Don't grass on your neighbour if they break the hosepipe ban
There’s nothing worse than a grass. Or so goes the wisdom expressed in soap operas like EastEnders. Of course, there…
The BBC's gender equality project has come unstuck
The BBC’s 50:50 project is designed to empower women. One of its targets is to ensure that half of the contributors…
A cultural boycott of Russia plays into Putin's hands
Has the cultural boycott of Russia gone too far? Events at an Italian university this week, where writer Paolo Nori…
The war in Ukraine is not about you
In times of war and strife it’s only natural to feel anxious and worried. It’s a normal, primal reaction. What’s…
Teach kids to code? They're better off learning languages
A leading artificial intelligence professor has said that children should learn to write software. According to professor Michael Bronstein of…
James Treadwell and the true meaning of 'cancel culture'
There’s an inherent contradiction at the heart of liberal thinking that perpetually raises its head. It’s one which has become…
When will firms like Ben & Jerry's stop lecturing us?
Is anyone else fed up of corporate virtue-signalling? From banks boasting of their commitment to diversity and equality, to train…
It's too late to save comedy from 'cancel culture'
Will comedy become the latest victim of ‘cancel culture’? Dame Maureen Lipman fears as much. ‘Cancel culture, this cancelling, this…
The BBC is right to ditch the 'Bame' label
Broadcasters in the UK have declared they will no longer use the acronym BAME to refer to black, Asian and…
Mispronouncing names isn't a 'microaggression'
People can make a bewildering number of offensive transgressions these days: from using the wrong pronoun when addressing people to…
Curry isn't racist
The latest casualty in the culture wars is an innocent-sounding word: ‘curry’. Apparently it’s inappropriate to use it, and incorrect…
Why wealth matters in the free speech debate
The divide between the rich and the poor is obvious in Britain today. Whether in terms of income, geography or political…
Was what I said on Facebook really 'hate speech'?
Facebook has been accused of failing to combat extremism and hate-speech among its users. But as I found out this week,…
Who's laughing now? Cancel culture is killing comedy
The BBC and Channel 4 are self-censoring their comedy output because they are so terrified of offending people. So says…
The BBC's bid to axe left-wing comedy will fail
People of a conservative or Eurosceptic disposition should be thankful that the BBC’s new director general, Tim Davie, is to…
Vegans, your soya milk is killing the planet
In the popular imagination, veganism and environmentalism go hand-in-hand. Both are championed – often in one voice – by ultra-progressive…
Boris's misguided war on obesity
Boris Johnson has declared the government’s latest war on obesity. It’s a continuation of the war on ‘junk food’. It’s…
The rise of Britain’s new class system
Television chef Prue Leith believes that snobbery is still rife in Britain, and that it’s keeping working-class people in their…
Why are BBC dramas so obsessed with rewriting history?
If there was a Bafta award for Most Woke Television Drama, a BBC production would win every year hands down.…
Small but perfectly formed: The Romney and Hythe Railway
‘The smallest public railway in the world.’ So proclaims a faded poster at New Romney Station, the midpoint of the…
Nigel Farage is not ‘far right’
It is now fashionable to describe Nigel Farage as an ‘extremist’, ‘far right’ or ‘fascist’ politician. Last month, Dame Margaret…
The eerie beauty of London’s abandoned Tube stops
If you’ve ever travelled on London’s Piccadilly Line, you may have noticed that on the stretch between Green Park and…
The Roman road that came to define Britain
All roads lead to Rome, the saying goes. Well, all roads except for the Roman road of Watling Street, which…
Dover
When people come to Dover, it’s usually to pass through. The magnificent castle on the cliffs may be a tourist…
Woe betide you if you try to speak French in Flanders
Usually, one of the first indications that you’ve entered a bilingual country is that the road signs are in two…
