Portrait of the week: Brexit flextension, the demise of Debenhams and a real shower in the Commons
Home Theresa May, the Prime Minister, wrote to Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, asking for an extension…
Eight things claimed to be worse than smoking
Flextensions Some organisations which may have benefited from Donald Tusk’s offer of a ‘flextension’ to Article 50: — Adidas, which…
Letters: Of course Brexit is David Cameron’s fault
All Cameron’s fault Sir: In this time of febrile political speculation, there can have been few more arresting subject headings…
to 2400: Unclued
The preamble suggests that unclued entries are partial anagrams of UNCLUED. The ‘repeated cryptic clue (= anagram of CLUE)’ ‘fixes…
If the EU refuses an extension, voters want a no-deal Brexit. MPs should listen
One of the many tragedies of Theresa May’s premiership is that, having come up with a coherent policy on how…
Portrait of the week: Brexit complications, avocado woes and London knife crime
Home Brexit exerted ever stranger effects on politics. After an eight-hour cabinet meeting, Theresa May, the Prime Minister, said she…
Supreme but not respected
From ‘The disconsideration of the House of Commons’, 5 April 1919: The House of Commons is legally supreme in the…
How is the country split over Brexit?
German customs The original customs union, or Zollverein, was established by Prussia along with 17 other states which make up…
Letters: The Brexit chaos isn’t David Cameron’s fault
About the Bible Sir: I was confirmed by Richard Holloway as a schoolboy at Fettes College, and then taught by…
to 2399: Lines of Work
The unclued lights form the folk rhyme ‘Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar-man, thief’. A.A. Milne (MILNE…
The absurdity of censoring anti-vaxxers
It is not hard to make the case that vaccination programmes have been one of the greatest contributions to mankind…
Portrait of the week: Brexit games, Trump’s win, and the EU stops the clock
Home The House of Commons voted to take Brexit business into its own hands, passing by 329 to 302 an…
The maddest road signs from around the world
Silly signs The Department for Transport ordered councils to remove ‘obsolete and unnecessary’ road signs. Some examples of the art…
Letters: Theresa May is definitely not the worst ever PM
Still better than Cameron Sir: I disagree with your editorial (‘Agony prolonged’, 23 March) that Theresa May is the worst…
to 2398: All steamed up
The unclued lights are the names of FAMOUS STEAM TRAINS including the pairs at 14/15 and 17/30. First prize Jenny…
The Conservative Party bears the most blame for the Brexit mess
For many people, next Friday was supposed to be a celebration. Boris Johnson spoke about an ‘independence day’ marking the…
Portrait of the week: Brexit delay, terror in NZ, and a very expensive pigeon
Home Theresa May, the Prime Minister, wrote to Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, asking for a delay…
The biggest explosions in history
The march of time If we leave the EU on 29 March, with which historic events will that date be…
to 2397: Obit V
Albert Finney, a fine ACTOR (13), died on 7 February 2019. His legacy includes SATURDAY NIGHT (10) and SUNDAY MORNING…
The Tories are squandering the opportunity of Brexit
In all the madness of the Brexit voting, it’s easy to forget that Philip Hammond revealed a mini-Budget this week. Even…
Portrait of the week: government defeat, the spring statement and a fatal airplane crash
Home The government was defeated by 149 votes — 391 to 242 — on the EU withdrawal agreement presented by…
Will no-deal Brexit fears lead to cheaper flights?
Cox’s codpiece Attorney general Geoffrey Cox returned from Brussels without even a ‘codpiece’, the name used by some Tories for…
to 2396: Reader …,
Unclued lights were husbands (40A) of Jane Austen’s heroines. First prize Alison Hinder, Sholing, SouthamptonRunners-up Janet Dibley, Polegate, East Sussex;…
Why MPs must hold their nose and back May’s Brexit deal
It is becoming painfully clear that on Tuesday the House of Commons will be asked to vote on an EU…
Portrait of the week: Britain’s knife crime epidemic, a trip to Brussels and Emmanuel Macron’s EU plea
Home Two 17-year-olds were stabbed to death in London and Manchester, bringing the number of teenagers killed in knife crime…
