covid
How concerning is the new Covid variant?
Should we worry about AY.4.2, the new Covid variant that has been in the news this week? The descendent of…
Colin Powell: A great man – and a failure
My memory of Colin Powell feels personal, even though we were 6000 miles apart at the time. I was in…
Why Covid means the big state is back
History suggests that when the state expands in a crisis, it doesn’t go back to its pre-crisis level once the…
The real reason Britain failed on coronavirus
The joint health and science super-committee’s report into ‘lessons learned’ on the UK’s coronavirus response may not want to ‘point fingers…
Macron’s selective defence of free speech
In the early years of his presidency, Emmanuel Macron became known as Monsieur ‘En Meme Temps’. The president of France…
Harry and Meghan are wrong about Covid vaccine patents
Pharmaceutical companies might think it a bit rich being asked to waive the patents on their Covid vaccines by Harry…
Italy’s draconian vaccine laws are terrifyingly popular
In early August, Italy banned the unvaccinated from most forms of social life, then most forms of travel and now…
Will vaccinating teenagers really prevent disruption to schools?
After the JCVI recommended against offering vaccines to children aged 12 to 15 on health grounds, the government asked the…
Javid avoids Tory Covid powers fightback – for now
Tory MPs were not happy when Sajid Javid unveiled the Covid winter plan in the Commons this afternoon. They’re dissatisfied…
America’s Covid rules are for serfs, not celebrities
Amid the ridiculous outfits at the Met Gala last night, between the faux-socialist in her absurd ‘Tax the Rich’ dress…
Can booster shots help Britain avoid another lockdown?
For weeks now, ministers have been getting increasingly frustrated by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s failure (JCVI) to back…
Is the inflation panic over? Probably not
So, is the post-Covid inflation panic over? That is how it looked last month, when the government’s preferred inflation index,…
Covid pingdemic takes its toll on Britain’s economic bounce-back
The arrival of ‘freedom day’ on 19 July enabled people to return to concerts, festivals, and ditch social distancing, but…
Why didn’t Tory MPs oppose Boris’s tax hike?
Boris Johnson has just announced his plans to increase National Insurance by 1.25 per cent for both workers and employers…
Why isn’t the vaccine UK approved for 12- to 15-year-olds?
This afternoon, the JCVI has essentially passed the buck on vaccinating 12- to 15-year-olds. It has declared that the health benefits…
Should Britain brace itself for a major flu outbreak this winter?
Could flu be a bigger problem than Covid this winter? Professor Anthony Harnden, the deputy chair of the Joint Committee on…
Boris Johnson’s Macron-esque pettiness
How we all hollered with outrage in May when Emmanuel Macron closed France’s borders to people arriving from Britain on…
Is Japan about to enter a ‘London-style lockdown’?
Just like the Olympics, which ended a fortnight ago, the Paralympics is set to commence amid a drumbeat of doom.…
Real life
If it’s true that the virus finds your weak spot, it has lodged itself like an evil monkey in my…
The end of the ride
Audi will make no more fuel engines after 2035. So that’s the end of the Age of Combustion, signalled by…
When will exams get back to normal?
It wouldn’t be credible to say that this year’s A-Levels grades are comparable with 2019’s: almost 45 per cent of entries…
The problems posed by booster shots
It is already known that there will be a campaign of booster shots in the UK this autumn to boost…
Can Australia escape its Covid lockdown cycle?
In the early days of the pandemic, Australia was the envy of the world. The country was lauded as a…
Will Covid turn into the common cold?
Many experts and modellers thought that the 19 July reopening would be a disaster. So far, that has not been…
New York’s vaccine passport scheme could have a nasty side effect
The latest French export to the United States is a requirement that people show proof of vaccination to visit indoor bars,…
