The scourge of the sensitivity reader
A comparatively new figure with no accredited expertise now dictates to literary agents, senior editors and award-winning authors
The spiritual journey of St Augustine
Christians should consider themselves ‘peregrini’, said Augustine, and his life on the periphery of the Roman empire taught him that we are all citizens of nowhere
What the Quran has to say about slavery
While it attaches high moral value to emancipation, it acknowledges the legitimacy of slavery and the sexual exploitation of woman – justifying forced concubinage by certain Islamic regimes
Ricky Jones and the reality of two-tier justice
This may be looked back on as the week when two-tier justice moved from being an accusation to a statement…
Donald Trump saved the UFC
A new bombshell has fallen on the sports-media villa: Dana White cloaked in the glory of a whopping seven-year, $7.7…
Trump and Putin fundamentally misunderstand each other
Let the trolling begin. Chicken Kiev was the airline meal served to the first planeload of Russian diplomats, government officials…
What J.K. Rowling misses about Sturgeon’s memoir
When someone one day writes a true history of Scotland during the baleful tenure of Nicola Sturgeon and reflects on…
What’s wrong with a St George’s Cross flag?
Flags have become a contentious and defining issue of this year. You only have to witness the furore that has…
King Charles’s poignant VJ Day reminder
It has been one of the hallmarks of King Charles’s reign so far that, when he makes a commemorative or…
Newsom rigs California
Judging from how much Gavin Newsom talks about Donald Trump these days, the governor’s real project isn’t governing California –…
Tories accuse Sturgeon of breaking ministerial code over indyref2
The SNP’s former Dear Leader Nicola Sturgeon released her memoir this week – but it has not quite had the…
Britain has a wind problem
Climate change is giving Britain more violent weather, with ever-increasing storms tearing down our trees and whipping up waves which…
Mounjaro won’t be the last drug company to bow to Trump
If you need to lose a few pounds after enjoying the French or Italian food a little too much on…
Farage should be allowed to appoint peers to the Lords
In Westminster, tradition often trumps innovation, and Nigel Farage’s latest demand has stirred the pot with characteristic vigour. The Reform…
Can Putin extract an economic victory from Trump?
The Alaska summit taking place today isn’t just about war – economics looms equally large. Vladimir Putin, with his forces…
Defence Secretary blasts Farage as ‘Putin apologist’
Ding ding ding! John Healey was pulling no punches this morning as he took aim at Reform UK on the…
Trump, Putin, and the hidden power of the Bering Strait
Ahead of the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska to discuss Ukraine, President Trump said there would be “some land swapping.” He…
Make council houses beautiful again
When Tony Blair and his team were deciding which venue should host his first speech as Prime Minister after his…
Trump corridor and the geopolitical shift in the South Caucasus
On August 8, 2025, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a historic peace agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump. At the…
GDP growth proves the Bank of England’s mistakes
Yesterday’s stronger-than-expected GDP growth raises questions for the Bank of England. Second quarter growth came in at 0.3 per cent…
Kim Jong Un will be watching the Trump-Putin summit closely
When Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump meet in Alaska today, it will mark their first encounter since Russia’s invasion of…
VJ Day taught us the fragility of peace
Victory over Japan Day – VJ Day – falls today, 15 August being the day in 1945 that Emperor Hirohito…
How the second world war shaped the sons of its soldiers
The 80th anniversary of VJ Day today marks the passing of the generation that took part in the second world…
It’s time to take back Afghanistan from the Taliban
Friday 15 August is a painful anniversary for Afghanistan – it is four years since the Taliban took Kabul, turning my…
Bournemouth police are losing control
Who is Ritchie Wellman? He is a father, a boyfriend, an assistant operations manager at a local business and a…
