World
Why the French hate Parisians
Five million people live in Brittany but each summer the population swells to three times that figure. It seems that…
Trump’s tariff wars are a godsend to the Democrats
Donald Trump was revved up for his Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race, which took place in downtown Washington yesterday.…
Is the ADHD myth unravelling?
Last week, the Channel 4 documentary, The Great ADHD Myth, took a long overdue look at attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The…
Do the police answer to the Home Secretary?
To whom are the police accountable and how? Certainly, if you ask the public, they might well suggest that the…
Why has Russia not replaced its ambassador to Britain?
So farewell Andrei Kelin, for seven no doubt increasingly uncomfortable years Moscow’s man in London. With not a bang but…
Do Meghan and Harry know what the monarchy means to Britain?
Dear Harry and Meghan, welcome back to Britain. I hope that things go well for you. But let’s be honest:…
Testing asylum seekers on the law is a preposterous idea
The Home Office’s pamphlet for asylum seekers published last Wednesday rightly attracted derision. It amounted to a rather pointless reminder…
The truth about Andy Burnham’s tea-drinking habit
The Times, the newspaper of record, has been invited to witness proceedings in No. 10 North – which is Andy…
France is rediscovering its Catholic soul
The Pope is arriving in Paris like a rock star next month, taking centre stage at a mass rally of…
The myth of the Third World
America is rediscovering the work of Spectator writer Shiva Naipaul. His 1980 book about the Jonestown massacre, Journey to Nowhere:…
Why you can’t ignore Ukraine
Russia’s war in Ukraine is midwife to a revolution in military affairs. Such revolutions arise from new technologies that do…
Is this really the ‘most dangerous man in Germany’?
Ulrich Siegmund is ‘the most dangerous man in Germany.’ So says Der Spiegel in a headline under a mug-shot style…
The joy of walking out of a bad play
I get on well with my sister. We speak most days, although I’ve noticed a certain froideur recently. It took…
Amsterdam’s growing gun problem
When discussing the little differences between the US and Europe in Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Vincent Vega (John Travolta) tells fellow gangster…
The Floydification of Jason Arday’s death
The Russian word pravda is often translated as “truth”, but it can also mean “justice”. The proto-Slavic prav had that latter meaning, pravo refers to a…
The ‘paranoid style’ is back in American politics
Scarcely had the last warmth drained from Charlie Kirk’s body than the theories began to take shape. It wasn’t a…
Andy Burnham can’t get enough of reviews and consultations
They’re always tough, the first weeks back at work after a holiday, but the Prime Minister really has been off…
Britain is in for a difficult autumn
How hard is this autumn going to be? This week’s economic figures suggest pretty hard: job losses, higher-than-expected borrowing, and…
Zia Yusuf gives me the ick
Rather like Andy Burnham, you can imagine a younger version of Zia Yusuf being sent into Love Island in the…
Parents should be held responsible for the crimes of their children
‘Do you know where your children are?’ I remember watching TV in Washington D.C. in 1969 and listening to my…
Is the high-street pharmacy in danger?
Only in France have I ever looked forward to attending a pharmacy. Napoleonic Paris, in response to the fatal incompetence…
The Obamas are to blame for the Sussexes’ failure in the US
You can blame the Obamas for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s ill-fated adventures in America. There they were, Barack…
Harry is paying for his hubris
It has been quite the week for Prince Harry. A couple of days ago, he announced that he would be moving his…
The mystery of Melania
Are Donald Trump and his wife secretly estranged – or is Melania just a bit strange? That somewhat grubby question…
This year’s silly season has turned sinister
There’s a great scene in The West Wing where the White House is engulfed by a crisis in the Middle East…
