World
The SNP-Green alliance is a victory for the cranks
The SNP’s nationalist outriders, the Scottish Green party, are reported to be within touching distance of agreeing the terms of…
Why progressives have no sense of proportion
Isn’t it odd how progressives constantly emit platitudes like words matter, yet can never resist a chance to indulge in…
Why Biden will not change tack on Afghanistan
Afghanistan will be a stain on the Biden presidency. His decision to continue with a US withdrawal from the country…
Britain’s Covid economic bounce back is less impressive than it seems
The UK economy is rebounding at the fastest rate in Europe, and faster even than the United States: that is…
How do we stop the next David Cameron?
One of the enduring charms of British politics is how slight the pecuniary rewards are for taking up the job…
When will exams get back to normal?
It wouldn’t be credible to say that this year’s A-Levels grades are comparable with 2019’s: almost 45 per cent of entries…
Should locals be allowed to work at British embassies?
It is just short of 30 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union and suddenly there comes a reminder…
Cambridge XR academic brags after prosecution dropped
Since being formed in May 2018, the eco-warriors of Extinction Rebellion have done their best to endear themselves to commuters across…
Why China’s vaccine diplomacy is running into difficulties
Tear gas and rubber bullets hold off the protestors marching to Government House in Bangkok. They’re looking for Prime Minister…
Curry isn’t racist
The latest casualty in the culture wars is an innocent-sounding word: ‘curry’. Apparently it’s inappropriate to use it, and incorrect…
Caitlyn Jenner is trapped in the wrong Twitter account
Caitlyn Jenner’s Twitter account is having an identity crisis. It’s not particularly rare for a political campaign to create fake…
Google’s war on home workers was inevitable
Tapping out some code in the back garden. Working on a sales presentation while watching the school sports day. Or…
The strange allure of double agents
John le Carré, the master of British spy stories, may have died last December, aged 89. But the dastardly world…
The failed royal response to Prince Andrew’s Epstein scandal
The royals are dab hands at navigating crises. They’ve had no choice but to develop the necessary skills. Their armoury…
Kate Clanchy and the new censorship in publishing
‘There’s more than one way to burn a book’, wrote Ray Bradbury, in a coda to the 1979 edition of…
The problems posed by booster shots
It is already known that there will be a campaign of booster shots in the UK this autumn to boost…
Poles apart: The EU will never understand Poland
Poland was the largest state in Europe for over two centuries. It was a multi-ethnic commonwealth, a refuge for Jews,…
The BBC’s woke guide to gender
Earlier this week, Mr S brought you the BBC’s internal guide to talking about climate change and how to win…
The Greek wildfires and the failings of the state
The wildfires raging across Greece for what is by now more than a week, show no sign of abating. High…
Why wealth matters in the free speech debate
The divide between the rich and the poor is obvious in Britain today. Whether in terms of income, geography or political…
Pakistan’s profane blasphemy laws
An eight-year-old Hindu boy is currently in custody in the southern Punjab. He is the youngest person in Pakistan to…
What’s the truth about the UN’s ‘code red’ climate warning?
Predictably enough, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report has been greeted with hyperbole about fire, flood and tempest. It is…
Why Andrew Cuomo had to go
The announcement that Andrew Cuomo will resign in two weeks follows the total collapse of his political support among Democrats…
The neo-feudalism of Obama’s maskless ball
I lost my invitation and, besides, the pilot of my private plane was on holiday, so I had to miss…
More diplomacy won’t stop the advance of the Taliban
On 11 August, at Russia’s initiative, an ‘extended troika’ will meet in Doha, Qatar to take stock of the Taliban’s…
