Status anxiety
If John Bercow were two-and-a-half inches taller, he'd never have been such a big success
Unlike 99 per cent of my colleagues, I was quite touched by John Bercow’s comment about how fed up he…
Accept it, embrace it: Conservatives aren’t cool
The Times headline on Tuesday was rather cruel: ‘Stars turn down No. 10 invitation.’ This was a reference to the…
Do people really hate free schools – or do they just hate me?
This isn’t a headline I was expecting to read: ‘Free schools could be a bigger negative for the Tories than…
It’s time to face down the greatest intellectual threat of our era (oh, and Ed Miliband)
As you’re reading this, I will still be recovering from the dinner I’m due to attend this week to celebrate…
Yes, I compared Theresa May to an Israeli tank commander. Why is everyone so upset?
I expect all of us have said something we regret at one time or another, but not everyone does so…
I used to think I was a Nietzschean superman. Now I know I'm just a dad
In The Wolf of Wall Street, there’s a poignant shot towards the end in which we see an FBI agent…
Michael Gove did not kill Of Mice and Men or To Kill A Mockingbird
I suppose I should be grateful that the liberal intelligentsia doesn’t bother to check any of the facts if an…
Chasing Pulitzers has ruined American journalists. That’s why they're edited by Brits
I was interested to read a story by Michael Wolff in USA Today saying that Graydon Carter may be about…
The publicist who's doing her best to keep me off TV
I went to a meeting at Penguin earlier this week to discuss ‘publicity opportunities’ for my forthcoming book. Chance would…
I love everything about supporting QPR — except watching them play
I find it hard to pinpoint the exact moment when my support for Queen’s Park Rangers crossed over into full-blown…
The only way to survive as a cyclist is to behave like you're suicidal
The only way to survive as a London cyclist is to behave like a complete nutter
Yes, Britain is a Christian country
I can’t say it was a great surprise to read a letter from a group of well-known authors, academics, comedians…
The day I discovered what worry was
Before I had children I don’t think I appreciated what anxiety was. I’d been anxious at various points in my…
The books I couldn't get written
There’s nothing quite so burdensome as having a book to write. Maybe it’s not so bad when it’s your first…
Knowing things isn’t ‘20th century’, Justin Webb. It’s the foundation of a successful life
It’s scarcely possible to open a newspaper or magazine these days without reading an article about how the latest technological…
Lessons from Tina Brown on the art of failing upwards
Shortly after I started working at Vanity Fair in the mid-1990s, I suggested to my boss Graydon Carter that I…
I was all for press freedom. Then I heard from Gary Lineker...
It looks as though Hacked Off has finally won its three-year battle for tighter regulation of the press. Why do…
Death brings out everyone’s inner Mary Whitehouse
Shortly after Bob Crow’s death was announced on Tuesday, Nigel Farage sent the following tweet: ‘Sad at the death of…
Sorry, campaining mums – it’s faith that makes faith schools work
An email popped into my inbox on Tuesday morning urging me to join a ‘fair admissions campaign’ that’s been launched…
What’s happened to Harriet Harman?
Watching Harriet Harman being interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg on Newsnight earlier this week was a strange experience. I felt as…
Playground bullies and the contradiction at the heart of democracy
A new book by a Swedish psychiatrist has just come out that I like the sound of. It’s called How…
Oh no. Have I let my children have too much self-esteem?
Two new books have been published recently on the thorny issue of social mobility, one optimistic, suggesting various things parents…
My battle with Michael Gove’s Blob
Michael Gove has been under fire this week for ‘sacking’ Sally Morgan as chair of Ofsted. You’d think he’d be…
What The Bridge tells us about Scandinavian social democracy – and why it’s not all good news.
This Saturday night I’ll be staying in to watch the final two episodes of The Bridge, the Scandinavian detective series…
Britain's upper class is now too snobbish to speak its name
Last week, YouGov conducted a poll in which people were asked to judge how middle class the party leaders are.…
