The time of our lives
Presumably because a small part of it takes place in Salford, the epigraph to Andrew O’Hagan’s latest novel consists of…
Never a dull sentence
Is Boris Johnson a fan of Harry Perry Robinson? If he isn’t, he really ought to be. Reading this absorbing…
The truth is difficult
‘I don’t at all hate lies,’ Elena Ferrante explained in Frantumaglia, her manifesto for authorial anonymity. ‘I find them useful…
A river runs through it
As Colombia comes out of 50 years of civil war and into a still precarious peace, with some 220,000 dead,…
Puzzle No. 619
Nakamura–Carlsen, August 2020. Carlsen has just advanced 40…g6-g5+, laying a nasty trap. Only one move gives White a fighting chance…
From slave to freedom fighter
Toussaint Louverture’s ‘crazy dream’ for Haiti has still to be realised, says Amy Wilentz
2472: All-inclusive
An 11-word quotation (in ODQ) reads clockwise around the perimeter from square 1. Other unclued lights are names of a…
Barometer
About Last Night It was suggested that the BBC might ‘decolonise’ the Last Night of the Proms by removing ‘Rule,…
Carlsen vs Nakamura
Facing Magnus Carlsen, you have two problems. The first is obvious — he’s the best player in the world. The…
Portrait of the Week
Home Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, made pupils wear face-coverings in school corridors. It didn’t take long for…
Rand Paul, BLM and DC’s street harassment laws
Over the past week, Washington, DC has turned into a truly dystopian nightmare. Diners at several area restaurants, including the…
Boris’s back to work campaign is strangely un-Conservative
If you want a measure of how in control of things the government currently feels, look no further than today’s…
After the RNC, I am confident Trump will triumph
In most cases, prediction in politics is a mug’s game. Maybe that is why it is such a popular game.…
The legal battle over how Scots define ‘woman’
The law on gender is a mess and could either be about to get much clearer or messier still. The…
Don’t underestimate Joe Biden
So is it over for Joe? Gloating Republicans and handwringing Democrats alike suddenly seem convinced that President Trump is headed…
Who could replace Shinzo Abe as Japanese PM?
Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Shinzō Abe, has announced that he will step down, as soon as his replacement is selected.…
Trump redefines the race
Helplessness and passivity were the defining themes of the Democratic convention last week. The American people are unable to overcome…
Children who died of Covid-19 were already seriously ill, new study shows
It has been clear from the start of the Covid-19 crisis – from Wuhan’s experience, before cases were confirmed in…
Why I won’t vote
Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote a piece titled ‘The battle cry of the politically homeless’ in which I…
Putin prepares to send in the troops
Sometimes, Vladimir Putin just can’t help himself. Russian coverage of the popular revolution in neighbouring Belarus has been unusually even-handed,…
France has partly seen sense on face masks
I went for a long walk last night in Paris. I chuntered most of the way, only breaking off to…
Trump goes for Biden’s jugular in convention speech
President Donald J. Trump just gave an impressive and unprecedented State of the Union address from the lawn of the…
Full Transcript of President Trump’s RNC 2020 speech
President Donald Trump: Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Friends, delegates and distinguished guests, please. I stand before…
