Life
‘The food is not the point here’: Carbone reviewed
People say that Carbone is Jay Gatsby’s restaurant – Gatsby being the metaphor for moneyed doomed youth – but it…
Bridge
I first met Susanna in 1987 when Ed Victor, the late literary agent, invited both of us for lunch at…
Only the Tote can save British racing
For the past 30 years Robin Oakley has taken you through the front door of the horse-racing world and kept…
The art of having no friends
Apparently it’s easy to make money on YouTube by teaching a course in your specialism. Mine is having no friends.…
Why is Westminster Cathedral leaving Jesus in the dark?
Sitting beneath the looming darkness of the unfinished ceiling of Westminster Cathedral, I found myself praying. I didn’t even know…
Judges need fewer powers, not more
In my brief career as a parliamentarian I have developed a rule of thumb when it comes to evaluating legislation:…
Dear Mary: How can I catch a ‘re-gifter’ out?
Q. I live in a small house in Hampstead and have taken in a friend of a friend as a…
Ben Stokes will go down as the greatest captain of modern times
And so it begins, as Donald Trump likes to say, though not usually about cricket. He was offering his thoughts…
Aussie life
‘Celebrate Spring in Nature’, is the call to action on the Parks Victoria website, which urges us to visit the…
Language
Over the past few weeks I have been collecting media clichés – those empty, meaningless, padding words that have turned…
The persecution of our local politicians
Have a thought for Darren Grimes, the 32-year-old Reform councillor. Since becoming deputy leader of Durham County Council in May,…
Why don’t we order houses from a catalogue?
One possible solution to the housing crisis is to convene a group of experts in property, housebuilding, planning and local…
Dear Mary: Can I retract a party invitation without causing offence?
Q. A very likeable woman has joined the company I work for and also just moved to my village. I…
How binding are Rachel Reeves’s ‘pledges’?
‘Pop goes the weasel!’ my husband exclaimed, expertly muddying the waters. We had just been listening to another news bulletin…
Wine to toast the fallen
Solemn, moving, serious: British. As silence fell and the wreaths were lain, even teenagers joined in the mood of reverence.…
