Columnists
The Woodford saga reminds us that we should never be seduced by star stock-pickers
Hounds are baying for the blood of former star investment manager Neil Woodford, whose shrinking funds have closed for withdrawals.…
My profoundly impractical, unquenchably generous, thoroughly benevolent father
My father Richard, who died last month aged 88, was a profoundly impractical man. He could not drive a car,…
The race for the Tory leadership is as fractured as it is crowded
The remarkable thing about the Tory leadership election is how long it has been coming. When Theresa May blew the…
How to save the Tory party
How do you feel about the standard of political debate in this country? I ask this question at the very…
Internet scammers can fool anyone – including me
Please don’t suppose I’m unaware I’ve been an idiot. I recount what happened to me last week without expecting your…
No exaggeration: Hyperbole makes words worthless
Saturday night, a guest commentator on Sky News sputtered that Donald Trump has ‘normalised white supremacy’. Once the American President…
In favour of nationalisation? Take a look at Network Rail
We don’t hear enough about Network Rail these days. By that I mean that the entity recently described by the…
The strangeness of Jeremy Hunt’s leadership campaign
Jeremy Hunt’s approach is very odd. It is the first time I remember an aspirant for the top job saying:…
Why vegans must not own cats
Is it ethical for vegans to own cats? It’s an interesting question because vegans look set to take over —…
My medical treatment is sending me bonkers – and it’s no fun
If I’ve been incredibly rude to you or snappy or tearful lately, if I’ve taken offence where none was intended,…
Can Boris Johnson’s ‘little otter’ make him woke enough to win?
Philip May seems a decent cove. He’s been stoic and loyal but I can’t help hoping that the next prime…
Should we fear Facebook’s cryptocurrency?
The cryptocurrency winter has turned to spring: having slumped from $20,000 in late 2017 to $3,200 a year later, bitcoin…
If you’re going to leave Notre Dame in ruins, why not set fire to Oxford University?
Almost everyone agrees it is a pity that so few pupils from ‘disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds’ get into Oxford. But no…
The grave mistake that has killed Theresa May’s Brexit deal
The European elections were a gift for Britain’s two new political parties, Change UK and the Brexit party. But only…
On milkshakes
Should we make it illegal to study the social sciences? Imagine the amount of tendentious rubbish we could erase from…
Only Boris can bury Brexit
Sit down, my swivel-eyed Brexiter friend, and pour yourself a stiff whisky. I’ve something to tell you that’s going to…
Adversity is the new diversity – and it disadvantages everyone
To clear up any confusion, American SATs are closer to A-levels than to British primary-school SATs. In my day, this…
Why the British Steel crisis is not about Brexit
There’s a strong sense of déjà vu in this week’s steel crisis. The whole Brexit saga seems to have been…
Trump’s Iran strategy: Keep your enemies close and your hawks closer
Washington, DC Donald Trump has an itchy trigger finger, and his name is John Bolton. The President’s national security adviser…
I’m starting to have doubts about Nigel Farage
The echo chamber is the defining characteristic of this berserk and entertaining political age: squadrons of foam-flecked absolutists ranting to…
Gratitude lessons show Eton is losing its way
‘Repeat after me, gentlemen: “Thank you for not letting me into your Oxbridge college because I belong to the wrong…
Metro Bank was the wrong model for its place and time
This column has long been a fan of the concept of ‘challenger banks’ offering alternatives for personal and small business…
Are the ‘village idiots’ right about Brexit?
The former BBC presenter Gavin Esler has very kindly given us an insight into how BBC people think (had we…
Can May and Corbyn find a Brexit compromise?
Can Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn reach a satisfactory compromise on Brexit? The two leaders’ positions are not, in fact,…
Tweedy or Trainer: Which kind of Brexiteer are you?
‘Too tweedy? Goodness gracious me!’ Rory Stewart sounded startled. A contender for the Tory leadership, he was being interviewed by…
