World
The Ukraine war pessimists were proven right this year
As the Russian-Ukrainian full-scale war nears its fourth anniversary, Vladimir Putin looks confident, even cocky. It is not that he…
How the first Palestinian leader became a Nazi war criminal
If the founding leader of the Palestinian national movement had been wanted for Nazi war crimes, you might assume this…
Why is Alaa Abd el-Fattah’s return a ‘top priority’ for Keir Starmer?
Apparently it has been a “top priority” for Keir Starmer and his government, since the moment they came to office,…
England’s Ashes Test triumph is long overdue
England have just won the fourth Test match against Australia by four wickets. In a bizarre, low-scoring game at Melbourne…
Why pubs shouldn’t ban Labour MPs
In Britain’s public houses, a rebellion is brewing. Landlords, hit hard by the Labour government’s fiscal measures – higher employer…
How Badenoch bounced back
One of the origin stories about Kemi Badenoch’s career as politician is that, while waiting to be interviewed as candidate…
The battle for Antarctic krill is about to get uglier
Krill – the small, shrimp-like crustacean – is a keystone species. It underpins the marine ecosystem of the Southern Ocean,…
Britain doesn’t need to become great again – it already is
After three-and-a-half years as Poland’s ambassador in London, I’ve come home with two strong impressions. The first: the United Kingdom…
Did Band Aid make a difference?
Is this the year that ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ – the charity song written by Bob Geldof and Midge…
Save our Boxing Day football
Football’s race to destroy the sport’s finest traditions has surpassed itself, yet again. For the annual Boxing Day feast of…
How terrorism changed Christmas
Christmas is traditionally a time of joy, merriment and peace on Earth. Not so in the little town of Erbach, Germany,…
Christmas and the luxury of fallow time
Christmas is now a festival of family and overeating, yet it keeps its pockets of quiet reflection, even for those…
The King’s speech hit the wrong note
When the King delivered this year’s traditional Christmas Day speech – the fourth he has now given – he chose…
Iron Maiden at 50: how heavy metal became mainstream
The death of the Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne this July, and the huge reaction it provoked worldwide, represented something…
Christmas dinner is hell for vegans
It’s one of the last bastions of national orthodoxy, one that people look forward to for months, but many vegans…
The revolutionary meaning of Christmas
As stale as it is flawed, the Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee’s view of Christmas nonetheless encapsulates secularist scepticism in revealing ways. Published…
How to stop the next massacre of British Jews
No one remembers the ones they catch in time. Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein will quickly be forgotten and so…
Is this finally the end of non-crime hate incidents?
Roll up for a Christmas surprise on the policing front. According to a leak from the College of Policing to…
The ancient tradition of burning a Yule Log
To most modern Britons the words ‘Yule Log’ probably bring to mind that masterstroke of marketing that has enabled supermarkets…
The power and nostalgia of Christmas music
Picking up the children from school recently, I heard the lovely old carol ‘In Dulce Jubilo’ drifting slowly across the…
The welcome tyranny of Christmas cheer
In 1946, buoyed by post-War optimism, the World Health Organisation adopted a famous definition. Health, it declared, was more than…
Do Eskimos really have a hundred different words for snow?
Do the Eskimos have many more words for ‘snow’ than the rest of us, and does this question matter? As…
Prepare for ‘unpeace’ in the Middle East
On several occasions this year, US President Donald Trump has suggested that, thanks to his dealmaking prowess, long-coveted ‘peace in…
Don Trump Jr.’s WASPy fiancé
On December 15, the White House was the setting for its own romantic holiday movie, though it didn’t involve amnesia…
Starmer has nothing going for him
Why would anyone support this government? Keir Starmer has a near-invincible majority, a divided opposition and 14 years of Tory-managed…
