First and worst
In Competition No. 3190 you were invited to submit the first paragraph of your least favourite type of novel. Sci-fi…
When the universe winks
I write this with a sunny feeling. That’s partly because spring is upon us, but mostly because I have just…
How to kill the English language
Probably, most of you will have only the dimmest idea what a ‘fronted adverbial’ is. I used one in the…
Letters
Meghan’s adroitness Sir: Tanya Gold suggests that people criticise Meghan Markle because she is mixed race and a woman, and…
The turf
Thanks to Covid, there could be no spine-tingling roar at the Cheltenham Festival this year as the first race runners…
Barometer
Calculated risk It is a year since Neil Ferguson’s Imperial College team published the paper that inspired the government to…
Low life
One day last week we did a wine run up to Manosque in the foothills of the Alps, leaving early…
Meghan and stoicism
Meghan Markle seems to see herself as a ‘victim’. Had she called herself a victima in Rome, it would have…
Gesture of goodwill
Ella Al-Shamahi is a Brummie, born to a Yemeni Arab family. From a strict Muslim upbringing she transitioned (evidently con…
Diary
Piers Morgan may have been the UK equivalent of a TV shock-jock, but there’s another side to him. I’ve known…
Women of the gospels
The gnostic Gospel of Mary has long been the subject of controversy, even as to which of the several Marys…
Portrait of the week
Home A Metropolitan Police officer, Wayne Couzens, 48, was charged with the kidnap and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard, who…
French fury
Sylvie Bermann was the French ambassador in London between 2014 and 2017. Her stint here was a notable success. She…
Nothing to see here
Calls is the very antithesis of televisual soma. In fact it’s so jarring and discomfiting and horrible that I think…
Sense without sensibility
Philip Hensher feels he should be on Jordan Peterson’s side, but finds it a struggle
A fight on our hands
The power wielded by Nicola Sturgeon and her Scottish government means it’s hard to hold her to account for basic…
Nicola Sturgeon to face no confidence vote
Since the pandemic began, Nicola Sturgeon has been a regular sight at the daily Covid press conferences in Scotland. Where…
Joe Biden’s dire opening chapter on the world stage
Thoughtful observers of life often comment on the richness of the English language, its huge polyglot vocabulary, its precision, it…
Will Covid cost less than expected?
It’s no surprise that the bill for Covid-19 keeps racking up. The Office for Budget Responsibility’s latest forecast predicts borrowing will…
The growing alliance between Central Europe and Israel
In 2018, the Czech President Miloš Zeman promised in a speech on the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel…
Teen Vogue, victimhood Top Trumps and the coming race war
Just two weeks ago, Alexi McCammond was wheeled out as the new editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue, which uses the brand…
Is the US to blame for the far-left takeover of France’s universities?
There is a belief in some quarters of the Anglosphere that the French are too wise to succumb to what…
The warning from the West for Scott Morrison
The way Liberal parties in Australia constantly abandon their voters to embark on reckless climate agendas means that instead of cancelling Pepe le…
