Prince William should say no to a Royal reconciliation with Prince Harry
Might the King’s cancer diagnosis lead the Royals to put aside the squabbles that have torn the family apart and…
In praise of Kemi Badenoch
Whenever international affairs are proving particularly ‘interesting’ there’s always some clown who pipes up with ‘Oh, if only women ruled…
Brighton shows why you shouldn’t vote Labour
I surely wasn’t the only citizen of Brighton and Hove who breathed a sigh of relief when the Green council…
‘Sir’ Ed Davey’s Lib Dems are the real nasty party
Growing up in 1970s working-class Bristol (before it went all poke: posh and woke) life was so tribal that you…
The unbearably smug spectacle of the Golden Globes
Does anybody actually watch televised Hollywood award shows anymore unless, like me, they’re being paid to? Until ‘The Incident’ at…
What do Munroe Bergdorf and Andrew Tate have in common?
For inadequate men scared by self-willed women, by the start of the 21st century, things were getting dangerously out of hand. The old right-wing ‘Kinder, Küche,…
Don’t cry for Shane MacGowan
Shane MacGowan’s death and his star-studded funeral captured the headlines this week. But the fawning and fanfare felt oddly dissonant…
Brighton says ‘no’ to Eddie Izzard
‘If there’s one thing Eddie Izzard can’t be faulted on, it’s enthusiasm,’ Steerpike opined this week on the news that…
The parasitic poisonousness of Omid Scobie
I don’t remember exactly when I first read about the ancient courtier role of Groom of the Stool, but it’s…
Britney Spears is back with a vengeance
After years of abuse and being reduced to the status of child-robot, the singer is back on track with soaring album sales and a smash-hit memoir
Ed Sheeran’s time is up
Who’s the worst pop star of modern times? Some might say that Adele sounds like a moose with PMT –…
In defence of ‘nuisance’ buskers
I’ve always been partial to buskers. I’m sympathetic to beggars of most kinds – except the aggressive rotters, of which…
The cultural appropriation of the keffiyeh
I’ve never been sorry that I left education at 17, armed with nothing but my raw talent and splendid rack.…
Sam Smith, can you put your clothes on?
Undressing. Getting one’s kit off, whether for the gentlemen or the ladies, depending on one’s bent. Disrobing, divesting, denuding. Slipping…
Dave Courtney and the grotty reality of true crime
The death of the gangster Dave Courtney – found in his bed with a gunshot wound at the age of…
Why the kids hate Jews
The surest way to work up a crusade in favour of some good cause is to promise people they will…
The many, many faces of Keir Starmer
Is nomenclature destiny? If Keir Starmer had not been named for Keir Hardie, the founding father of the Labour party,…
Helen Mirren is perfect to play Golda Meir
The word ‘actress’ used to be interchangeable with ‘prostitute’ and though it’s a good thing that this little misunderstanding was…
What went wrong with Billy Bragg?
An online ding-dong is like a full complement of condiments at lunch; you wouldn’t want to live off it, but…
Supermarket sweep
Shoplifting is out of control
Why musicians can’t stand politicians liking their songs
I was amused to hear that Eminem has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy –…
It’s time to end the rewilding menace
There’s a ghastly predictability to the news that the University of Sussex – in Brighton, naturally – wants to set aside nearly half…
Do the police think ‘lesbian’ is a term of abuse?
Reading that a 16-year-old autistic girl had been dragged from her home by seven cops after reportedly saying a female…
Brighton rock bottom: How the Greens nearly destroyed the city I love
When you’re short-sighted, everyone seems attractive; for this reason, I don’t often wear my glasses, as I think myopia has…
