World
Why Keir Starmer is a political failure
Whatever happens in Westminster, it ought to be clear to Labour MPs that Keir Starmer is a political failure. For those…
The problem with ‘diversifying’ English literature
Lit in Colour, a campaign launched by Penguin and the Runnymede Trust to diversify English literature, has recently released its…
The eternal danger of an actor without a script
Actors have been saying unscripted things again. Riz Ahmed is the star of a brand-new film version of Hamlet directed…
The restoration of parliament has become a shambles
For most of us the term R&R means the promise of rest and relaxation but for anyone associated with the…
Celebrity Justices compromise the Supreme Court
The real problem with US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson attending the Grammys wasn’t that it revealed her true…
Now Starmer’s Cabinet Secretary exits too
Will the last person out of No. 10 please turn out the lights? First, it was Morgan McSweeney; then, Tim…
Universal Credit’s shadow system costs £10 billion
It’s been 13 years since the introduction of Universal Credit (UC), which was designed to simplify benefits and make work…
Starmer’s last stand reeks of desperation
Ever wondered what Custer’s last stand would have been like if the dashing but judgement-phobic cavalry general had in fact…
It is Anas Sarwar who must now resign
There is a 1953 Warner Bros short, Zipping Along, in which Wile E. Coyote, frustrated with the failure of his…
Britain’s economic upturn won’t save Starmer
By the end of last week, it was clear the Prime Minister is a goner – the debate moved to…
Scottish Labour leader calls for Starmer to quit
Oh dear. It really does seem like the end of days for Keir Starmer now. The Prime Minister has lost…
Britain cannot leave Jimmy Lai to die in jail
The decision to sentence Jimmy Lai to 20 years in jail in Hong Kong is no surprise, but it is…
Epstein has brought down France’s Peter Mandelson
The news in France over the weekend was dominated by the resignation of Jack Lang as head of the prestigious…
The extraordinary daftness of Olivia Colman
‘Daft’ is such a wonderful word. Not for the first time, I’ve wished I was from Yorkshire, so that I…
Why Big Tech keeps hiring Britain’s former politicians
In recent years, a trend for a particular kind of career move has begun to crop up in British public…
Starmer’s director of communications resigns
Keir Starmer has this morning lost a second key aide in less than 24 hours. Tim Allan, No. 10’s communications…
Lord of the Flies is no Adolescence
There are certain works that have attained, through their inclusion in GCSE and A-level syllabuses, an enduring place in the…
William and Kate are bracing themselves for more Andrew scandal
There has been much hand-wringing and drama about what the royal family should be doing – and criticism of what…
Christian nihilism is taking over American life
There’s something very religious about nihilism. For proof, look to the new capital of American nihilism, Minneapolis. A callousness toward…
What could a Starmer government possibly achieve now?
What is the point of Keir Starmer’s government now? Morgan McSweeney’s departure may have been an attempt by the Prime…
Cancelling council elections means taxation without representation
For 350 years it has been established in the British constitution that taxes can only be levied for the crown…
The truth about Peter Mandelson’s strategic genius
So Peter Mandelson, arch manipulator and shadowy Svengali has finally run out of road. This time his political career really has ended…
Are podcasts killing off nonfiction books?
There is (isn’t there always?) a crisis in nonfiction publishing. But this time it really is a crisis, or at least,…
Why are so many female prison guards having sex with inmates?
There’s so much bad news about our prisons that it’s easy to become fatigued by it. Another failing jail, another…
Do we need another Gruffalo book?
Oh Lordy. Here we go. The Gruffalo is back – or rather, the Gruffalo Granny – a new take on…
