Features
Is Le Pen really ‘far-right’?
What is ‘far-right’? With the progress of Marine Le Pen to France’s presidential run-off, the term has been liberally used…
At the cutting edge
There’s a graveyard inside Henry Marsh’s head, though you’d never guess it to look at him. There he sits in…
Divided they stand
New York As the malevolence and incoherence of the Trump administration continue to amaze, Democrats are taking heart from the…
Moths vs the middle classes
It’s not the free movement of people I spend my nights fretting about; it’s the free movement of pests. It’s…
Liberté, egalité, supériorité
The French election, of unprecedented interest, hazard and potential for violence, has been largely about who is to blame. Blame…
Ruth, Queen of Scots
Twenty years ago, Conservatism all but died in Scotland. Tony Blair’s landslide victory made Scotland, at least in terms of…
Notebook
I’m an unashamed Archers fan. But for the first time in 50 years I’m exasperated by the storyline. A fortnight…
Ruislip Lido
Most mornings, if I’m not too hung-over, I go for a run around Ruislip Lido — a mile there, through…
Is boarding school cruel?
Yes Alex Renton Last week some 20,000 children under the age of 14 packed their bags to return to boarding…
Trump’s Brit
Sebastian Gorka is a big man. He has a powerful handshake, a deep voice, and a serious goatee. He’s also…
Do do God
This election was won two days before it was announced, on Easter Sunday. Theresa May put out an Easter message…
A little too perfect
Emmanuel Macron is going to be the next president of France. I know people are saying Marine Le Pen isn’t…
What’s the matter with Macron?
Coming out of a celebratory dinner at a Montparnasse brasserie after topping the poll in the first round of the…
The madness of price caps
Better access to education. Tax cuts for anyone in the struggling middle. More affordable homes, and more money for the…
The lords of poverty
Kenya I met Dr Tom Catena in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains — the site of an African war and famine few…
Korean notebook
When I arrived in Seoul, I joked to my editor that I hoped this was not going to be like…
The Irish problem
When David Cameron called his Brexit referendum, the potential difficulty of Northern Ireland was not uppermost in his mind. Nor…
Left in the shadows
In the early hours of 9 June 2017, Jeremy Corbyn conceded defeat. For the luckless political journalists forced to cover…
Faute de mieux
Who will win the French presidential election? Does it even matter? Nothing in the programmes or personalities of the leading…
The suburban battleground
In Westminster, all the general election chatter is about Brexit. Will Tory Remainers turn Lib Dem? Will Labour leavers desert…
Proud to be a prude
What advice would you give to this modern moral question posed by my friend’s younger sister? A boy at school…
Anti-social media
On Tuesday morning I was thinking to myself how oddly pleasant social media seemed. Then Theresa May dropped her election…
Save aid!
Bill Gates is worried about Britain. For years, the UK government has been one of the world’s largest donors in…
Genoa
Some say Genoa takes its name from Janus, the two-faced god of time and doorways. Perhaps. What’s certain is the…
Theresa’s party tricks
Theresa May has long been clear about what sets her apart from other politicians: she doesn’t play political games. When…
