World
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…
The trouble with post-liberalism
For quite a while now, intellectual movements have been nebulous things. This started with postmodernism, which everyone was talking about…
The Epstein files have triggered a crisis in Britain
It is not just in Washington that the Epstein files continue to dominate. In Westminster, the political reverberations of the…
Will the Mandelson affair make loyalty a crime?
Nothing excuses the manner of Peter Mandelson’s communications with Jeffrey Epstein both before and after the latter’s conviction for sex…
Morgan McSweeney’s resignation won’t save Starmer
Morgan McSweeney has resigned, which felt inevitable but is still a shock to the government and to SW1 in general.…
The lanyard class is not ready for Reform in Scotland
The most reliable sign that Reform is doing well in Scotland is the refusal of the lanyard class to engage…
Sunday shows round-up: Pat McFadden defends Keir Starmer
Pat McFadden: ‘I don’t think it’s good for the country to change prime minister every 18 months’ Keir Starmer’s government…
How the Washington Post became a liability for Bezos
What does Jeff Bezos’s gutting of the Washington Post say about America’s sense of itself and of its place in…
Takeout with Woody, Soon-Yi and Epstein
The more salacious aspects of the Epstein files are well known – but what of the banal side of being…
Mandelson got five-figure sacking payoff
It’s a tough time for the nation’s finances – but don’t worry, one man is doing ok. Lord Mandelson received…
Why Gen Z is troubled by Jesus
Many teenagers today find Christianity off-putting because Jesus seems too fond of ‘mansplaining’. He appears to have a ‘God complex’,…
The UK is punishing dual-nationals like me
Clearing customs at Heathrow is about to get a lot more demanding for people like me. Hundreds of thousands of…
There’s untapped gold in Northern Ireland
As anyone familiar with Irish folklore knows, it’s a fool’s errand to look for Leprechaun gold at the end of…
The Mandelson scandal is far grubbier than the Profumo affair
The pundits are convinced that Peter Mandelson’s friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein is the ‘biggest British political scandal since…
The miracle of India’s railways
‘Because it is the Indian Railways that makes India.’ When I have a loquacious personnel officer declare this in my…
There will be few politicians like Jeane Freeman again
There is no shortage of noise in contemporary politics, nor of people keen to confuse it with authority. Jeane Freeman,…
