Carrying water for freedom
Hong Kong’s protestors are brave and, so far, successful. The Chinese Communist Party leadership must be kicking itself
Arise ye unwoke from your slumbers
Our tolerance of intolerance must end. It’s time to reclaim the sanity of both public and private spaces with a counter-revolution
Cast off the shackles of Empire victimhood
Blaming modern woes on past empires stokes infantilisation—condescension is colonialism’s last legacy. I’m proud of my CBE
Cosy world of the old history boy network
When I asked my academic colleagues to rate historians and their most famous works, their anger at the patronage system surprised me
Davids slay Goliath of Dolphin Square
A consortium of residents and community groups has defeated plans to revamp one of London’s most famous—and notorious—buildings
Discovering the Great War of China
A third of a million Chinese labourers helped the Allies defeat the Kaiser, but their huge unsung contribution ended in betrayal
Be mindful of the latest magic bullet
Mindfulness is all the rage, from big corporations to the NHS. Is it a panacea for many societal problems or just a short-lived fad?
A Fifty Shades of Grey area over violent sex
Juries seem increasingly willing to accept “rough sex” as a defence against murder. Does “BDSM” allow abusers to hide in plain sight?
Breast is not always best for mothers
Women shouldn’t be pressurised into breastfeeding — it’s sexist and illiberal to claim that anyone who bottle-feeds is a bad mother
Amritsar: beginning of the end of Empire
The true casualty figures are still hotly disputed 100 years after the Punjab massacre, but its real legacy was the slow death of the Raj