World
The parable of Blackpool’s potholes
I read the news today, oh boy. Four thousand holes in Blackpool, Lancashire. Well, in fact, not quite as many…
Do we need a Sikh court?
Last week in Lincoln’s Inn Hall, nearly 50 prominent Sikhs gathered to mark the formation of the world’s first specifically Sikh court.…
The final tragedy of ‘Humza the Brief’
If, as expected, Humza Yousaf resigns today as First Minister of Scotland, it will be the beginning of the end…
Count Binface just isn’t funny
On British general election nights, I like to watch Dish and Dishonesty, the first episode of the third series of Blackadder. It…
Why Labour won’t be bounced by Sunak’s defence plans
British politics in recent years has sometimes resembled a waltz. Both main parties show little compunction in mirroring each other’s…
Why Russia’s ‘king of the kickback’ was arrested
The universal corruption of the Russian elite suits Vladimir Putin. When everyone has a skeleton in their closet, power rests…
Sunday shows round-up: Sunak refuses to rule out summer election
The Tories are expected to lose around half their councillors in the upcoming local elections on 4 May. Trevor Phillips…
Truss book becomes a bestseller
Much has been made of Liz Truss’s book since its publication a fortnight ago. Jeering critics were quick to mock…
How America plunders Britain’s tech economy
The UK government tells a confident story about Britain’s tech business acumen. In one 2023 example, a press release from…
Liverpool is trashing its maritime history
Three subjects are branded onto the Liverpool psyche: football, music and seafaring. While the first two remain in rude health,…
Who asked France’s celebrities for political advice?
Since 2012, the French actor Omar Sy has lived in Los Angeles. One of his houses has included a sprawling…
The monstrous experience of surviving boarding school
Charles, Earl Spencer published a blistering denunciation of his prep school days – complete with constant corporal punishment and child…
Trinity College Cambridge has rushed to judgement on Captain Cook
Cambridge has made a mistake in returning to the tribe that made them some spears collected by Captain Cook’s men…
India is becoming a chess superpower
The Indian chess prodigy Dommaraju Gukesh has made history by becoming the youngest challenger ever for the world chess title.…
Tory MP Dan Poulter defects to Labour
Rishi Sunak’s good week in politics just came to an end. Buoyed by a successful defence spending announcement and the…
Uncharted territory in court and on campus
The two big stories du jour are 1) the continuing campus assault on sanity, brought to you by the pro-terrorist…
Humza Yousaf’s five worst moments as First Minister
Cometh the hour, cometh the Humza. Scotland’s beleaguered First Minister could have only days left as First Minister, despite insisting…
Why was Blinken’s China visit so underwhelming?
It had been billed as an electrifying encounter – the US Secretary of State preparing to confront Beijing with a…
Taylor Swift is a rotter
Taylor Swift has released another album spilling the beans on her private life. ‘I’d written so much tortured poetry in…
Whisper it, but Rishi Sunak has had a good week
If you have been doing as badly as Rishi Sunak has as prime minister, then it doesn’t take much to…
Afghanistan won’t be at the Olympics
When the thousands of international athletes march proudly behind their national flags along the banks of the River Seine in…
Life was better in the 1990s
Does anyone else miss the nineties terribly? Everything seemed simpler in that pre-internet era of The Fast Show, the band…
How Ukraine will use American aid
The Kyiv government will need to rush to make use of the new batch of American weapons coming to Ukraine.…
A fairytale of Luton: why the Hatters deserve to stay in the Premier League
As the Premier League season draws to a nail-biting close at both ends of the table, my hometown club of…
The King’s improving health is a relief for the country
Today it was announced that, after a very positive response to his treatment for cancer, King Charles will resume public-facing…
