Columnists
How to get nothing done
I sometimes wonder whether our government makes any decisions at all. In fact I’m trying to think of any area…
A world of our own making
Two very brief excerpts from Radio 4 last week. First, my wife turned on her radio in time to hear…
A year is a long time in politics
The year of the three emperors in Prussia changed world history. In 1888, Wilhelm I died and was succeeded by…
How to save the BBC
Towards the end of his life the art critic Hilton Kramer was overheard leaving a cinema with his wife. One…
Xi, Covid and seasonal schadenfreude
’Tis indeed the season to be jolly. Over the holidays, we can all put our feet up to view a…
The greatest threat to Holy Island since the Vikings
It’s hard to explain how sad it will be if, after Christmas, Defra officials ban fishing on Holy Island, also…
In defence of hot baths
I admire stout oldies who, even in good times, refuse to put the heating on unless it’s absolutely necessary. They…
The two books that made me a Conservative
From time to time newspapers invite writers to describe the ‘books that changed my life’. The resulting columns too often…
Rishi Sunak is about to feel winter’s sting
During the Tory leadership contest this summer, it was frequently said that whoever won would face the most politically difficult…
The error of involving Gordon Brown
Sir Keir Starmer says the House of Lords is ‘indefensible’. It is an odd thing to say about an institution…
The march of the local council dictators
I was impressed with the passion Sir Keir Starmer managed to whip up within himself when presenting Gordon Brown’s interminable…
Lady Hussey and the truth we dare not speak
Though it was sensible for Lady Susan Hussey to resign, I do find the chorus of disapproval that has greeted…
Britain doesn’t need reinventing
What is the most hubristic line ever written? Against some very stiff competition I would say it is that famous…
What Trump really wants
Over the years, I’ve received my share of green-ink author’s mail. You know, from folks who’ve discovered an exciting variety…
Why Tories are taking early retirement
Conservative party strategists face nervous days ahead as they wait to see how many Tory MPs will announce they are…
It is harder to run a dictatorship than a democracy
Things are currently so bad in the western democracies that we tend to ignore how much worse they are in…
In defence of fairy tales
One by one, life’s harmless little pleasures are outlawed by an overweening, repressive government. The Online Safety Bill has been…
I was wrong about the CCP
I’ve always loved the Chinese national anthem. I used to think I was the loudest Communist Youth League pioneer as…
We should never have tried cosying up to Chinese investors
I can’t read ‘China rocked by protests’ and ‘Zero Covid could be the end of Xi Jinping’s rule’ without recalling…
Fifa has scored a spectacular own goal
Unlike some fair-weather fans I maintain a fairly constant interest in the workings of Fifa. Not because I especially care…
MPs won’t ditch the House of Lords
The Supreme Court decided rightly on Wednesday, rejecting the Scottish government’s claim that a second referendum on independence was not…
