Happiness is a huge gun: Cold War thrillers and the modern nuclear deterrent
For all that books and films laud Britain’s strength, ultimately, they show that our power is interdependent.
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The English Revolt
Donald Trump’s hollow coronation
The presidential candidate was forced to wheel out family members at the Republican National Convention, as party grandees stayed…
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An army with lead boots
Last Friday morning, within a few hours of the street massacre in Nice, I arrived in Paris.
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“The Hole-Up”: a poem by Matthew Sweeney
“You could taste the raw / seagull you’d killed and plucked, / the mussels you’d dug from sand, /…
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Commons confidential: Eagle’s wings clipped
Bizarre that a three-time election-winner is now Labour kryptonite.
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Wrists, knees, terrible rages – I felt overwhelmed when Barry came to see me
I teach my registrars to be aware how a consultation is making them feel: that can give valuable clues…
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France is changing: an army stalks the streets and Boris Johnson wanders the Tuileries
Will Self on the militarisation of France, and Boris Johnson at the Foreign Office.
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Turkey’s darkest night: can democracy survive the failed coup?
President Erdogan has hailed the foiling of the coup as a triumph for democracy, but some fear it will…
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The triumph of Misbah-ul-Haq, the quiet grafter
How Misbah redeemed Pakistani cricket.
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The stuff of life: how A S Byatt intertwined the lives of William Morris and Mariano Fortuny
In Peacock & Vine, Byatt has turned works of art and their shade, texture, patina and heft into words.
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Why is BBC Radio Cumbria talking about 1974?
Tuesday, and yet another shout-out to listeners who might remember the making of the 1974 film of Swallows and Amazons.
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Why Jeremy Corbyn would fit into the BBC’s The Secret Agent
The BBC’s new Joseph Conrad adaptation is wonderful, and more pertinent than I’d expected. Plus: Fleabag reviewed.
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Friedrich Nietzsche, the conqueror with the iron hand
Gavin Jacobson considers the great philosopher’s plan for society as revealed in Nietzsche’s Great Politics by Hugo Drochon.
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Tears in heaven: Why do we cry on aeroplanes?
I’ve cried on planes for so long, I’ve started packing a special “crying kit” for use in-flight.
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The Nice attack showed the threat posed by lone actors – we should brace ourselves for more
Terrorist organisations are strategically fluid, and deploying lone wolf attacks in the West allows them to extend their reach…
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How The Mare throws gender, race and even language into flux
Mary Gaitskill’s new novel presents an agonising world of “nice” and “nasty”, where moral choice is always constrained.
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In defence of expertise: it’s time to take the heart out of “passionate” politics
What we need is cool logic.
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The problem with grammar schools – and the answer to Labour’s troubles
This week’s news, from Erdogan the despot, to memories of Disraeli, and coffee and class.
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At the Olympics, one question will hang over the female athletes: are you a real woman, whatever that is?
The debate over gender in sport shows just how difficult it is to draw a sharp distinction between male and female…
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The £7m fingers: how Jeff Beck became a guitar hero by saying no
In one of Jeff Beck’s last major interviews, he talked to Kate Mossman about his rivalry with Eric Clapton…
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A Lord’s Test match is a wonderful social event – not least because of who shows up for interview
My week, including an invitation to Mrs May, grilling a top copper, and the unity of Miliband and Farage.
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Eyes on the peaks and a heart in the valley
During the summer months, the Swiss Alps offer one of nature’s most gorgeous spectacles.
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How Jeremy Corbyn won Facebook
Three numbers will help you understand this summer’s leadership election. Corbyn has 770,000 fans on Facebook, while Labour has 500,000…
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Theresa May’s mission is to resolve Thatcher’s contradictory legacy
The new Prime Minister recognises how economic liberalism undermines conservative values.
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No economy is an island: why Britain’s finances now depend on Europe
Weak growth in Europe turned Britain into a safety deposit box, but that may soon change.
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Back to the future – mankind’s new ideas that aren’t new at all
Rethink: the Surprising History of New Ideas by Steven Poole reviewed.
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Mark Rylance and Ruby Barnhill shine in The BFG – but the film never quite takes off
The stars of The BFG have great chemistry. What a shame, then, that they end up in boring Buckingham…
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Why do the words “soup, swoop, loop de loop” come to mind every time I lift a spoon to my lips?
It’s all thanks to Barry and Anita.
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Leader: The rise of pluto-populism
The forces that propelled Mr Trump to the Republican nomination – belligerence, vacuous promise-making, xenophobia, racism – are all…
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