Columnists

The awkward truth about democracy in action

5 September 2013 1:00 pm

After David Cameron’s decision to seek parliamentary approval for air strikes against Syria, two lobbies came charging in, banners aloft.…

The PM is preparing for another coalition. His colleagues have other plans

31 August 2013 9:00 am

Conservatives have been returning to their Westminster offices this week to find the wind behind them. Something suddenly seems to…

Why must we worry about London’s success?

31 August 2013 9:00 am

For a long time my view of the Imperial Capital — as, like other Scots, I am still prone to…

The tao of Ayn Rand

31 August 2013 9:00 am

I’m now half way through Atlas Shrugged and I’m loving almost every moment. But Ayn Rand isn’t someone you read…

By all means wring your hands over Syria. Just don’t ask me to trust you

31 August 2013 9:00 am

They’re getting the rebuttals in early, have you noticed that? You might call them a pre-emptive strikes. Here’s William Hague,…

How our rich new neighbours can help solve the affordable housing shortage

31 August 2013 9:00 am

The mega-rich are best housed behind high fences, on wooded estates patrolled by dogs; that way, they don’t have to…

By all means wring your hands over Syria. Just don’t ask me to trust you

29 August 2013 1:00 pm

They’re getting the rebuttals in early, have you noticed that? You might call them a pre-emptive strikes. Here’s William Hague,…

The tao of Ayn Rand

29 August 2013 1:00 pm

I’m now half way through Atlas Shrugged and I’m loving almost every moment. But Ayn Rand isn’t someone you read…

Election time in Australia: Tony Abbott looks set to oust Labor’s Kevin Rudd

24 August 2013 9:00 am

Sometimes only a cliché will do, especially when the subject is the Australian Labor party. Labor is holed beneath the…

I don’t think it’s over in the Balkans

24 August 2013 9:00 am

I returned last week from a short break in the Balkans; travelling by train in Serbia, walking from village to…

Unpaid internships turned me into a banker – but I still think they’re a good thing

24 August 2013 9:00 am

My thanks to ‘AndyB’, the only reader who posted an online comment on my column last week. It was ‘Don’t…

A far diet from Kensington

24 August 2013 9:00 am

Those of you dieting your way to a svelte physique amid the flesh-exposing terrors of summer should take courage from…

I don’t think it’s over in the Balkans

22 August 2013 1:00 pm

I returned last week from a short break in the Balkans; travelling by train in Serbia, walking from village to…

A far diet from Kensington

22 August 2013 1:00 pm

Those of you dieting your way to a svelte physique amid the flesh-exposing terrors of summer should take courage from…

A far diet from Kensington

22 August 2013 1:00 pm

Those of you dieting your way to a svelte physique amid the flesh-exposing terrors of summer should take courage from…

Ed Miliband’s hidden head start

17 August 2013 9:00 am

Coming back to the office after a holiday is never a pleasant experience. There’s the clogged inbox, the reminders that…

The sad story of Oprah, the handbag and the shop assistant

17 August 2013 9:00 am

Listen, this story is moving so quickly stuff will almost certainly have happened in between me writing it and you…

Ukip are playing it safe – so they’ve rejected me

17 August 2013 9:00 am

So farewell then £80,000 salary, £150,000 expense account, secretary, team of assistants, constituency office, first-class travel, immunity from prosecution, Brussels…

House prices are going up again. I fear this is not going to end well

17 August 2013 9:00 am

It’s senseless to ask how things are going to end, because things as a general rule don’t. They rumble on,…

Back off, nimbyists, or fracking will benefit Beijing more than Balcombe

17 August 2013 9:00 am

The fracking debate has been brought to a new heat by David Cameron’s message to Home Counties nimbyists and eco-crusties…

House prices are going up again. I fear this is not going to end well

15 August 2013 1:00 pm

It’s senseless to ask how things are going to end, because things as a general rule don’t. They rumble on,…

Ukip are playing it safe – so they’ve rejected me

15 August 2013 1:00 pm

So farewell then £80,000 salary, £150,000 expense account, secretary, team of assistants, constituency office, first-class travel, immunity from prosecution, Brussels…

Is the EU stopping Britain’s shale revolution?

10 August 2013 9:00 am

A few months after the last election, Oliver Letwin warned Cabinet colleagues that a chunk of Britain’s income would be…

It’s not hate that Caitlin Moran can’t stand. It’s being disagreed with

10 August 2013 9:00 am

Hell, it’s been tough, but I think I’ve pulled through. I went out this morning to buy some cigarettes and…

Must we celebrate gay weddings twice?

10 August 2013 9:00 am

Apparently I’ve proposed to my civil partner. He claims that on BBC Radio 2, on the Jeremy Vine show (he…