Lessons in love and loss
Some of the time, most of the time, it’s tricky to believe in God. There’s just too much that’s sad…
There’s no need to tell children about terrorists
Saturday evening in Durham. My in-laws and I had just begun our usual postprandial shout about Donald Trump when my…
Why do nurses quit? Because they care
Sometimes, on Sundays, I visit Richard, a friend who’s 95 and lives alone. The idea originally was that I’d be…
At the cutting edge
There’s a graveyard inside Henry Marsh’s head, though you’d never guess it to look at him. There he sits in…
Who dares face down the teenage gangsters?
The baby, unbothered by diesel fumes, enjoys an outing down the main road through London N1. Each passing bus is…
The mad, bad war on ‘cultural appropriation’
It’s usually best to ignore the indignant fury of the 21st-century young. We’re used to them now, these snowflakes, posing…
Redemption for the Ripper
In the autumn of 1888 London was in a state of terrified excitement over Jack the Ripper. There had never…
What will you do in the gene-editing revolution?
The only time I ever saw a wolf in the wild, a small one, I was so frightened that I…
What will you do in the gene-editing revolution?
The only time I ever saw a wolf in the wild, a small one, I was so frightened that I…
Why wouldn’t our NHS saints help a dying man?
We all think pretty highly of ourselves these days, free from old-fashioned ideas about sin. We’re good people. And yet……
Why wouldn’t our NHS saints help a dying man?
We all think pretty highly of ourselves these days, free from old-fashioned ideas about sin. We’re good people. And yet……
As the cab doors locked, I wanted to get out
I meant to get the bus, but by the time I arrived at the stop at 5 p.m. last Tuesday, I…
As the cab doors locked, I wanted to get out
I meant to get the bus, but by the time I arrived at the stop at 5 p.m. last Tuesday, I…
The unkindest cult of all
When I was 22 I met a man called Yisrayl Hawkins who said his coming had been prophesied in the…
Why I’m telling my son about the sky fairy
After we were married, my husband and I went on honeymoon to Mexico. We drove across country east to west,…
Why I’m telling my son about the sky fairy
After we were married, my husband and I went on honeymoon to Mexico. We drove across country east to west,…
My husband’s ‘gay affair’ with Gove
A few weeks ago I discovered that while he should have been focused on the fight of his life during…
My husband’s ‘gay affair’ with Gove
A few weeks ago I discovered that while he should have been focused on the fight of his life during…
How clever are ravens? I asked at the Tower
On Tower Hill, by the east wall of Beauchamp Tower where Robert Dudley was imprisoned for a year, a raven…
How clever are ravens? I asked at the Tower
On Tower Hill, by the east wall of Beauchamp Tower where Robert Dudley was imprisoned for a year, a raven…
When the fear of racism trumps everything else
Do you remember Alan Kurdi, the poor, drowned three-year-old whose photograph provoked a wave of sympathy for migrants almost exactly…
When the fear of racism trumps everything else
Do you remember Alan Kurdi, the poor, drowned three-year-old whose photograph provoked a wave of sympathy for migrants almost exactly…
The Boris-bashers should be ashamed
Throughout this fractious summer, one thing has united all the warring pundits and politicians. Left, right; Leave, Remain, everyone at…
The Boris-bashers should be ashamed
Throughout this fractious summer, one thing has united all the warring pundits and politicians. Left, right; Leave, Remain, everyone at…
Pokémon Go? I wish it would
Monday morning: one hand trapped beneath the fat and guzzling midget, with the other I idly opened the gates of…
