A European tragedy
‘No frightened rabbit could be more petrified than the European Union, for the Covid-19 crisis has hammered all its weakest points: its democratic deficit, the fragility of its solidarity, and—most dangerous of
Will the green agenda be killed off by the pandemic?
‘Will the green agenda be killed off by the longer-term coronavirus recovery? Or might the closure of so much business, and the cleaner air that results from planes not flying and factories
Eliot’s editorial legacy
"The purpose of this magazine, and the sign of its intelligence, is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind simultaneously"
Dress sense
With the coming of cuckoos and crocuses, cometh the catwalks. Bringing breathless news of culottes and cut-offs from Aix to Ghent, not to mention Paris, Milan and Shoreditch. I gaze at the
Infectious enthusiasms
Hard times on stage—and off it
China’s wild animal markets are by no means unique
‘We might suppose that Wuhan’s animal markets are part of a uniquely Chinese tradition, leading up to the current plague. But the facts do not allow for such clarity’
Britain must reinvent itself
‘We should seize the opportunity presented by Brexit to reinvent ourselves’
Britain is becoming a wet desert
‘Two-fifths of our rivers are man-made canals: dug down, dredged, and separated from their flood plains’
Alliances and dalliances
"The lethal combination of the Trump administration’s “America First” approach and many European members’ complacent, cowardly and stingy approach risks making Nato irrelevant"
A criminal waste
‘Everyone knows about the code-crackers of GCHQ. But a far bigger pool of talent is underground: alienated young hackers tempted to the dark side, because they find no outlet for their skills