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
The mark of an educated mind
Schooling underpinned by critical thinking is the bedrock of civilisation. It could save us from today’s infantilised discourse
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
No sex please, we’re Japanese
Japan’s population shrinks by half a million every year. Is it already too late to reverse this decline?
Big Brother is watching you
Citizens of mature, liberal democracies accept that some things done in our name by those who guard us take place in the grey margins of the law. If the ultimate objective is
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"
Emmanuel Macron’s petite crise
The unpopular president’s reforms exposed a deep discontent. The response to the pandemic has made his problems worse
Easter Sunday, 2020
Poetry by Rowan Williams
Bohemian rhapsodies
Caroline Maclean’s Circles and Squares reads like a roll-call of the artistic great and good of the interwar years — whose enterprise stands in stark relation to the mess of their private lives
African reset: will Covid-19 bring change?
It is tempting to hope that ordinary people will rise up and demand change. But we are more likely to see poverty exacerbated