World
The persecution of Graham Linehan
I have been lamenting Britain’s authoritarian turn for years. Yet even I was taken aback, physically repulsed in fact, by…
In praise of Tony McNamara
American audiences did not exactly flock to the Benedict Cumberbatch-Olivia Colman comedy The Roses last weekend, but those who did…
How bad is the UK bond crisis?
‘UK in the drain’, a trader exclaimed earlier today as 30-year gilt yields punched through to their highest level since…
Listen: Yvette Cooper’s bizarre bunting claim
Summer recess has only just ended but the government has not enjoyed a relaxed return to Westminster. After Reform UK…
I was arrested for insulting the trans mob
Something odd happened before I even boarded the flight in Arizona. When I handed over my passport at the gate,…
Norway’s warship order is a boost for Britain’s defence industry
There was some good news for the government as politicians return to Westminster and Whitehall after the summer break: the…
It’s impossible to take the Greens seriously
The Green party’s leadership announcement was live streamed using a phone which seemed to be wrapped in clingfilm and held…
Graham Linehan’s arrest is a turning point
The hoo-ha over free speech being trampled on has always seemed exaggerated. I earn my living through voicing my opinions,…
Eco-populist Polanski wins Green leadership race
The Green party leadership contest has finished and the results are in: Zack Polanski is the new leader of the…
Kim Jong-un’s alliance with Xi and Putin is growing stronger
When analysing authoritarian states, not least North Korea, most of the time we have to read between the lines. But…
The markets don’t trust Keir Starmer
The pound is starting to slide. Gold is punching through record highs, and long-term gilt yields are hitting levels that…
The dangerous rise of ‘Chinese Bezique’
In one of Joseph Conrad’s early stories he mentions an old seaman who delighted in a card game he called…
Why is Putin so happy in China?
The often dour Vladimir Putin is looking very cheery in China, which has just hosted the summit of the Shanghai…
Why are UK debt costs still so high – and does it matter?
The yields on UK government bonds, commonly known as ‘gilts’, are now consistently the highest among the G7 group of…
Is Xi Jinping still in charge of China?
China will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of the ‘war of resistance against Japanese aggression’ (i.e. what we…
Why must the English respect every flag other than their own?
It’s strange to think that the British people were once addressed as adults by those who governed them. In theory,…
How the Taliban will deal with Afghanistan’s earthquake
More than 800 people have been killed, and thousands more injured, as of Monday evening after a magnitude-6 earthquake struck…
Badenoch’s Tories have seen sense on North Sea Oil. Will Starmer?
Kemi Badenoch’s rediscovery of the North Sea oil and gas industry would be more convincing had it not been successive…
Keir Starmer must not ban Eric Zemmour from Britain
Eric Zemmour will be in London on 13 September at the invitation of Tommy Robinson. In a message posted on…
True winners steal from children
“Sack of garbage,” “common thief,” “shameful jerk” – but a few of the choice words tennis fans had for the…
Ukraine’s own Wagner Group
As peace in Ukraine seems still far and the conflict is witnessing a new escalation of violence, a new breed…
Wishing Trump dead only makes him stronger
Maybe you heard that Donald Trump died over the weekend. First, the Internet began to buzz over some bruising on…
Yvette Cooper pledges to overhaul Britain’s asylum system
Addressing the Commons today, Yvette Cooper promised the government will overhaul the asylum system. This will include changing the way…
What’s the point of Starmer’s reshuffle?
Will Keir Starmer’s mini-reshuffle of ministers and key aides solve the Prime Minister’s problems? The Prime Minister has moved Darren…
Starmer must embrace the Thatcher paradox
Most of the people I deal with outside government agree that Darren Jones, whom Keir Starmer has just appointed as…
