Reform, That You May Preserve
The Great Reform Bill of 1832 nearly sparked a revolution. Antonia Fraser's history tells the story with tremendous verve
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
When a Marxist Loses His Charm
The uruguayan Eduardo Galeano was once the author of elegant and charming journalism. Sadly, his new book is a dumbed-down travesty
Nourishment by the Gross
Big Brother is Lionel Shriver at her cold-eyed best; a nourishing helping of fearless, humane and sober prose
Assessing Angela
‘At the election in September, Germans will have to decide whether Angela Merkel’s modesty and prudence are proof enough of her virtue’
Save the NYPD So It Can Save the City
‘Without stop-and-search, Kelly estimates that he would need an extra 50,000 officers to police the city because people who don’t run the risk of being searched start carrying guns’
Hapless Hollande’s French Farce Flops
‘Hollande’s ministers are falling out among themselves and criticism from his left-wing allies is getting ever more strident’
The Myth of Cameron’s Etonian ‘Chumocracy’
Seen as more patrician than ever, the Tories in the Coalition Cabinet are less wealthy and privileged than under any previous government
ONLINE ONLY: Ferguson’s Fact of Nature
There is a truth at the heart of his controversial comments about my antecedent which Niall Ferguson does not need to apologise for…
From Hegel to Hagel
The US's new Secretary of Defence should behave a little less like his Prussian near namesake and avoid hero-worshipping foreign military prowess
First in Line
If the Duchess of Cambridge gives birth to a daughter, she will be first in line to the throne. But why no further changes to primogeniture?
If Only
The Bank of England has for a long time been hanging policy on one economic indicator and hoping for the best
Americans Know Her True Worth. Do We?
'The reaction to lady thatcher's death in the US brought an avalanche of affection and praise both on the Right and the Left'