World
Swing states are the best states
Swing state season, that three- to four-month stretch of peak American crazy, is upon us. The big three states —…
The real test for Starmer will come post-Covid
Labour is gearing up for its first big Commons clash since returning from recess this afternoon, with shadow education secretary…
Putin’s culture war
One thing we know that Putin reads is history. He’s keen on chronicles and biography of great Russians, presumably with an…
Coronavirus cases are mounting but deaths remain stable. Why?
Something rather odd is happening in the two Europeans nations worst hit by Covid-19. The UK and Italy have a…
Most lockdown pupils are ‘three months behind’
As schools return to full in-person teaching, a survey reveals just how far behind pupils are in their education. The…
No fun, no sex, and Zoom: the misery of the Covid campus
Usually I can’t wait for the start of a new term at university. But not this year. When students return,…
The China election
Bill Clinton, in a speech heralding China’s entry into the World Trade Organization in 2000, remarked that ‘by joining the WTO,…
After Trump, the reckoning
As voters prepare to pass judgment on Donald Trump’s presidency in November, they might want to entertain a few counterfactuals.…
Germany’s far-right and the rise of the anti-corona protests
Germany has been in uproar over the events that unfolded this Saturday, when 38,000 protesters gathered in Berlin and clashed…
Why Navalny may not be a friend of the West
At first glance, Alexei Navalny seems like exactly the sort of man the West would want to sit in the…
Boris needs to do more to fight back in the culture war
As one battles on, a reluctant volunteer in the culture war which the left is fighting on every front with…
The BBC’s real problem is nothing to do with the licence fee
Lord Hall, the outgoing director general of the BBC, used his valedictory interview on Radio 4’s Media Show this week to ruminate…
Students need real teaching – not virtual campuses
The recent U-turn on masks in schools will likely undermine teaching, not only in schools but also further afield. It…
2016 all over again
I’m not an election prognosticator. I have no magic insight telling me what will happen on November 3, 2020. Frankly,…
Scexit has become a matter of faith, not fact
There is a satirical flowchart that sums up Scottish nationalism better than a thousand articles. It begins with the question:…
California burning
Oakland The air in Northern California was thick and yellow in November 2018. The hills were wrapped not in salty…
Extinction Rebellion’s plan for eco-oligarchy
It is very rare (although not unprecedented) for law breakers to attempt to be law makers. But Extinction Rebellion is…
Can Scotland afford independence?
How would an independent Scotland have fared during the pandemic? We found out this week on the annual release of…
The search for a Covid-19 vaccine is coming at a price
As billions wait with bated breath for the outcome of clinical trials on the new Covid-19 vaccines, many studies on…
Rand Paul, BLM and DC’s street harassment laws
Over the past week, Washington, DC has turned into a truly dystopian nightmare. Diners at several area restaurants, including the…
Boris’s back to work campaign is strangely un-Conservative
If you want a measure of how in control of things the government currently feels, look no further than today’s…
After the RNC, I am confident Trump will triumph
In most cases, prediction in politics is a mug’s game. Maybe that is why it is such a popular game.…
The legal battle over how Scots define ‘woman’
The law on gender is a mess and could either be about to get much clearer or messier still. The…
Don’t underestimate Joe Biden
So is it over for Joe? Gloating Republicans and handwringing Democrats alike suddenly seem convinced that President Trump is headed…
Who could replace Shinzo Abe as Japanese PM?
Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Shinzō Abe, has announced that he will step down, as soon as his replacement is selected.…
