Features
Decline and fall: why America always thinks it’s going the way of Rome
For a millennium and a half now, one of the great pleasures of being a commentator on current affairs has…
Standing in front of my great-uncle’s grave, we thought: I’m so sorry it took us so long
The story is part of family lore. How, during the Battle of Mons, on 23 August 1914, two long columns…
Everything is now an Instagram photo op
On Sunday morning, in Puy-en-Velay, I climbed the 275 volcanic steps to the tiny chapel of Rocher Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe. There,…
Is Emmanuel Macron having a meltdown?
Emmanuel Macron was elated when France won the World Cup in July. The photograph of him leaping out of his…
The National Student Survey is having a terrible effect on academia
Should university students really feel ‘satisfied’? Or would we rather they felt challenged? For the honchos of higher education, the…
The guilty pleasure of the McDonald’s drive-thru
My wife and I have a set routine after landing back at Gatwick. We collect our bags, clear customs and…
Angela Merkel is on her way out – and so is her vision for the EU
Whatever anyone’s views on the enterprise, there was one question always begging to be asked of the European Union: ‘What…
How WhatsApp stops the Tory plotters plotting
How to explain Theresa May’s resilience? As Prime Minister, she has survived mishaps and calamities that would have finished off…
Trump’s anti-Iran vendetta is starting to backfire
It says something about the level of political discourse in America that Donald Trump decided to trumpet sanctions on Iran…
The loan charge scandal: the Treasury U-turn destroying the lives of hardworking families
You probably haven’t heard of the loan charge. I hadn’t until a couple of months ago, when I told listeners…
Fight for your right to forage!
Autumn’s wild bounty is a cause for celebration across the Continent. In France and Germany, people rush into the woods,…
The Dengie Hundred
J. A. Baker, an arthritic and short-sighted birdwatcher from Chelmsford, compared the British wilderness to ‘the goaded bull at bay,…
When Donald Trump goes low, the Democrats go lower
Washington, DC As if American politics were not scary enough, the prospect of President Hillary Rodham Clinton has once again…
The death of American civility
My father, an avowed liberal, taught me old-school manners: hold the door and give up your seat for ladies; stand…
Homage to Ambazonia: The battle over language has begun in Cameroon
Calabar, Nigeria Simon Ngwa is a gentle and polite man, and he apologised to me first for what he was…
Turkey vs Saudi: the real story behind Khashoggi’s murder
Istanbul In another time, in another place, we might never have known about the death of Jamal Khashoggi. In a…
Tony Abbott: How to save Brexit
It’s pretty hard for Britain’s friends, here in Australia, to make sense of the mess that’s being made of Brexit.…
Wildlife obsessives must learn when to back off
Richmond Park is an eerie place at this time of year. It’s not just that it’s the deer rutting season,…
In defence of circus animals
In a British circus, you will no longer find big cats, dancing bears or sea lions balancing on balls. Anne,…
The beauty – and eccentric parsons – of Cornwall’s wild north-east coast
The first time I encountered Morwenstowe on Cornwall’s wild north-west coast I was alone. It was early spring and the…
Divide and rule: how the EU used Ireland to take control of Brexit
The story of Britain and Ireland’s relationship has, all too often, been one of mutual incomprehension: 1066 and All That…
Why French kids don’t get fat – and British ones do
A decade ago a book called French Women Don’t Get Fat took the Anglophone world by storm. It was a…
How Bellingcat outfoxes the world’s spy agencies
Bellingcat is an independent group of exceptionally gifted Leicester-based internet researchers who use information gleaned from open sources to dig…
Getting the sack was a shock but not a surprise
It was a shock but not really a surprise. I came back from holiday at the beginning of August to…
Why journalists should boycott the Comment Awards
Nick Cohen 3 November 2018 9:00 am
Shortly before his death, the Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm wrote that capitalism crushed the integrity of artists and intellectuals. Assessed…