Poetry in motion
How did the universe begin? Did the great god Bumba vomit us up, as the Kuba believe? Or did we…
The Midas touch
It’s well known that you should never meet your heroes because they will only disappoint you. Less commonly said, but…
Bridge
It’s surprising how quickly we adapt to things: nine months ago, most of us had never played bridge online before,…
Low life
Considering the subject of compatibility, experienced British expats in France maintain that a French man and an English woman might…
Letters
Eton mess Sir: As much as I am a great admirer of Charles Moore, as a former Eton master and…
Solution to 2484: Troubled
The unclued lights are characters in Much Ado about Nothing. First prize Keith Norcott, Cheltenham, GlosRunners-up Mrs E. Knights, Wisbech,…
Plato beats the pundit
Today presenter Nick Robinson has been reflecting on the political interview. He contrasts his interviews with scientists about Covid with…
Birthday surprise
The Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour is back. This time, the series of online events is rebranded as the Champions Chess…
Diary
‘Stopping the diary/’ wrote Philip Larkin, ‘Was a stun to memory,/ Was a blank starting.’ I never really understood those…
Transport of joy
If 2020 has given us something to talk about other than Covid, it’s been history — and, more precisely, to…
Portrait of the week
Home The Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine began, rather slowly, to be given to some old people in hospital and health workers.…
A great Liberal imperialist
This meaty but easily digested biography pivots around the events either side of that fateful evening of 4 August 1914…
A shot of optimism
At the beginning of the Covid crisis, some expressed the hope that a pandemic might at least bring a divided…
The real jewel of the Nile
The decipherment of the Rosetta Stone led to bitter feuding – but there was mutual curiosity and collaboration too, says Elizabeth Frood
Deal or no deal?
When a deadline is missed for Brexit negotiations, it is tempting to think there will be another chance to keep…
The age of the failson
It’s hard to be the son of a powerful man. Just ask Saadi and Hannibal Gaddafi, Pier Berlusconi and Saudi…
How to solve Brexit’s ratchet clause problem
At the moment, the biggest single obstacle in the Brexit talks is the so-called ‘ratchet clause’. This is what Boris…
If Boris doesn’t blink over Brexit, Starmer becomes unelectable
If it’s No Deal, then it will usher in a crisis that will highlight the leader’s negative baggage and remind…
Sorry ScoMo, but this is tepid tinkering with IR laws, not real reform
When the Prime Minister announced his five-point industrial relations package in May a senior adviser told me “This is not…
