Johnson’s Last Chance

Leader: The libertarian delusion

Far from being a vote for a smaller state, Brexit was, if anything, a vote for a larger one.

Letter of the week: The truth about Haavara

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Can the UK avoid two lost decades for living standards?

If Boris Johnson truly wants to build a “high-wage economy”, he should focus on strengthening trade unions, not reducing…

Pippa Crerar’s Diary: How my story about the Downing Street Christmas party shook Westminster

I was told it was a bubble story, but sure enough Boris Johnson’s ratings plummeted and Tory contacts rang…

Brian Klaas on why we choose the wrong leaders

The political scientist argues the corruptible are drawn to positions of power – but we help put them there.

Can Labour and the Liberal Democrats unite to defeat the Conservatives?

Both parties are still bruised by historic betrayals, but Keir Starmer and Ed Davey appear to be entering a…

We underestimate the appeal of nationalism’s dark fantasies at our peril

Fever dreams of domination and subjugation mark international politics as 2022 begins.

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes will be the stuff of Hollywood – and then forgotten

From the cynical perspective of a movie-maker, Maxwell has the most delicious character arc imaginable: from riches to rags,…

Without a plan to reform Britain, the Conservatives are at the mercy of Boris Johnson

The Prime Minister could more easily shrug off scandals if he was able to show how his government is…

My Armenian Christmas reminds me how traditions are reinvented in times of crisis

Armenians celebrate Christmas on 6 January – and this year we will make a virtue of necessity.

What to read in 2022: non-fiction

From politics and science to history and pop, the essential books for the year ahead.

What to read in 2022: fiction

The year’s publishing highlights, including novels by Ali Smith, Jonathan Coe and Ottessa Moshfegh.

David Skelton’s The New Snobbery holds a cautionary tale for the Tories

The desertion of the working class and the rise of identity politics contributed to Labour’s decline – but such…

What José Ortega y Gasset can teach post-Brexit Britain

A century ago the philosopher anatomised a Spain fractured by separatisms. What can his prescient polemic tell us about…

The people and the planet

What impact will Africa’s young and fast-growing population have on the world?

Reviewed in short: New books by Helen Gordon, James Ivory, Fintan O’Toole and Dan Rhodes

Notes From Deep Time by Gordon, Solid Ivory by Ivory, We Don’t Know Ourselves by O’Toole and Sour Grapes…

“I didn’t want anyone to know it was me”: on being Joni Mitchell’s “Carey”

For 50 years, the “mean old daddy” immortalised in one of Mitchell’s best-loved songs has been an enigma. Now…

The wonders of Albrecht Dürer’s world

How the Renaissance artist and inveterate traveller journeyed in a permanent state of fascination.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza is an utterly delectable coming-of-age movie

The director of rewarding-but-tough films brings us a loose and easy romcom – and immediate pleasure.

BBC One’s “Grindr killer” series Four Lives turns tragedy into a freak show

This is the latest cynical exercise in turning real crimes into entertainment, with “scary” music playing as bodies are…

How Craig Oliver wants you to stop worrying

David Cameron’s former spin doctor has a new podcast bursting with tips for fulfilment. But surely we’ve read this…

Nature is a state of grace that can be experienced by anyone, anywhere

To preserve our environment, we must realise that nature is not elsewhere – in the safari park or on…

To level up public health, the government must pay attention to the social factors underpinning it

Poor diet, inactivity and smoking are the visible parts of the iceberg: below lurks economic insecurity and an absence…

In my post-festive season loneliness, I wonder if I have gone feral

I ask myself if I could live with someone else now, who would tolerate my lifestyle? Left to my…

I have compiled a new playlist for 2022 – “Songs you can’t feel sad to”

High up is Beck’s “Nicotine & Gravy”, which is oozing and unctuous and weird, and to which my body…

This England: Expensive taste

This column – which, though named after a line in Shakespeare’s “Richard II”, refers to the whole of Britain…

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Steven Pinker Q&A: “I’m still alive because I’m a serial series binger”

The psychologist discusses Annie Leibovitz, the work of Jonathan Rauch and the stupidification of academia.