Diary
What the British right can learn from the midterms
We keep being told that Michigan is the key battleground in the midterms, so where better to begin a rip…
Why can’t actors smoke properly any more?
I can’t recommend enough the two-part film about General de Gaulle. The first is Résistance and the second is Liberté…
My night with Maya Jama
A mild panic on Saturday lunchtime as I’m getting ready for the big British Museum ball. First, the dress code…
Tucker Carlson does it for the clicks
Although I tend to keep my romantic nature under wraps, every year Helena, my wife, and I go on a…
The sartorial decline of the House of Lords
There is a moment at the beginning of Lord of the Flies where the shipwrecked children realise that the adults…
The truth about Earl Spencer
‘Mr Morgan,’ said the faux-regal voice at the end of the line, ‘this is Earl Spencer. I’ve got you now,…
Should I be more like Bryan Johnson?
‘Journalling’ is now a good thing, which we know because it’s part of Bryan Johnson’s morning routine, sandwiched between eating…
Dolly Parton’s marriage advice for me
I will miss Dolly Parton; one who truly deserves the title of ‘icon’. I met her a few times but…
Now I’ve left Today, I can finally say what I really think…
Hello, what’s this I see before me? A blank page; and a pen unencumbered by the heavy weight of BBC…
To understand England, go to the pub
Odysseus had to withstand the wrath of Poseidon, avoid the call of the Sirens and vanquish the terrifying Cyclops to…
How my ancestor dealt with anti-Semitism
I’m not a member of the Establishment, even though I’m writing this in what might be described as its literary…
The sanctimonious campaign against Boy George
In the musical Allegra, which has just finished its run, I ran around singing, dancing and jumping on tables for…
Why are the young obsessed with drinking water?
Greetings from Edinburgh, where the air is full of love and seagulls. Mostly seagulls. They soar, they sweep, they swoop…
Should I really have my parliamentary pass revoked over a short skirt?
Labour MPs first tried to ban me from the Commons press gallery two decades ago, after I ridiculed Speaker ‘Gorbals…
What Istanbul gave me
Why do novelists set their stories in cities or landscapes which seem to haunt them? Not the places of their…
In defence of career politicians
A couple of years ago we rented a villa in Ithaca. ‘Who wants to go see Odysseus’s palace?’ I said…
My run-in with Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant, self-confessed grump and Fourth Estate muzzler, was at a drinks party I went to the other day in…
London’s slump won’t last
I left the Sunday Times a year ago to create a CEO reputation advisory firm. Sir Philip Green, the former…
The secret to writing a good musical
Jesus Christ Superstar is returning to the West End at the Palladium, the theatre owned by its composer. It probably…
Bring back lunchtime drinking
The usual blindfolds, handcuffs and gags were slapped on live news and discussion programmes last Thursday, including me and my…
Does Britain have Bregret? Don’t believe it
In the build-up to the tenth anniversary of the EU referendum, we’ve heard lots of claims about Bregret. There are…
Pity us poor Celtic fans
Although the past few footballing weeks have been dominated by the convulsive conclusion to Arsenal’s season – and the upcoming…
I refuse to be cancelled
I have been opening a play. It is called Allegra and is about a woman who is relentlessly happy. This…
No one likes Arsenal, we don’t care
Arsenal’s triumph in finally winning the Premier League again after 22 long, often eyeball-wrenchingly tortuous years has gone down like…
My first act as prime minister
If I were prime minister for a day (which is looking like an increasingly realistic prospect for all of us),…
