A fight on our hands
The power wielded by Nicola Sturgeon and her Scottish government means it’s hard to hold her to account for basic…
Portrait of the week
Home The world was agog, some in tears, some in synchronised toe-curling, as the Duchess of Sussex and her husband…
Touching distance
Since the start of this year, cases of Covid-19 have been in decline. Hospital admissions have fallen 80 per cent…
to 2494: Back to front
Unclued lights are from the ‘Looking Glass’ poem Jabberwocky. First prize Alison Peck, Mathry, PembrokeshireRunners-up Patricia Gibbs, Barrow upon Soar,…
Letters
Spinning plates Sir: Kate Andrews is right to highlight the looming risk of inflation (‘Rishi’s nightmare’, 6 March), but to…
Barometer
Good for the goose The government indicated that it will ban foie gras, out of animal welfare concerns. While it…
Portrait of the Week
Home First-dose coronavirus vaccinations totalled more than 20 million. A study suggested that in the over-eighties, a single dose of…
Barometer
French lessons France’s former president Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to three years in jail, with two of them suspended, for…
Letters
The key to the Union Sir: ‘Love-bombing’ the Scottish electorate with supplemental spending in devolved areas (‘The break-up’, 27 February)…
A democratic deficit
The campaign for a Scottish parliament was rooted in the notion of a ‘democratic deficit’. Scotland kept voting Labour but…
to 2493: Opposites
‘I WANT TO BE ALONE’ (1A) and ‘COME UP AND SEE ME SOMETIME’ (49/27) were supposedly said by Greta GARBO…
No offence
At a time when resources are scarce, the Merseyside Constabulary must have thought long and hard about its recent advertising…
Solution to 2492: Little man
The solution at 1 Across includes the theme-word PAUL which means ‘little’, hence the puzzle’s title. First prize Mike Leese,…
Letters
Nothing to fear Sir: Many of us await the day when we can travel abroad for much-anticipated holidays — but…
Barometer
State of the art Graffiti on Edvard Munch’s first version of ‘The Scream’ was revealed to be the work of…
Portrait of the Week
Home The much-anticipated decriminalisation of two consenting people meeting over coffee on a park bench was declared for 8 March…
Letters
Too many bishops Sir: As a former Anglican clergyman, I have been following your articles about the current state of…
to 2491: Recycling
The ten unclued lights comprise the seven primary Wombles, best known for their recycling of objects found on Wimbledon Common.…
Barometer
Target practice The government hit its target of giving a first Covid vaccine to 15 million of the most vulnerable…
Portrait of the Week
Home The target was achieved of vaccinating, by the middle of February, about 15 million people of 70 or over,…
On life and liberty
When the Prime Minister sets out his ‘roadmap’ for easing Covid restrictions on Monday, it will be against a backdrop…
Rebuilding welfare
Amid the many failures of public policy during the Covid crisis, one success has gone largely unnoticed. The Universal Credit…
Barometer
Temper, temper A Zoom video of a disruptive parish council meeting in Handforth, Cheshire, went viral. It is not the…
Solution to 2490: Arrangement
Suggested by 30 (IKEBANA, or flower arranging), the unclued lights were all anagrams of flowers: 1A gardenia; 18 rose; 22…
Portrait of the week
Home On Sunday 7 February, as the week began, 11,465,210 people in the United Kingdom had received a first vaccination…
