The joy of the British euphemism
In the midst of a quiet afternoon tidying my home library – that noble pursuit which always begins with ambition…
The Mandelson scandal is so typically British
Peter Mandelson’s resignation from the House of Lords – and the Labour party – is all rather undignified. The Epstein…
The culture wars are exhausting Britain – and puzzling its friends
As an outside observer sitting in Warsaw, there is a peculiarly persistent oddity in the culture wars of Britain. For…
What Agatha Christie’s migrants teach us about Britain
Agatha Christie, who died fifty years ago today on 12 January 1976, possessed a genius for making the ordinary strange.…
Britain doesn’t need to become great again – it already is
After three-and-a-half years as Poland’s ambassador in London, I’ve come home with two strong impressions. The first: the United Kingdom…
Polish plumbers and the problem with national stereotypes
In 1614, the Scottish writer John Barclay published a slim Latin book with the grand title Icon Animorum, or The Mirror of…
No, Nigel Farage: Eastern Europeans like me aren’t eating swans
The Royal Parks have spoken: no, London’s swans are not being roasted for supper. Their cygnets are intact, their lakes…
Lazy Polish stereotypes are spoiling British films
Netflix’s film of The Thursday Murder Club has all the makings of a British export hit: a cosy crime plot, a cast…
