Learning French taught me to love English
One of the greatest dangers posed by the government’s curriculum review is that it will result in children abandoning more…
We should not need a court’s permission to criticise Islam
Those who believe in free speech, and those who are particularly concerned by plans to have ‘Islamophobia’ codified, ought to…
Why football fans stopped watching Match of the Day
That hoary aphorism ‘be careful what you wish for’ may be a hackneyed one, but there’s nothing football pundits like…
I visited Canterbury Cathedral’s graffiti. Here’s the worst thing about it
The first, and the lasting, impression one gets from Canterbury Cathedral’s new graffiti-style art instillation is just how reasonable and…
The tyranny of ‘kindness’
The vice-chancellor of Oxford University, Professor Irene Tracey, has been giving some gloriously counterintuitive advice recently on how to safeguard…
The problem with Lenny Henry’s demand for reparations
The desire to seek restitution from those who have harmed or wronged us is normal. Our instinct for justice is…
Judges are finally rediscovering their common sense
Believe it or not, some judges in this country are starting to show signs of having a connection with reality…
The Bar Council’s black internship scheme is racist
Human beings fundamentally hate blatant displays of unfairness. That’s why most people abhor those who jump or barge into queues,…
No, Keir Starmer: Reform’s migrant plans aren’t racist
Keir Starmer’s behaviour, demeanour and language has taken a rapid and strange turn of recent. Unable to do anything meaningful…
How ID cards destroy freedom
Those who make the case in favour of national ID cards invariably do so on pragmatic grounds. As they have…
Starmer’s ‘reclaim the flag’ mission is doomed
Does Sir Keir Starmer love his country or not? It’s been hard to tell this year. His infamous ‘island of…
The danger of defining ‘Islamophobia’
Many people have been warning for some time about the perilous consequences of introducing an official definition of ‘Islamophobia’ to…
Nish Kumar has been cancelled – but not for the reason he thinks
Nish Kumar isn’t the first television comedian to throw himself into activist politics in recent times. Another former panellist on…
Britain is becoming a nation of hermits
The malign effects of the Covid lockdowns continue to reveal themselves. The latest confirmation of the baleful legacy of that…
Progressives can never be wrong
The progressive and idealistic left will never admit that they are wrong. That’s because, possessed with a sense of mission…
Why Reform’s critics say they’re fascist
To smear your opponents as fascists or Nazis has always been the perennial temptation of those who seek to terminate…
Leave bad manners to the public, not the police
Most people deplore bad behaviour in public and gratuitous breaches of etiquette and manners on trains and buses. Few would…
Britain’s sickness is plain to see on the streets of London
The appearance of vigilantes on the streets of Bournemouth certainly represents a worrying development. What is less widely-known is that…
Why is the state so obsessed with speech crimes?
A new phrase to have arrived in earnest this year has been ‘two-tier’ justice, relating to the perceived government and…
Closing hotels won’t stop the migrant crisis
After yesterday’s landmark decision on the Bell Hotel in Epping, the next question must be: where do we go from…
What’s wrong with a St George’s Cross flag?
Flags have become a contentious and defining issue of this year. You only have to witness the furore that has…
The looming ‘Islamophobia’ scandal
Many people are now terrified to say what they think, voice unfashionable opinions, or even let slip the wrong words,…
The ‘Gen Z stare’ is another act of teenage rebellion
The latest complaint made against Generation Z is that its members now frequently assume a blank, glassy-eyed expression of indifference…
The irony of the Afghan resettlement scandal
If there is one wholesale conclusion to be drawn from the Afghan resettlement scheme scandal, it’s that a problem we…
How political ideology corrupted science
Science is no longer regarded or respected as an objective pursuit, one in which the principle of impartiality is sought…
