A pet’s death is as painful as losing a family member
When a pet dies, grief doesn’t arrive alone. It brings with it an awkward entourage: embarrassment, self-consciousness, the creeping suspicion…
The National Trust should appreciate its eccentric volunteers
The National Trust has blacklisted a 71-year-old volunteer after he pointed out thousands of spelling mistakes and factual errors on…
Don’t assume Donald Trump wants nuclear Armageddon
Donald Trump is plotting to turn Britain into a ‘nuclear launchpad’, according to a startling report in the Daily Mail.…
Christmas dinner is hell for vegans
It’s one of the last bastions of national orthodoxy, one that people look forward to for months, but many vegans…
A ban on animal testing is long overdue
I was 12 years of age and mooching along Putney high street when someone thrust into my hand a leaflet…
Halloween is being spoilt
It may be a pagan festival but thank God for Halloween and all its joys: the child’s delight at being…
Strava is ruining running
When I first started running 25 years ago, it was the simplicity that captured my heart. There were no complicated…
Why you shouldn’t travel with your pets
Transport for London is refusing to take down a social media video which encourages owners to take their cats on…
What’s wrong with ‘angry, middle-aged white men’, Gary Neville?
Just when you thought we could all stop talking about flags, Gary Neville has arrived with his size ten boots…
The thought of Lucy Letby’s innocence is too appalling to bear
Lucy Letby’s barrister says she has ‘new hope’, as he prepares to submit 1,000 pages of fresh evidence that he…
London needs more – not fewer – ‘headphone dodgers’
When you’re travelling abroad, a good way of getting the measure of any city is the culture of its public…
The tide is turning against firework displays
News headlines about a Labour council banning fireworks to avoid upsetting baby pandas are certainly eye-catching. It’s true that Edinburgh…
Can Taylor Swift save us from the Oasis bore-off?
The news that Taylor Swift is releasing her 12th album in October will thrill her fans but perhaps we should…
How I made Facebook nice again
Social media can still be a force for good, as I found out last weekend when we woke up with…
Why Oasis is like Reform
Almost 16 years after they last performed live, Oasis kick off their reunion tour tonight and for every ‘mad for…
The triumph of Noel Edmonds
When Deal or No Deal hit our TV screens in 2005, it soon became a national obsession. I remember hotfooting it…
David Beckham deserves his knighthood
Leonardo DiCaprio got his Oscar after 23 years. King Charles was crowned after 70 years. And now David Beckham will…
What is the point of the RSPCA?
The secretly-filmed footage is a horror show. Hens are desperately trying to escape as they suffocate in a gas chamber.…
Are vegetarians really hungry for power?
The secret is out: vegetarians are ‘tougher’ and more ‘power-hungry’ than meat eaters, according to a study in the Times this morning.…
Why shouldn’t vegans be catered for in an apocalypse?
You know you’ve arrived when professors start thinking about how to look after you during a major emergency. As a…
Those remaking Threads mustn’t soften the horror
I was 11 years old when I saw the mushroom cloud go up but this wasn’t Hiroshima or Nagasaki in…
We need more animal cruelty on TV
Animal rights campaigners are up in arms because Disney+ is able to use a legal loophole to broadcast a scene…
Gary Lineker isn’t the only quiet man of football to find his voice
Sometimes it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for. Gary Lineker, who presented his final Match of the…
In defence of seagulls
We Brits used to rub along pretty well with seagulls. Their distinctive call conjured memories of happy days out at…
Long live David Attenborough
Britain can sometimes feel like it’s no country for old men. Our elderly folk get a hard time; they’re blamed…
