High life
London As speaker at a posh dinner given by Jonathan and Jake Goedhuis, best UK wine merchants by far, and…
Will tactical voting topple the Tories?
Boris Johnson has always been a celebrity politician. It is one of the reasons why the normal rules of politics…
The day I got heckled at Speakers’ Corner
Monday was the 150th anniversary of Speakers’ Corner and, in the hope of drumming up some publicity for the Free…
A study of Scarlett
Selfish, acquisitive, ignorant and vain, Gone with the Wind’s heroine not only resembles Donald Trump – she may even be his role model, says Greg Garrett
A shared mission
The concept of vaccination evolved from 18th-century inoculation practices and many people contributed to the accretion of knowledge. This book…
All roads lead to Dublin
I do not think I am alone in confessing that I had read critical works on James Joyce before I…
A very tangled web
Vanessa Salomon is an internationally successful translator. Clever, beautiful, privileged – ‘born in a trilingual household: French, English and money’…
The great arbitrator
‘The law,’ according to W.S. Gilbert’s Lord Chancellor, ‘is the true embodiment of everything that’s excellent’ and, by common consent,…
Remember forget-me-nots?
‘There are a great many ways of holding on to our sanity amid the vices and follies of the world,’…
The lady vanishes
This is a depressing book. It’s a reminder of everything that is sick, broken and generally maledicted about the human…
Bridge
Rubber bridge is a game that happens to suit me very well: you can come and go as you please…
Real life
‘Your service contract has been completed,’ said someone or something from British Gas, in the chat box on its website.…
A real game changer
The moment before the fall of women’s football can be precisely dated. On Boxing Day 1920, Dick, Kerr Ladies FC…
Multiculturalism is in, and that’s a good thing
According to the latest Census results, for the first time, more than half of Australians (51.2 per cent) are now…
The big reason you can’t afford a home
Why are houses so ridiculously expensive in Australia? This, and other expletive-laden questions, I shouted at my screen while scrolling…
Tony Blair is too good for British politics
Tony Blair was the headline act at his day-long talking-shop in London yesterday. The crowds attending the Future of Britain…
The rise and fall of R Kelly
It’s been an eventful week for celebrity justice, especially of the entirely predictable kind. First, Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to…
Will Putin succeed where Stalin and Khrushchev failed in Ukraine?
A few weeks after Putin’s war against Ukraine began on 24 February, an infamous article was published in RIA Novosti,…
My sister Ghislaine was denied justice
There is a cartoon doing the rounds this week that shows two women having a drink. One says to the…
Horse racing’s dark secret
Royal Ascot has come and gone: 300,000 racegoers, men in top hats and tails, women in chic outfits and beautiful,…
Where’s ‘The Voice’ of reason?
Hey, Mr Albanese, fools rush in and all that… Hold back on the referendum for a moment. The voice of reason should…
Climate Justice? Victoria’s fresh assault on businesses
Last week’s restoration of the electricity market, following the regulator assuming full control on June 15, means the energy crisis…
