Nothing was off-limits for ‘the usual gang of idiots’ at Mad
First published in 1952, the satirical magazine helped free the American youth of Vietnam War era of some of the stupidest beliefs they were supposed to hold about their country
The sad story of the short-lived Small Faces
The influential 1960s rock band should have enjoyed the longevity of the Rolling Stones. But disputes with managers over low record royalties led to frustration, tension and disillusionment
Mysteries and misogyny: The Empusium, by Olga Tokarczuk, reviewed
Tokarczuk revisits Thomas Mann’s masterpiece The Magic Mountain in this ‘health resort horror story’ set in a Silesian guesthouse on the eve of the first world war
The troublesome idealism of Simone Weil
Hailed as ‘an uncompromising witness to the modern travails of the spirit’ , Weil also exasperated those closest to her with her ambitions for heroic self-denial
Life among the world’s biggest risk-takers
The billionaires currently driving technology and the global economy are willing to take bets on very long odds, and treat everything as a market to be played
Unrecorded lives: Tell Me Everything, by Elizabeth Strout, reviewed
The pandemic’s aftershocks are still felt in Crosby, as Strout’s best-loved characters, Olive, Lucy, Jim and Bob, reminisce about people they have known, imbuing their lives with meaning
Heartbreaking scenes: Annihilation, by Michel Houellebecq, reviewed
Set in 2027, with France in a state of economic and moral decay, Houellebecq’s deeply affecting novel is really a meditation on love and death and the way we treat the dying
Bones, bridles and bits – but where’s the horse?
Ancient equine remains provide fascinating clues to migration and warfare – but the animals themselves seem largely absent in William T. Taylor’s history of the horse
The SAS explode from the shadows in six days that shook Britain
The siege of the Iranian embassy in London in the spring of 1980 achieved nothing for the terrorists. But the previously reclusive elite army unit soon became the stuff of legend
No. 10 change tack on ‘wardrobe-gate’
A week is a long time in politics. Keir Starmer began the week sending out his senior ministers to defend…
Farage plots his next US trip
It’s his sworn ambition to become Prime Minister of the UK by 2029. But is Nigel Farage perhaps spending a…
Nigel Farage’s unlikely inspiration
Nigel Farage has just finished his keynote speech at the Reform party’s annual conference. In a performance enhanced by Eminem,…
PM must keep Tory switchers on side, warns report
Reform’s party conference is in full swing in Birmingham, as the leadership continue to hammer home their pivotal role in…
Lee Anderson takes a pop at Sadiq Khan – again
Ding ding ding! The gloves are coming off today in Birmingham, where Reform UK is hosting its day-long party conference.…
MPs slam Starmer over freebie fiasco
Sir Keir’s frockgate scandal is only gathering pace, it appears, after a rather calamitous week for the Prime Minister. Donations…
Vladimir Kara-Murza: Putin must not be allowed to win in Ukraine
‘Whatever happens, Vladimir Putin must not be allowed to win the war in Ukraine’. For the first time since being…
Britain is losing the spy game to Russia
Russia’s decision to kick out six alleged British spies in August prompted a strange sense of deja vu. After the…
A serious tax agenda for Queensland
Queensland voters go to the polls in just over a month, and despite a lot of political announcements there has…
Should Huw Edwards be stripped of his BBC pension?
With the Huw Edwards court case complete – and the disgraced BBC News presenter given a six-month prison sentence, suspended…
2026 Census: confusion about gender requires biological clarity
The slowly simmering cultural and legal conflicts between the rights of natal females and males who identify as female has…
Nuclear fear-mongering is not science
Nuclear energy opponents frequently cite cost and safety as reasons for Australia not to include nuclear plants in our future…
Britain is spending beyond its means
This morning marks a milestone – but it’s nothing to celebrate. Public sector net debt as a percentage of the…
