“Trump is a great opportunity for us writers“: Zadie Smith on fighting back
The author of Swing Time on Michael Jackson, female friendships and how writers can bring down Donald Trump.
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Age of outrage
“We’ve got things in common“: why one of the EDL’s original members quit
An early supporter of the group, painter-decorator Darren Carroll has had death threats since he left. But why did…
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Mind-reader, lover and crazed zealot – why the enigmatic power of Rasputin endures
As Douglas Smith wisely surmises in his new book, trying to separate the mythology of Rasputin from the man…
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Why defeating Islamic State means taking on the digital caliphate
A new book by Liam Byrne explains that the British government is making a critical mistake in its methods…
ByGaia with an iPad? Thomas Friedman’s ideas for the future of humanity are already old hat
Thank You for Being Late: an Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations restates the dominant doctrine of…
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Commons confidential: Putting on the Ritz
Turns out, the young ’uns give even thirsty MPs a bad name.
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“Someone was screwing here“: the cryptic art of Robert Rauschenberg
Dense with allusion and synecdoche, Rauschenberg’s art work reveals an extraordinary “stream of unconsciousness”.
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The allegations of abuse in sport are serious – but we must guard against hysteria
This week in the media, from Castro and the student rebels, hysteria over football coaches, and Ed Balls’s ballroom…
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In Bangladesh, bat in hand, I list all the things that could go wrong
Not everyone gets to play cricket in Bangladesh but I still managed to notch up more worries than runs.
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Is the World Service about to become more powerful than ever?
With a £289m investment and 11 new language services, the BBC’s planned expansion reminds us why the World Service matters.
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As the falcon flew towards us, its face looked alarmingly like Hannibal Lecter’s muzzle
In your faces, twitchers!
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It’s easy to see where Berlin is being rebuilt – just hit the streets
My week, from walking the streets of Berlin to class snobbery and the right kind of gentrification.
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Leader: The age of Putinism
There is no leader who exerts a more malign influence on world affairs than Vladimir Putin.
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Politics doesn’t just connect us to the past and the future – it’s what makes us human
To those people who tell me that they’re not interested in politics, I often say: “But politics is interested…
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New Ukip leader Paul Nuttall plans to destroy Labour – can he succeed?
Nuttall has inherited a fractured party, with funding issues and Nigel Farage’s ego to manage. Yet his boldness has…
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If there’s no booze or naked women, what’s the point of being a footballer?
Peter Crouch came out with one of the wittiest football lines. When asked what he thought he would have…
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The lesson of 2016 is that identity matters – even for white people
Talking about being white American, or being religious, isn’t considered “identity politics”. But that doesn’t mean people don’t identify…
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The Remainers aim to beat Brexit by playing a long game
Many MPs who hope for a second referendum are keeping their powder dry.
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To beat the Trump hype, we need a return to old-fashioned political virtues
If we want to resist the Trumpification of politics, what we need is restraint, duty and incorruptibility.
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All doctors kill people – and the threat of prosecution is bad for everyone
We must recognise the reality of medical practice: just because a doctor makes a mistake, that doesn’t mean they’ve all…
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“No peace, no pussy“: why Spike Lee’s take on Aristophanes succeeds
Lee’s film, in which the women of Chicago decide to go on a sex strike, is often muddled – but…
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Why did the BBC make a new drama about serial killer John Christie?
I try to imagine the meeting where they decided to commission the series. “Hey, what about if we bring…
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What happens when a president refuses to step down?
An approaching constitutional crisis has triggered deep political unrest in the Congo.
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The Underground Railroad is a novel which offers hope for the very strong of heart
Whitehead’s prize-winning novel of slavery in America is his finest work yet.
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The irony of “fakery” claims and backlash against production tricks on Planet Earth II
Criticism of David Attenborough’s latest nature series is at odds with the enhanced authenticity of how we record our…
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