A World of Flowers
A poem composed in the aftermath of the death of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
A Toast To Civilisation
We asked our readers to come up with a cocktail recipe that best reflects Western civilisation. The winning drink is both fortifying and delicious
Publisher Be Damned
The feud at Germany’s most respected publishing house reads like a passage from Vanity Fair written by Thomas Mann
Syria Isn’t Bosnia: Don’t Arm the Rebels
Assisting the Free Syria Army to overthrow Assad by force will only lead to further religious persecution, torture and death
Obama’s Secrets Start Unravelling
'When the leaders of China and the US met in June, one was accused of serious civil liberties violations, the seizure of journalists' phone and email records and the use of state
ONLINE ONLY: A Lost Way of Life
Adam Nicolson's Gentry is a superb survey of the 600-year rise and fall of a class of landed Englishmen
Bernard Hailstone: The Artist And His Sitter
In 1945, Bernard Hailstone painted my father, the journalist Louis Heren, in the Burmese jungle. This is the story of their long friendship
Royal Age Concern
The monarchy is in rude health but increased longevity could paradoxically spell the end of royal rule
Trudeau Nouveau
The Leader of the Canadian opposition is a lightweight liberal fantasy. If he were to become PM his lack of resolve would be disastrous
Communist-Free
I taught English in Poland in the 1960s and can safely say there were virtually no Communists in the country
Rude Britannia
The UK Border Agency's woeful inefficiency means that visa applicants are stuck in the country, without a passport and unable to work, for months on end
Walking With Maggie
Mrs Thatcher often went on an after-dinner walk and she asked me to accompany her on several occasions. Years later, to my delight, she remembered these strolls