The case against the XL Bully ban
In just a few hours’ time, Bully XLs will be banned in England and Wales: breeding, selling, advertising, rehoming, or…
Nicola Sturgeon’s remarkable downfall
As she faced her final press conference of 2022 last Christmas, the first minister of Scotland seemed unassailable. Nicola Sturgeon…
Is Airbus a metaphor for Britain’s relationship with the EU?
A French member of the board of Airbus – the giant European aircraft and aerospace group – once told me…
The eccentric genius behind Big Ben
One test of great architecture is whether it, and the city it stands in, can be recognised from its silhouette…
Tesla’s Skynet moment
The news cycle dragged itself out of the Christmas hangover with headlines such as the Daily Mail’s: Tesla robot ATTACKS an…
Why is it so hard to leave the country?
This should have been the year when we could finally put Covid behind us and return to normal. But as far…
Jacques Delors: an unlikely Brexit hero
‘Up yours, Delors!’ It was the perfect headline for the Sun: crude, defiant, unambiguous and directed at a Frenchman. The paper’s…
Glasnost grips Whitehall, at last
The Cabinet Office is sometimes described as the ‘thinking brain of government’. So it’s a pity then that so little…
2024 will be a tough foreign policy year for Joe Biden
In the United States, presidential elections are rarely won or lost on foreign policy. Domestic matters like the economy, crime,…
Why are theatres so cowardly?
Looking back at the year’s West End theatre, a few shows stand out. First, the best. Vanya, starring Andrew Scott…
Can things get any worse for Olaf Scholz?
A ‘smurf’, a ‘plumber’, a ‘know-it-all’: Olaf Scholz has been called many things. But so far Germany’s chancellor has brushed…
Was 2023 Meghan and Harry’s annus horribilis?
If ever Prince Harry writes another volume of memoir, he may choose to look back on 2023 as his annus…
Why New Year trumps Christmas in Russia
What a difference a decade makes. Exactly ten years ago, Russians celebrated New Year by watching Goluboi Ogoniek (‘Little Blue…
Will Nigel Farage team up with the Tories?
How is the idea that Nigel Farage might join the ‘broad church’ Conservative party going then? Given that he floated…
I voted Remain, but there should be more pro-Brexit lords
Liz Truss has sent Matthew Elliott to the House of Lords in her resignation honours list. There are some obvious…
Is there really a ‘genocide’ of white farmers in South Africa?
Is a crime against humanity at risk of unfolding in South Africa? Elon Musk, the Pretoria-born billionaire who owns X…
When will Harvard give Claudine Gay the boot?
You are probably almost as sick of hearing about Claudine Gay — as of this writing, still the president of…
Michelle 2024?
David Axelrod is America’s smartest political strategist on the left. He has an impressive track record in backing longshots who…
What James Daly’s parenting jibe says about the Tories
I am guessing that Tory MP James Daly has given up trying to defend his majority of 105 in Bury…
A teetotal Parliament House?
Christmas seems a good time to bring up alcohol. Having recently moved to Manly, I am now living near the…
Benefits caseload to rise by 920 a day – for the next five years
Back when Radio 4’s Thought for the Day was original and insightful, Lionel Blue was a regular source of rabbinical…
Thank God Tony Blair failed to meddle in football
It seems there is a side to the former prime minister, Sir Tony Blair, that few knew existed. Until now.…
The Tories have messed up the return to imperial measurements
Cheers! You will soon once again be able to buy champagne and wine in pint bottles – Winston Churchill’s favourite measure. It…
Why can’t the BBC leave Agatha Christie alone?
I would like to report a murder. It took place in the evening of 27 December in millions of homes…
Is Keir Starmer too boring to be prime minister?
‘What do you know about Keir Starmer?’ My friend’s question came as we sat in the pub. It was part of…
