Features
Bernie Sanders is back – and terrifying the Democratic establishment
Washington, DC Bernie Sanders likes private jets. That, at least, is the malicious word being put about by Hillary Clinton’s…
‘Too English, bizarre, and what are the rules again?’: Cricket in Buenos Aires
For most Latin Americans, who are themselves no strangers to sporting eccentricity, cricket remains a baffling proposition. The game is…
A divided Labour could hand the Tories another 12 years of power
In September 2016, the Labour party reached a turning point but then failed to turn. The re-election of Jeremy Corbyn…
Westminster’s splitting headache: who will quit next?
The first thing to note about the ‘South Bank seven’ is that they are nothing like the four former Labour…
Who’s really to blame for Pakistan’s terror attacks?
Islamabad Six months into Imran Khan’s premiership and the new Pakistan prime minister has been plunged into his first major…
Ignore the science fiction: AI isn’t out to get us
Every ten to 15 years there is a technology breakthrough that really changes what it means to be human. The…
Clucking hell – hen parties are just awful
‘Last fling before the ring.’ ‘Buy me a shot, I’m tying the knot.’ ‘Keep calm and bridesmaid on.’ If you…
There’s only way out of this Brexit nightmare – revoke Article 50
Brexit was a mutiny. Like all mutinies, it was driven by anger at authority rather than by a strategy for…
There’s no programme in the world like Desert Island Discs
At the end of January, I had the honour and pleasure of being on Desert Island Discs. I liked Lauren…
Everyone hates Maggi Hambling’s ‘Scallop’ – but I love it
Benjamin Britten was adamant that he did not want any memorial sculpture of himself in Aldeburgh, the Suffolk coastal town…
The Corbyn crack-up
To say that the May administration is ‘the worst government anyone can remember’ is to abuse the English language. It…
Jeff Bezos isn’t a resistance hero – he’s a ruthless monopolist
It is tempting to view the blow-up between Amazon’s billionaire owner Jeff Bezos and David Pecker, publisher of the tabloid…
Europe’s culture clash: Macron vs Salvini is a battle over a continent’s soul
Two weeks ago Luigi Di Maio, Italy’s vice-premier and Labour Minister and the top politician of the Five Star Movement…
I was forced to wear a hijab. It wasn’t liberating
It was World Hijab Day earlier this month. You probably missed it, but you can imagine the idea: ‘global citizens’…
How the cult of victimhood took hold of the royal family
Over the centuries, the British royal family have been many things: conquerors, vanquishers, tyrants and buffoons. They have been denied…
The eerie beauty of London’s abandoned Tube stops
If you’ve ever travelled on London’s Piccadilly Line, you may have noticed that on the stretch between Green Park and…
Carmageddon: The future is catching up with the motor giants
When Nissan announced it would not, after all, produce its new X-Trail in Sunderland, this was reported as proof of…
Europeans can’t understand the existential drive behind the British wish to leave the EU
What can the EU do to help the Britons out of their Brexit quagmire? Until very recently, the answer would…
The mystery of the raided horses
‘Can I get you a cup of tea?’ asked the lady as she sat beside me in the caravan. The…
‘If I get an adrenaline rush, something’s gone wrong’: An interview with Free Solo’s Alex Honnold
My husband, usually a cool customer, watched Free Solo from behind his fingers, sometimes jumping up from the sofa and…
Dating apps are full of ‘woke’ profiles – no wonder we’re no longer having sex
I interviewed a prominent 1970s women’s liberationist recently and ended up discussing the sexual culture of her political heyday. ‘Everyone…
The financial logic behind HS2 is collapsing. It’s time to pull the plug
No one is in any doubt about the problem facing Britain’s railways. Over the past decade, rail fares have risen…
Here in freezing Chicago we’re secretly rooting for global warming
One of the few pleasures of advancing age is that, no matter how awful some looming catastrophe may be, you…
The teeth-chattering joys of cold-water swimming
The woman on the path has come to a dead stop. She’d been shuffling along in that bunched-up posture we…
Theresa May has been given a second chance to save Brexit. She’d better not blow it
Theresa May will soon arrive in Brussels with a series of unlikely demands. She must tell the European Union that…