Burnham is keeping his enemies close
Last Monday, Andy Burnham delivered what was perhaps the most ambitious statement of economic intent since 1997. Standing outside Downing Street, the Prime Minister spoke…
Elegy for the Royal Navy
I do not think there has ever been a naval dictatorship. Hungary’s Admiral Horthy, though a sort of dictator, lacked an actual navy, or even any sea, by the time…
Can Burnham banish Maggie’s ghost?
In 2013, I attended a Margaret Thatcher death party in Brixton. At the age of 23, perhaps I should have known better. Politically, I was in an extended-adolescence phase of…
JK Rowling mansplained
What happened to JK Rowling? If only there were some kind of primary source that could tell us why she became interested in the clash between trans activism and women’s…
The orthodox Jews tripping on toad toxins
There are more than a few places in the Old Testament where it appears that the ancient patriarchs and prophets were tripping their brains out: Moses and the bush that…
The war for China’s soul
True to its Marxist-Leninist roots, the Chinese Communist Party has long regarded religion as spiritual opium. A few weeks ago, it appeared to double down on the drugs imagery by…
Why Brexit is back
This time 10 years ago, I was heavily pregnant and waddling around small-town England with a bag of Leave campaign leaflets, in the weeks leading up to that seismic referendum.…
Trump’s monumentalistic aesthetic
From the ancient Redwoods in northern California, to the thunderous roar of Niagara Falls in upstate New York. From the Empire State Building in Midtown Manhattan, to the sandstone buttes…
The Iron Lady who could save Venezuela
This piece was first published on 26 July, 2024. Despite being the most popular politician in Venezuela, María Corina Machado has been banned from standing in this weekend’s election. Forbidden…
Why plutocrats love Trump’s war
When the bombs began to rain down on Iran, I predicted Donald Trump’s Waterloo. Watching his MAGA coalition, a noxious brew of working-class resentment and tax cuts for billionaires, descend…
The triumph of Brexitball
A ball over the top. A big center-forward muscles the center-back out of the way and then fires past the goalkeeper. It happened to be Sunday, and Manchester City’s 1-0…