Justin Currie’s truly remarkable rock memoir
Aged 58, and suffering from Parkinson’s, Del Amitri’s chief songwriter never loses his sense of humour as he treks across America, playing in cowsheds, state fairs and parking lots
Will Israel always have America’s backing?
The views of today’s young Americans should concern Israelis, says Marc Lynch. With no memory of Israel’s foundations in 1948, they are considerably more pro-Palestinian than their parents
The radical power of sentimentality
Ferdinand Mount identifies three distinct sentimental revolutions – in the 11th, 18th and 20th centuries – that transformed legal frameworks and social structures as well as hearts and minds
The gay rights movement threatens to implode
Tolerance pushed too far by LGBTQ+ demands may soon turn to intolerance, and legislation can be rolled back in the blink of an eye, warns Ronan McCrea
A literary Russian doll: The Tower, by Thea Lenarduzzi, reviewed
The closer we get to the mystery of Annie, a 19th-century consumptive locked up in a tower by her wealthy father, the more we are lost in other stories within stories
The traitor who gives Downing Street a bad name
Even by 17th-century standards, George Downing’s duplicity in serving both Oliver Cromell and Charles II was exceptional and set new standards for unscrupulousness
A death sentence for Afghanistan’s women judges
Threatened with beheading by the Taliban in 2021, some judges managed to flee the country. But many remain in hiding, having destroyed all evidence of their qualifications
Robin Holloway lambasts some of our most beloved composers
Works by Strauss, Holst, Rossini, Schoenberg and Wagner are all targeted, while Hildegard of Bingen’s music is pronounced a ‘psychedelic bore’
Why weed is the most dangerous drug in America
Weed is the most dangerous drug in America. The main reason for this is the fact that most people don’t…
Putin’s winter campaign begins
For the fourth winter in a row, Vladimir Putin believes now is the time when Ukrainians will finally break. Russia’s…
When will Labour be honest about its China spy problem?
Yvette Cooper managed to say ‘let me be clear’ twice, in a couple of minutes during her interview with Nick…
Shutdown siestas
Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday Washington is ten days into the government shutdown, and the Republicans and Democrats remain at…
