A deadly sweetness
One of the greatest documentary filmmakers who ever lived died last week at the age of 97. He is the…
Aussie life
US eyes Darwin Port prise. That, in case you missed it, was the hedline on the frunt page of last…
Language
Calling all lovers of our language – the semicolon is at risk of becoming extinct! Forget about the bilby or…
Letters: Pride has taken a nasty turn
Lionel is right Sir: Gareth Roberts’s piece (‘End of the rainbow’, 31 May) gave me pause to reflect. It’s not…
Assisted suicide could destroy the hospice movement
The hospice movement is one of the great achievements of post-war Britain. Inspired by the doctor Cicely Saunders, who in…
Richard Hermer’s campaign against Britain
Five years ago, the man who is now Lord Hermer gave an interview to the Times. The then QC was…
Why I burnt the Quran
My name is Hamit Coskun and I’ve just been convicted of a religiously aggravated public order offence. My ‘crime’? Burning…
Why corporate wokery refuses to die
Everyone thinks they know what the Blob is. A great wobbly blancmange of Sir Humphreys and (these days) Lady Tamaras:…
The truth about Sydney Sweeney’s bathwater
In the 2004 film Mean Girls Ms Norbury (Tina Fey) cries to her High School students: ‘Girls! You’ve got to…
The EU can’t resist empire-building
A wearisome aspect of modern political polarisation is feeling forced to take sides. Until recently, I felt I could contemplate…
Have I unmasked Cambridge’s bike bandit?
The Cambridge bike bandit emerged. I watched the rough, smiling face of the old man who came slowly from his…
Should we be above cancelling the cancellers?
I’ve been mulling over Marco Rubio’s latest salvo in the Trump administration’s assault on the Censorship-Industrial Complex. The US Secretary…
Dear Mary: how can I point out a friend’s unsightly nose hair?
Q. I’m the author of 14 books, mostly historical fiction but a few children’s books, all published by a major…
Sportswashing? Bring it on…
If that was sportswashing, let’s have more of it. The Champions League final, when Paris Saint-Germain vaporised Inter Milan, was…
‘Rushed and under-loved and lacking conviction’: Hawksmoor Canary Wharf reviewed
Hawksmoor is the finest steak chain in London, because it lacks pretension and cares about blood. Years ago, at the…
What history doesn’t tell us
The trouble with history is that it is topiary. History is what’s left after the unwanted foliage has been clipped…
Don’t write off Kemi Badenoch
In the great game of musical chairs that is British politics, it’s impossible to foresee which contestant will be left…
Why you didn’t want to get on the wrong side of Cecil Beaton
‘Remember, Roy, white flowers are the only chic ones.’ So Cecil Beaton remarked to Roy Strong, possibly as a mild…
Nigel’s army: Reform’s plans for victory
‘I’ve changed my mind!’ It is a year this week since Nigel Farage uttered those fateful words, marking his decision…
