High life
Coronis Embracing one’s vulnerability seems to have replaced the higher, faster, stronger ethos of the Olympics. The very frailty that…
Calculated risks
Two years ago, the brilliant young Polish player Jan-Krzysztof Duda made a baffling decision. In the second game of his…
Dracula was only the start
The title of the journalist Paul Kenyon’s second book on crazy leadership, Children of the Night, leaves the reader in…
Bridge
Most of us have lost a year and a bit, but hopefully we will get back to normal (bridgewise) fairly…
Dead gain
Musicians cast a long cultural shadow. Politicians may wield considerable power in their time, but although today’s young people are…
Is there anything ‘new’ or ‘shocking’ about the latest Hunter Biden scandal?
The prodigal son returns without his pants. Hunter Biden, the male heir of the 46th president, was caught hanging brain…
Devolution doesn’t work in a crisis
One of the worst features of devolution is the tendency of devocrats to insist on doing their own thing in…
Winning here: the Lib Dems’ links with China
Earlier this week Mr S brought you news of the latest interminable row splitting the Lib Dems: what to do about Vince…
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…
Vaccination certificates: an idea whose time must never come
Chris Richardson of Deloitte Access Economics wrote in the Australian Financial Review on 10 August: ‘Delta is so infectious that the vaccination rates we…
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…
The IPCC buries two millennia of fluctuating temperatures
Probably nobody in the world has read the 3,949 pages of the latest IPCC report. But many people have studied the 41 page politically determined, Summary…
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…
Every industry has its own safety responsibilities, so why the fuss over jabs?
My kids’ grandparents all had small scars on their upper arms from compulsory vaccinations. They were delighted to receive them…
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…
New Zealand’s energy emergency
Regardless of the spin Jacinda Ardern’s government is putting on the fact that parts of our North Island cities have…
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…
What else might our governments lock us down for?
According to our politicians and poohbahs of public health, Australians will all be subject to some form of house arrest…
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…
A tax-and-ban strategy won’t help tackle obesity – as Britain shows
Gyms may be closed thanks to lockdowns, but that hasn’t stopped the Australian government from lecturing its citizens about our…
