The C of E’s tragic misuse of its sacred spaces
I am a priest in the high church tradition of the Church of England. The technical term is Anglo-Catholicism, but…
The farms that I’ve loved and lost
Laikipia, Kenya I am grateful to David, a reader of this column, who kindly sent me a packet of old…
Who’s in charge here?
I heard the self-important whine of a police siren so pulled back the curtains a little to see what was…
Tony Benn, bogeyman to some, beacon of hope and light to many
A collection of speeches and articles reminds us that ‘the most dangerous man in Britain’ was thoughtful, kind, entertaining and one of the most appealing politicians of the postwar period – writes a Conservative MP
How the French right can still win
Dixmont, Yonne It has been a terrible year for the Le Pen family. Jean-Marie died in the first week of…
Murder she imagined: The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami reviewed
The Moroccan-born American writer’s fifth novel is set in a US where algorithmic policing has halved gun deaths and despite the loss of liberty the majority are happy with the bargain
Beware the £5 coffee
It wasn’t until I received a notification from the Monzo app that I realised I’d spent nearly £10 on two…
The hypocrisy of the Heathrow Nimbys
Some readers may have noticed that it takes rather a long time to get anything done in Britain these days.…
The Lady vanishes
The moment I stepped out of the Covent Garden sunshine and into the regal offices of the Lady magazine, it…
Trick or treat
A Today programme presenter used the term imperium (cf. ‘emperor’) with reference to Donald Trump’s desire to annex Greenland. To…
Rejoice at the Royal Ballet’s superb feast of Balanchine
Any evening devoted to the multifaceted genius of George Balanchine is something to be grateful for, manna in the wilderness…
‘Trump is a coward’: meet the US soldiers who served in Ukraine
The Ukrainians of Alabama are not the kind of lobbyists whose visits strike fear into pro-Trump politicians in Washington. They…
How fun is it being part of an Amazonian tribe?
Tribe with Bruce Parry ran for three fondly remembered series in the mid-2000s. Now, upgraded to Tribe with Bruce Parry,…
The last of the great salonnières
At her house in Westminster, Lady Pamela Berry, deb and it girl and then wife of Daily Telegraph proprietor Lord Hartwell, gathered parliamentarians, writers, aristocrats and wits
