covid
Why I’m worried about the teenage cancer generation
As I sit here writing this, it’s just over one year ago since the first lockdown was imposed, without which…
My best Duke of Edinburgh salute for my oncologist
In the waiting room I thought about the Duke of Edinburgh. In particular, I pictured him saluting the cenotaph on…
The economic cost of the EU’s vaccine catastrophe
It didn’t order enough vaccines, spent too little money, dithered over authorisation and then lashed out at the companies making…
The creeping authoritarianism of the Covid-19 restrictions
How can a country abide a government that consistently says one thing and then does the exact opposite? Whether it’s…
Could the Sputnik vaccine end Russia’s rift with the West?
Accounts differ. But it would appear that during a wide-ranging conference call earlier this week, the leaders of France and…
Macron's latest lockdown fiasco
On New Year’s Eve, Emmanuel Macron promised France an economic revival by the Spring. Cancel that. Instead, as the intensive…
How the Sputnik vaccine brought down Slovakia’s Prime Minister
March was a dark month for Slovakia. Covid cases and deaths in the country were among the highest in Europe,…
Boris Johnson's vaccine problem
On the day that people are finally allowed to gather in groups of six outside, tennis games get underway and wild…
Boris tries to avoid a vaccine war
After France’s Europe Minister became the latest politician to threaten a vaccine export ban on the UK, Boris Johnson used today’s…
Vaccines should mean more freedom – not less
Do vaccines lead to freedom – or to more lockdown rules? That very question would have seemed bizarre a few…
Why are Covid conspiracies so appealing?
The recent decision by a several European countries to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine will have thrown petrol…
Let's call time on Britain's gerontocracy
The boomers are eating their grandchildren. They don’t see it this way, of course, but they are doing it nonetheless.…
How real is the performing arts exodus?
Richard Bratby on the post-Covid exodus of talent from the performing arts
Don't blame the EU for the latest Covid vaccine clash
Far from subsiding, as it seemed to be doing last week, the European war over the AstraZeneca vaccine has intensified.…
After Covid, get ready for the Great Acceleration
Before the pandemic struck, there was talk of a ‘Great Stagnation’ – the idea that the world economy was doomed…
Corruption affects everything in Palestine – even vaccines
Visit certain parts of the West Bank and you’ll encounter mansions owned by senior officials in the Palestinian Authority (PA).…
The EU's ugly vaccine nationalism
We have to rid the world of vaccine nationalism. No one is protected until we are all protected. And we…
Why we shouldn't worry about Covid super strains
Should we worry about new Covid variants? Much has been made in recent weeks about the potential for new Covid…
Is the news making us unwell?
Since the start of the pandemic I’ve been observing friends and family and their reactions to the virus. Broadly speaking…
The West’s vaccine complacency
Today, in their first bilateral summit, Joe Biden will meet (virtually) Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Among other things…
Oxford’s remarkable vaccine success
It is worth taking a moment to stand back and applaud Sarah Gilbert and the Oxford vaccine team’s achievement. The…
Can the EU be trusted to introduce vaccine passports?
The contracts were badly drafted. The orders were late. Too few resources were made available for the scale of the…
The battle for the soul of the Jewish community
There are two groups in the Jewish community – mainstream Jews who, while still religious, do their best to assimilate…
Why do old people have fewer antibodies after the vaccine?
The UK policy of delaying second doses of the Pfizer vaccine has been criticised by some as risky, with Pfizer…
Why Eastern Europe is looking to Russia and China for vaccines
With Central and Eastern European countries still gripped by Covid-19, the EU’s slow vaccine rollout has offered little solace in…
