World
Aukus is a disaster for the EU
It is hard to overstate the importance of the so-called Aukus alliance between the US, the UK and Australia —…
Are children capable of making life-changing decisions?
Keira Bell is a name that will be remembered. Like Victoria Gillick before her, she argued in the High Court…
Australia and the new special relationship
The awkwardly-named AUKUS agreement reflects Washington’s escalating concern about China’s dominance in the Indo-Pacific. It signals London’s determination to be…
Sir Humphrey's spirit survives in Whitehall
Fear has been the watchword of Westminster this week, as nervy ministers check to see whether they have survived the cull.…
A Cheney imperiled
Kemmerer, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney has the political brain of a sucked egg, as her egregiously self-destructive decision to join…
The patriotism of CNN’s ‘magic wall’
It’s becoming spooky season, by which I mean not Halloween but elections — at least in Virginia and New Jersey,…
Democrats reluctantly backed Newsom: ‘It was more like taking out the trash’
In August, polls showed that Gavin Newsom’s chances of surviving a recall were slipping away. Many Democrats were so apathetic…
What the Aukus pact says about Britain's foreign policy
While the foreign secretary changed in the last 24 hours, the most important announcement regarding the direction of UK foreign…
Is Harry and Meghan's Time profile a parody?
Of course the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are named in Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2021. And…
Macron's ambitions have been torpedoed by Aukus
Today France is outraged. First, explicitly because Australia has broken a large contract to have a French company design their…
Boris Johnson's government shake-up continues
After a rather quiet day, the reshuffle is back on, and Boris Johnson is proving to be even more brutal…
Jeopardy! is in trouble
THIS…iiiiiis Jeopardy! And it’s time now for today’s final answer. This pack of gibbering monsters is witlessly tearing down everything…
Should we listen to Shamima Begum's verdict on the hijab?
What should one make of Shamima Begum’s appearance on Good Morning Britain? The London schoolgirl left the UK in 2015 to…
Can we talk about Emma Raducanu's Christianity?
I’ve just been looking at photographs of Emma Raducanu again, this time focusing on her upper chest. She usually wears…
No one elected Mark Milley
A coup by any other name and maybe even a little light treason. Those are the accusations flying over revelations…
Will Biden deal with the Taliban?
When President Joe Biden tapped longtime aide Antony Blinken to be his secretary of state last November, Blinken landed his…
Gavin Newsom won in California, but so did Trumpism
The California dream turned into a nightmare for Republicans on Tuesday night after a blowout victory saved the formerly embattled…
Afghanistan and climate change: the West’s twin failures
The West’s humiliation in Afghanistan has an older brother: climate change. As siblings, the two share characteristics, most obviously an…
Harry and Meghan named world's most influential icons
It’s still some months until awards season gears up but Mr S is happy to announce this year’s winner of the…
Saigon's sequel: Afghanistan and the failed lessons of Vietnam
The greatest American defeat of modern times was — until very recently — Vietnam. The fundamental reason for the debacle…
Will vaccinating teenagers really prevent disruption to schools?
After the JCVI recommended against offering vaccines to children aged 12 to 15 on health grounds, the government asked the…
Macron is playing Eric Zemmour’s tune
In a big speech yesterday, Macron presented himself in almost Nixonian terms as guardian of law and order. He said…
Boris Johnson's reshuffle, as it happened
Boris Johnson’s long-awaited cabinet reshuffle is over (at least for today). After weeks of rumours that the Prime Minister would…
The vanishing presidency
Joe Biden is beginning to feel like an ex-president after only nine months in office. The last two Democrats to occupy…