An unlikely comeback: Rare Singles, by Benjamin Myers, reviewed
Dinah, a soul aficionado from Scarborough, persuades the forgotten elderly singer ‘Bucky’ Bronco to be guest of honour at a special concert. But will it all be hugely embarrassing?
David Baddiel’s father and mother must be the most talked about parents in Britain
Colin the Dinky Toys dealer, familiar from Baddiel’s TV documentaries, emerges from this memoir as a relentless bully, but at least the ‘fantasist’ Sarah provides suitably funny anecdotes
What did Britain really gain from the daring 1942 Bruneval raid?
The night-time dismantling of a German radar site in Normandy was a feat of skill, courage and imagination. But there was little improvement to Bomber Command casualties as a result
Women beware women: Wife, by Charlotte Mendelson, reviewed
The claustrophobic bullying in this story of a lesbian marriage that sours is so well done it’s nauseating
Does bitcoin fit the definition of good money?
Three philosophers readily acknowledge the cryptocurrency’s shortcomings, but emphasise its one important function – as a means of challenging autocratic regimes
Towards Zero: the gruesome countdown to the American Civil War
The North and South had been bitterly divided over slavery since the invention of the cotton gin in the 1790s, but the Battle of Fort Sumter in 1861 would prove the point of no return
Sarah Rainsford joins the long list of foreign correspondents banned from Russia
After decades of writing about Russian affairs, Rainsford now finds herself persona non grata – but admits she no longer feels nostalgia for the country
Does ‘artistic swimming’ truly describe the world’s hardest sport?
Journalists in the 1980s routinely mocked what was then known as synchronised swimming – until they tried it themselves, and emerged from the water gasping in shock
A marriage of radical minds: the creative partnership of Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson
Fanny’s influence on her husband’s work was considerable, perhaps especially in the fine late novellas, rich in ironies about imperialism and the exploitation of South Sea islanders
The crusading journalist who lectured on Shelley to coal miners
Loved and admired by fellow writers, Paul Foot was competitive, witty and exhilarating company – a friend of the friendless and a tireless campaigner for justice
How Trump and Kamala can have a good debate
On Thursday, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris agreed to debate September 10 on ABC. That’s good news for voters. They…
Nagasaki shouldn’t have snubbed Israel from its A-bomb ceremony
Nagasaki’s Peace Park held a ceremony today to mark the 79th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on…
Man handed 20-month jail sentence for stirring up hate on Facebook
And there we have it: the first person to be charged with intending to stir up racial hatred online has…
The oldest hatred is thriving in Britain
Britain’s antisemitism problem continues to grow. A report from the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that monitors racist attacks…
Not just the RBA, Chalmers at odds with the ABS
My guess is that Treasurer Jim Chalmers is wondering if he’s kicked an own goal by pushing through structural changes…
Ukraine’s Kursk offensive is a disaster for Putin
It’s four days into Ukraine’s surprise offensive in the Russian region of Kursk and Moscow is only just sending reinforcements…
Migration figures are falling – but the crisis is far from over
Ok folks, the show is over and there’s nothing left to see: that traditional refrain of an American police officer…
The myth of a vibes election
I’ve seen it repeated numerous times, most recently by our friends over at the Free Press: 2024 is a “vibes…
Beeb asks Huw Edwards to pay back £200,000 from salary
Back to the Huw Edwards scandal, where the disgraced ex-BBC presenter is facing more trouble. Last week, the former TV…
Why is the pound falling?
Is America about to enter a recession and take the world with it? Yesterday the pound was on track for…
Elon Musk’s battle with Labour continues
As if the new Labour government doesn’t already have its work cut out trying to get a handle on riots…
The SNP still has no ‘plan B’ for Scotland’s economy
Scottish independence has always been economic lunacy, but rarely has that reality been exposed as well as by Alistair Darling.…
The everyman immortality of Jack Karlson
Jack Karlson, whose death this week aged 82 has been reported in Britain and around the world, was an Australian…
