struggle for a single small strongpoint can tip the whole balance of a greater battle. One thinks of…
Holiday from reality
In just over a week, Britain will have a new prime minister. No one can say that the 160,000 or…
Wall Street madness
‘I don’t trust fiction,’ the famous author told me, both of us several glasses to the good. ‘It contains too…
Last words
Facing up to the prospect of one’s own mortality is always jarring; but when you’ve spent your life trying, and…
Bridge
Do we need complicated bidding systems to reach the best contracts? The Portland Club (men only) operates a no conventions…
Puzzle no. 717
White to play. Gormally–Claridge-Hansen, British Championships 2022 Black’s last move, Ra8-a7,was a fatal mistake. Which move won the game for…
High life
Gstaad As the great Yogi Berra explained: ‘It’s déjà vu all over again.’ The great one also contributed the following…
Saved from slim pickings
With the major companies largely on their summer breaks, the Edinburgh International Festival struggles to programme a high standard of…
Real life
‘If you think about it, Frankie Dettori is to blame,’ said the builder boyfriend, because when things are really bad…
Low life
Finally rain. None for months, then a violent tropical storm lasting two days. It marked the end of high summer…
Wild life
Kenya After two years of no rain, all colour has drained from the landscape on the farm so that by…
Gothic glories
There can be no clearer illustration of the central role that great cathedrals continue to play in a nation’s life…
The cars that ate Birmingham
During my gap year in 1981, I worked on the 24th floor of Birmingham’s Alpha Tower for the Regional Manpower…
