World
The BBC licence fee hike adds insult to injury
In these chill winter days it’s good to know that at least one old lady is warmly wrapped up. The…
Why are trans activists and a Melbourne bookstore trying to cancel me?
Imagine my surprise to wake up this morning to be told that Readings book store in Melbourne had posted an…
Hancock launches his quarantine crackdown
The search for the right balance on border policy continues, as Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced this afternoon a host…
Isolation nation: how Australia is dealing with its pandemic
At 6.20 p.m. on Friday evening, Scarborough Beach, an oceanside suburb of Perth, looked like it always does: families picnicked…
Hungary’s vaccine strategy risks showing up the EU
You have to admire Hungary’s chutzpah. Not only has it bypassed Brussels to pursue its own vaccine procurement strategy, it…
Will Dogecoin give Elon Musk the last laugh?
There’s something deeply pleasing for fans of cosmic jokes everywhere about the world’s richest man personally taking the time to…
China hawks suffer a setback
The House of Commons was due to vote on the so-called ‘genocide amendment’ to the Trade Bill later today. The proposal…
The death of the Republican right has been greatly exaggerated
As Donald Trump goes on trial in the Senate, the Republican party faces the possibility of a crack-up. Trump will…
Can ‘super’ Mario Draghi save Italy from itself?
In the aftermath of the financial crash, two ‘Super Marios’ came to Italy’s rescue. Mario Draghi, then president of the European…
The ICC is playing politics by targeting Israel
Sovereignty, that old-new friend, is in vogue again thanks to Brexit and the advances made by nationalists across Europe and…
Meghan Markle, the perfect Californian politician
Royal summits are often lavish affairs shown to us lowly peasants through photo spreads in Us Weekly and People. Cockburn…
Lockdown has added to the pain of my mum’s Covid death
Last week, my mum died. In just a few short minutes, she went from being a living, breathing human, to…
Is the past being rewritten in LGBT+ history month?
Did you know that February is LGBT+ history month? If you have a ‘progressive’ employer you probably do. Banks, universities, local councils,…
Is the SNP prepared for Scotland’s next financial crisis?
As the world continues its fight against Covid-19, the Scottish National Party has been busy plotting Scotland’s exit from the UK. If…
Vaccination is pushing England’s population immunity to new heights
England’s population immunity to Coronavirus now stands at almost 39 per cent — a rise of 25 per cent since…
The myth of Saint Jacinda
Every time I read another excitable media article about New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern, I am reminded of an…
Carrie Symonds and the cult of rewilding
Carrie Symonds is to join the Aspinall Foundation as its new head of communications, in a move very much on-brand…
How serious is No. 10 about immunity passports?
How seriously is the government considering immunity passports? It seemed we had a definitive answer in December when vaccines minister…
Keir Starmer is Labour’s last hope
Only a few months ago, Keir Starmer was hailed as a prime minister in waiting who was giving Boris Johnson serious…
Von der Leyen gets that sinking feeling
HMS Britain seems to be a nippier beast after her Brexit refit. That is, at least, according to EU Commission…
Cockburn’s short, handy guide to the new political language
Words have been redefined for political purposes for a long time. In 2021, however, euphemisms are spreading with particular celerity.…
The madness of Marjorie Taylor Greene
There’s something about Marjorie. That would be Marjorie Taylor Greene, a freshman Republican congresswoman from Georgia who has filled a…
Can we boost immunity with the vaccines we have now?
What to make of the news this morning that Oxford University is to ask for volunteers to take part in…
Is China’s hidden hand behind the Myanmar coup?
Was China involved in the coup in Myanmar? It seems unlikely, but that does not mean Beijing is blameless. As satisfying…
Why Jews don’t count to the ‘anti-racists’
Suppose you explain to someone spouting racist, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory ideas that they are prejudiced. You may begin by…
