World
The enigma of John the Baptist
You’ve seen him in pictures and maybe also on TV. Dressed in rags, eating bugs, shouting angrily at people. You…
Rishi Sunak only has himself to blame for the rise of Reform
By their rugby analogies shall ye know them: when Boris Johnson was asked about his chance of becoming prime minister,…
How Starmer wants to reverse Thatcher’s legacy
Members of Labour’s frontbench have recently fallen over themselves to acclaim Margaret Thatcher. Hot on the heels of Rachel Reeves…
We’d be wise to ignore the Council of Europe’s transgender nonsense
The Council of Europe might claim to be focussed on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, but lately…
Japan is no country for young men
Another week, another fun fact about Japan’s declining birthrate and ageing population to startle and amuse us. Japan has now…
Why Labour is 99 per cent likely to form the next government
Academic conferences – even ones about politics – rarely make the news. This week’s annual conference of UK political scientists…
Who will take responsibility for our appalling prisons?
We know our prison system is awash with drugs but just what are they smoking at the Ministry of Justice?…
There’s nothing conservative about the Tories’ free childcare rollout
On Monday, the UK welfare state will expand to cover 15 hours of free childcare for working parents with two-year-olds.…
Why I used to hate Good Friday
If you’re of a certain age and you were brought up Catholic, you’ll remember ‘Good Friday’ as the most awful…
How to stop illegal immigration from Afghanistan
Spring is here. For Afghanistan that means more violence by the Taliban and other terrorists – and more refugees leaving…
The French want weed, not wine
Across France this Easter families will gather to eat, drink and, in many cases, smoke drugs. There are five million…
Where have the West’s liberal values gone?
Russia is ramping up preparations for a ‘large-scale’ war with Nato. That’s the verdict of the Washington-based Institute for the…
Who would trust Holyrood with legalising euthanasia?
Would you trust this lot with assisted dying? The Scottish parliament’s record on issues of personal liberty has been pretty…
Barristers should be allowed to join the Garrick
The Garrick Club affair has taken a new and slightly worrying twist, this time courtesy of – of all bodies…
When the gender debate doesn’t belong in the classroom
Kevin Lister has lost his case at an employment tribunal in Bristol. I am not surprised. The former maths teacher…
When will Prince Harry stop punishing British taxpayers?
Wherever you go in the world, there are always two things that are never cheap: lobsters and lawyers. The British…
Joe Lieberman RIP: a voice of reason in a fractious age
It is impossible for me to think of an American in politics who lived a life as full of hope as…
Thames Water proves privatisation has failed
Why do the Conservatives find it so difficult to admit that the privatisation of public utilities has in many cases…
The UK’s economic problems are far bigger than a ‘recession’
It was extremely optimistic to think the UK could revise its way out of recession. After the Office for National…
Germany’s Holocaust dilemma
‘In 2024, Jewish money is once again being confiscated by a German bank’. This is a headline that makes for uncomfortable reading…
Will Angela Rayner take her own advice?
It seems Angela Rayner is in hot water again. The Labour deputy leader might have thought she had escaped unscathed…
US businesses are falling out of love with Xi’s Chinese dream
A US diplomat in Beijing once told me a story of an American businessman hospitalised in the city of Ningbo…
NeverTrumpers have found a way to hit Donald where it hurts
With Donald Trump confirmed as the Republican nominee, a group of NeverTrump conservatives have tried to hit the former president…
Galloway suggests Obama involvement in Moscow attack
The fall-out continues from Friday’s attack on Moscow concert hall attack in which 139 people were reported dead. Russian officials…
Britain is falling out of love with the NHS
Rishi Sunak doesn’t speak much about his five priorities these days, apart from inflation, which ‘halved’ as promised. On NHS…
