What I learned in a Qatari jail cell
This column nearly didn’t appear. Another 24 hours and I would have trumped the late Jeffrey Bernard with the single…
How James Goldsmith's wisdom on mistresses could revolutionise mobile phones
I wouldn’t worry much about the future of the British economy. Because I have a simple plan to make the…
Rory Sutherland: Why don't Americans have kettles?
I enjoy reading reviews of kitchen gadgetry. Clever new kitchen products are often under-appreciated. Many rituals around food preparation are…
Rory Sutherland: If there's no answer, the question's probably wrong
Until the late 1960s, the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson ran something called a ‘copy test’. It was a series…
How Grand Theft Auto prevents crime and violence
It was about a week ago, at 8 p.m., when our blackout happened. In the 1980s people would have headed…
Rory Sutherland: The one issue where we accept the idea of genetic determinism
Some people are gay. Get over it’ — this was the slogan for a campaign against homophobia. A series of YouTube…
Rory Sutherland: How to improve journey times without HS2
I am still waiting for someone to refute my argument that it would be possible to reduce the journey time…
My £30k alternative to HS2
Someone in New York told me this story. I admit that I didn’t believe it when I first heard it.…
The real reason for rotten online reviews on TripAdvisor
‘Sorry, I’d love to go the pub this evening, but I have to go out. It’s my wife’s wedding anniversary.’…
Nobody takes a flight from London to Manchester. So why would we take HS2?
From Edinburgh airport there are more than 45 flights a day to London. And, I imagine, the same number back.…
My mansion tax solution: hit rich foreigners. But no one else
I am surprised no more attention has been given to Martin Vander Weyer’s suggestion in The Spectator two weeks ago…
Think fracking’s bad for the countryside? Just look at farming…
I’m off to Balcombe this weekend. In fact I might even carry a placard and paint my face with a…
Never seen the need for a class system? Take a long-haul flight
Usually it is annoying when you have to board an aeroplane via a shuttle bus rather than an airbridge. The…
Why the NHS is like a kitten
Of all the strange behaviours of the rich, owning horses long struck me as the most bizarre. A horse, when…
Rory Sutherland: Don't abolish The Knowledge
Now that most taxi drivers use satnavs, should ‘the Knowledge’ be abolished? Shouldn’t we ditch the requirement that all London…
Why I’m hiring graduates with thirds this year
Whenever I return to my old university, I am always struck by how incredibly focused, purposeful and studious everyone seems…
