What a masterpiece. What a man: Borodin at the Barbican reviewed
Gianandrea Noseda conducted the London Symphony Orchestra last week in a programme of Stravinsky, Chopin and Borodin. The Stravinsky was…
The art of conspiracy
If you lived anywhere near Kilburn half a decade ago, you might have noticed the messages one of our neighbours…
Double trouble: As If, by Isabel Waidner, reviewed
Two near-identical middle-aged men, adrift and purposeless, are revitalised when they spontaneously decide to swap lives
Everybody needs ‘good neighbours’: fairy folklore from time immemorial
From ancient Greek dryads to Tolkien’s elves, fairies have had a fantastical past and seem destined for a fabulous future
The Labour party should finally grow up about Ramsay MacDonald and his conduct
In forming a National Government in 1931, MacDonald overlooked the narrow interests of his party – and saved Britain from bankruptcy as a result
Things still seem oddly disorientating without Seamus Heaney
But at least there’s now a complete edition of the poems, which feels right for a man who never lost himself, but always remained centred, concentrated and uncorrupted
Adventures in the City of Light: Rousseau’s Lost Children, by Gavin McCrea, reviewed
An academic specialising in Jean-Jacques Rousseau slips back in time to 1777 to accompany his hero on long philosophical rambles around Paris
The sweeping drama of Australia’s political history
With spellbinding verve, Tony Abbott, a former prime minister of Australia, celebrates just how old and grand the country’s democracy is
Blitz spirits: Nonesuch, by Francis Spufford, reviewed
Set in war-torn London, this fantastical novel featuring shape-shifting angels, parallel universes and a homicidal female fascist deserves to be a colossal success
Palace ‘terrified’ Andrew could have shared secrets of defence deals
Keir Starmer has had a pretty torrid couple of months but, as the curtain comes down on another turbulent week,…
Has the Supreme Court just ‘SCREWED’ Trump’s administration?
‘If the Supreme Court rules against the United States of America on this… WE’RE SCREWED!’ said Donald Trump on Truth…
How Hollywood lost the plot
There was a time when one could identify a film’s author within minutes. Not from the credits, but from the…
The Supreme Court is right to reject Trump’s tariffs
At a rally in Georgia on Thursday night, President Trump declared that he couldn’t wait ‘forever’ for the Supreme Court…
Australia’s political orphans feed populist rise
When I was a young union official, angry, often obnoxious, and knee-deep in the Robe River dispute at the ripe…
Hard energy lessons from Europe point to our future
In Australia, all the way down at the bottom of the world, it sometimes takes time for certain messages to…
The hunting of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
The first thing the mob kills is its own humanity. Long before they sink their collective claws into the target…
How my choir is fighting back against Britain’s decline
In certain corners of the Westminster village, what was once regarded as the lunatic ravings of Dominic Cummings have begun…
The University of Sussex must stop force-feeding students bad history
Earlier this month, an SOS dropped into my inbox. It came from a student at the University of Sussex. Lest…
Is it time for Rachel Reeves to give Britain a tax cut?
The self-employed have paid up. And investors are paying record amounts of capital gains tax. The public finance figures for…
Allegedly distorting an alleged allegation
Have you observed that media outlets frequently use the adjectival term ‘alleged’ when referring to individuals who, although charged with…
The crisis of confidence in Scotland’s Crown Office
It wouldn’t be Scottish politics if there wasn’t an abstruse scandal that requires a half-hour of background information to explain.…
