The e-petition site set up by the coalition government is ten years old. To mark the occasion, we’ve sifted through its earliest, biggest and strangest petitions to discover… does it make a difference?
And so, too, did other Western leaders. Yesterday’s global Covid summit had to deliver billions of vaccines – but fell well short
The government is right to identify the “Britishness” of certain television shows – but wrong to claim that this elusive combination of wit, class consciousness, camp and generosity of spirit can be produced by design
Tortoise has received leaked documents that reveal more of the country’s position in international laundering networks. At the same time, the government is trying to loosen financial regulations
Nobody understands what is happening in the Arctic better than its Indigenous people. Effective climate change adaptation means giving them more power over the resources on which they depend
They are routinely failed by our education system – but skilled, sensitive and early interventions make their lives radically better
The global fight against climate change depends on us protecting the natural resources we still have left. We should be prepared to pay for that
This form of cyberattack threatens people’s privacy, finances – and even their lives. To learn how to combat it, we must return to a series of offline crimes and the West’s response to them
People of mixed heritage have become an important part of Britain’s demographic makeup. It’s time we recognised that – and them
Despite the praise the country received for its response to Covid, it was an outcome dependent on luck. Such an approach should not be emulated by other countries
In 2013, the SNP published a white paper detailing its plan for an independent future. The world has changed so dramatically since then that key issues in its proposal need to be updated ahead of a potential second vote.
Britain’s next king has constructed a strange charity-industrial complex around himself – and its financial dealings are extremely questionable. We have a right to ask: how much does he know?
From Blackpool to Great Yarmouth, culture has helped us all throughout the pandemic – and it can do more in the years ahead
Tunisia’s leader used vaccine shortages to take power, and then vaccine supply to consolidate his new position
Due to vaccine inequality, trust is breaking down ahead of the crucial Cop26 climate talks in Glasgow. Genuine solidarity is needed to solve both transnational crises
Britain’s royal family isn’t particularly powerful and is increasingly beset by scandal. Yet our fascination with them remains strong. Why?
One of the biggest games studios in the world, Blizzard Entertainment, faces a reckoning. Could it become one of the few corporate casualties of the movement against sexual harassment?
…and that’s a problem. Rampant polarisation gets in the way of everything from friendly relationships to good governance
There are millions who could have used some extra reassurance as restrictions are eased. As it is, they’ll now be kept out of the gigs, club nights and other social occasions that everyone else takes for granted
Delta is surging through both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations – increasing the risk of new mutations, and subjecting many to Long Covid. The solution must include protection, tests and treatments
Too little water is bad for both the planet and people. Too much water is bad for them, too. We’ve created a crisis in which both extremes are happening at once
Various studies now suggest that the Covid immunity conferred by the Pfizer vaccine declines over time. Perhaps by as much as half over just four months
I tweeted a slo-mo clip of the pair on the red carpet, and the internet lapped it up. No wonder: the silver screen doesn’t give us this kind of sexiness
In places like LA, it was bad before. It’s worse now. The question is: how willing and able are US politicians to take care of their own people?
Britain’s government has raised tax levels to help fund social care. Unless different solutions can be found in the years ahead, that’s going to be the new way of things
Vaccination against Covid has saved 100,000 lives in England. How many lives would have been saved by a similar effort around the world?
As Germany’s leader for the past 16 years, Angela Merkel has taken her country far – but no further. The future demands a more radical politics
British politicians are arguing over vaccines for children and boosters for adults. These are important considerations – but not as important as the sheer paucity of jabs around the world
The humiliating retreat from Afghanistan shows how little we understand about the new realities of 21st-century warfare so horrifically made clear on 11 September 2001
Texas’s new abortion law has been cunningly crafted to shield it from being struck down as unconstitutional. It’s a method other states could now mimic – and America’s highest court seems prepared to let them get away with it
A movement that should be a force for solidarity among women, for change, and for fun, has become miserably fractious. Time to restore its positive vision, internal tolerance and appetite for camaraderie
Poorer nations have barely received any doses, while richer countries build up ever greater surpluses. All that is lacking is the political will to get the jabs to where they are needed
The row over paying for social care with national insurance increases foreshadows a daunting series of questions the chancellor must answer before this autumn’s spending review
After a Tortoise investigation into sexual assault and harassment allegations at the Cambridge college, Dr Jeremy Morris quit his post. This should be only the beginning of an institutional and regulatory overhaul in the higher education sector
The terrible decline of the regional press and the rise of unregulated social media activity mean that local democracy can be trashed by determined individuals
We should always expect the Spanish Inquisition: which is to say, leaders should use the lessons of behavioural science to prepare for all outcomes – like Covid, or the fall of Kabul
The scandal of David Cameron’s embroilment with the bankrupt supply-chain business is only part of a huge financial story. It is extraordinary that the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has been so passive
As well as the incomplete evacuation, Afghanistan faces a horrendous series of humanitarian challenges: conflict, Covid and drought. This is no time for the international community to avert its gaze
Their brief existence and their perceived fragility is a sermon on the nature of beauty and life. How sad that 76 per cent of the UK’s resident and migratory butterfly species are in decline – with all that has to say about the future of the planet
A former prime ministerial speech writer decodes the President’s address to the US people after 13 U.S. troops and dozens of Afghans were killed in an attack at the Kabul Airport on August 26.
At no point since the Second World War has the UK been so marginalised in the so-called “special relationship” with the US. If that is to change, the PM must transform the way he operates – and fast
Those calling for 2022 to be the “Year of Queer” are profoundly insensitive to the term’s past use as a homophobic slur, and its association with brutal violence
As appealing as tidiness is, grass is too important to the environment, to agriculture and to biodiversity to be tamed
Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner, and the child advocate, Beeban Kidron, are amongst those leading the demand for action
There are straightforward ways of minimising vaccine wastage. But the real challenge is to mobilise national ambition and competitive spirit so that the wealthier countries of the world want to be seen as the most generous sharers of doses
Biden’s poll numbers, Johnson’s wounded pride and Raab’s holiday are minor details in a huge story. The Afghan crisis is forcing us, very uncomfortably, to ask what we truly believe in
Slow to take Covid seriously and mobilise the immunisation roll-out, the country has suffered from shortage of jabs – while Indigenous peoples have often been left behind in the race to get vaccinated
From September, businesses looking to secure deals that supply the most valuable goods and services to the government must have committed to Net Zero. It’s an imperfect, but valuable incentive for action
Afghanistan has been surrendered to a mob of theocratic gangsters, who have exploited the folly and laziness of the West. The civil war that will now follow the Taliban’s return to power is an unconscionable moral disaster
It takes a satirist to understand how the pressures of social media and the ideological capture of education institutions are driving conspiracy theories into the mainstream – and undermining basic scientific principles
The lessons of past diseases are a guide for those whose mission it should be to ensure that people in poorer nations are given Covid jabs as a matter of urgency
As the most powerful nation in the history of the world abandons the women of Afghanistan to a gang of misogynistic theocrats, how confident do you feel today about the strength of the “international community”?
National insurance increases would add to employers’ costs, while leaving the property of the elderly untaxed. But we need to break the decades-old policy logjam and reflexive sabotage, and begin the process of enacting a solution
In the face of the climate crisis, Germany’s Green party has gone from being a fringe player to a real contender. Their positive, can-do campaign should be a lesson to others seeking office across the globe
In global terms, the amount of money required to solve the Covid crisis and get vaccines where they are needed is a rounding error. It’s not too late for Boris Johnson to raise the funds
British chancellors and the Treasury haven’t traditionally cared for the climate. It’s time they prioritised the green economy and put money behind the cause of Net Zero
Data on vaccine donations and deliveries is delayed, incomplete or absent. Opacity on this, the single most important global supply crisis we currently face, is a barrier to ending the pandemic
A decade after England’s unrest, social media has become capable of radicalising a mob. But to avoid repeating the scenes of that summer, we must tackle the root causes – poor policing, inequality and racism
Wealthier nations need to share their surplus doses urgently. But the international community should also be constructing a new coalition of smaller-population countries, paid by the IMF and World Bank to manufacture sufficient vaccines for the next pandemic
As US forces depart, those left behind are hunkering down or arming up – all in anticipation of worse conflict to come. And who can blame them? The government is weak, and the Taliban rampant
The brazen way in which Boris Johnson’s former adviser described his team’s plan to depose the PM – only days after his 2019 election triumph – is a warning of how much is at stake in the new age of populist, digitised politics
India has suffered terribly from the failure of its populist government to order anything like the number of doses it needs – and must now hope that the international community acts with urgency
If we are to reach Net Zero in the decades ahead, then we have to do something about road transport. But electrifying it could just exacerbate many of the problems we face today
We have a natural bias towards people like us, but, for years, various unifying institutions kept this instinct in check… until a certain electrical box arrived on the scene
In the fortnight since former President Jacob Zuma’s arrest, the country has faced riots, looting and social fracture. Now it must try to rebuild, yet again, but in a time of Covid and economic uncertainty
As the West departs after 20 years, it is an earlier conflict that defines so much of the country today – and contributed to a history of death, displacement and religious fervour
Boris Johnson certainly did not envisage spending this long-awaited moment of liberation in self-isolation. But the virus is still rampant – and will remain so until there is a truly global strategy to beat it
If poorer nations are to be vaccinated against Covid, we need a World Health Organisation with authority and bite. Here’s how we can get closer to that goal
The Abraaj Group collapsed under the stewardship of Arif Naqvi, who now faces extradition to the US. Or did it? The truth may be rather more complicated and concerning
The country is suffering from a terrible third wave and continuous conflict. Help has been promised and some has arrived – but, ahead of one of the year’s major religious festivals, it’s not enough
The former adviser’s recent criticisms of Boris Johnson and the government aren’t without merit. But the answers are closer to home than to the moon…
A Dance to the Music of Time is one of the great works of literature. The Anthony Powell Society exists to celebrate its author’s legacy – except it’s doing rather a lot more quarrelling these days
We have a hooligan class of politicians – and a national football team composed of gentlemen. Let the heroic performance of Southgate’s squad be an inspiration to this feckless government
It may be cynical to say so, but, if people are not moved by the humanitarian case for global Covid vaccination, they might grasp that their own self-preservation depends on stopping the emergence of deadlier variants
Our research shows that Heineken, the world’s second biggest brewer and a major sponsor of Euro 2020, has ties to the slave trade. How should a company reckon with its own past?
Only strong leadership, clarity of vision and a true sense of international citizenship will get the job of global vaccination done. We must act now
Covid-19 is ravaging the world. Still. This photo essay shows the continuing suffering in countries that haven’t been reached by the vaccine – and even those that have
Global vaccination is a moral imperative. But it’s also self-preservation: if the virus continues to mutate in unvaccinated parts of the world, we could all be back to square one
The tools to make global vaccination a reality are already available. What is needed is the political will and international vision to deploy them – as a matter of urgency
Masks will be an important barrier against Covid transmission, before and after 19 July. But we should look further afield to the real challenge – which is to vaccinate the world’s population
The drive to distribute Covid jabs around the world has faltered perilously – and must be revived and intensified as a matter of urgency
Labour’s triumph in Batley and Spen may have been narrow – but it could prove seriously consequential. George Galloway was seen off, and Boris Johnson’s run of success was finally ended
COP26 is in trouble. With only four months to go, the broad goals are clear but no one is confident of progress towards achieving them and the big Biden dividend – US climate leadership after the Trump disaster – is nowhere to be seen
Don’t believe rumours of their decline and imminent extinction. A revolutionary new digital marketplace is emerging, which will be dominated by content “creators” defined by their authenticity, transparency and values
The reforms that Sajid Javid must unveil before the end of the year do not only affect the elderly. Too often, this debate neglects those with learning disabilities and autism – and their loved ones, who bear the burden of such indifference
For England’s fans, today’s match with Germany will trigger memories of World Cup triumph more than half a century ago. It’s time to let those sentiments go and move on
His resignation was inevitable and has bequeathed the new health secretary, Sajid Javid, a series of formidable challenges. It has also left Number 10 fearful that this is only the beginning of a media feeding frenzy
The health secretary’s alleged misconduct is, at the very least, stupid. It has come to light at a crucial moment for NHS policy – but Hancock has no more control over his fate than he has over quantum physics
The case of the weightlifter Laurel Hubbard illustrates the clash in elite sports between fairness and inclusion. It should inspire a more open discussion about trans rights, in which we recognise the good intentions of those with whom we disagree
The world of royal security is kept secret on purpose. But, through a year-long investigation, David McClure has uncovered answers to all the big questions. How are the Queen and her family protected? Who does the work? And, crucially, how much does it cost?
In spite of what you hear on GB News, the supposed cultural divide between the so-called “liberal elite” and ordinary British voters is much less stark than you might suppose
A new play unites the director Nick Hytner and the actor Simon Russell Beale in an intense exploration of the composer’s relationship with God, chaos and family – a dramatic experience full of contemporary resonance
The election of Ebrahim Raisi as Iranian president does not mark a return to darker days but a more brazen declaration of the character – and terrible crimes – of this theocratic state
The Tories’ defeat in Chesham and Amersham has rattled the party’s southern MPs. But the prime minister should not yield to those calling for him to dilute planning reforms that are badly needed and socially just
The G7 summit was a shiny failure that achieved almost nothing of substance. But it is not too late for richer nations to avert humanitarian catastrophe by vaccinating the world against Covid before the end of 2022
Old ideas of top-down and bottom-up are no longer fit for purpose. The time has come (again) for an even older idea: interdependence
Long-term commitment hasn’t gone away. It just looks very different now
The war is still raging, the Taliban are agitating, and the Americans are leaving. If it’s to achieve a better future, this is a country that desperately needs friends
After the shimmering showbiz of the G7 summit, the prime minister has been forced by a pesky Covid variant to be dull and sensible. He hates nothing more
Digital surveillance of employees has gone mainstream during the pandemic, but it’s not always effective and it erodes human dignity. Governments, companies and workers need a plan for the future
Ofsted’s report on schools is right to call for action against “normalised” sexual harassment. But if we are to know its full extent, all students should be able to share their experiences without fear of retribution
From Kerala to Keele to Kinshasa, the fight against Covid requires international will and resources, and community knowledge and trust. The G7’s pandemic strategy must be geared accordingly
By going along with his chancellor, Boris Johnson is failing them too. He has one more chance to put that right
Naomi Osaka’s row with the French Open was a reminder that all types of people face mental health struggles. As a start, the media should dial down their pre- and post-match scrutiny
The G7 summit must make global vaccine roll-out its highest priority. Covid respects no border, and will continue to mutate until the citizens of all nations – rich and poor – are vaccinated in high numbers
Like Orwell before her, Margaret Atwood warned us what was coming
Sangita Myska and her husband tried for years to have a child. But there was one option they, and society, had ignored for a long time
For Anand Menon, a politics and
foreign affairs professor at King’s
College London, an early bout of
Covid turned out to be the least
of the hardships he suffered during
the most difficult year of his life
The author of The God Delusion made his name as a scientist, but he’s increasingly peddling his own brand of baseless religion. If only he could have been at Eddie Barnes’ 20th birthday party…
The tech company’s battle with Epic Games is about something big: the future of the digital realms we all inhabit. That future must be different to the present
The gang of six’s get-together was a bittersweet memorial for a world that was only ever a fantasy. The series was a product of its time; its characters unprepared for the age we now inhabit
The prime minister’s erstwhile chief advisor has accused him of leading a chaotic government responsible for tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths. Here, a former Number 10 speechwriter analyses Dominic Cummings’ testimony
International support for Palestinians offers hope to two cousins separated between the United States and Palestine
The cross-examination of Cummings this week will be that rarest of things: authentic political box office. He won’t bring the prime minister down. But he can certainly make his life miserable
Whenever violence flares up between Israel and the Palestinians, harm is done to students thousands of miles away. A more robust response is needed
Boris Johnson met with scientists, his ministers and other advisers last autumn to decide what to do about rising Covid cases. The course he chose contributed to a terrible second wave
The European Super League is just the latest example of a decades-long intrusion of business into sport. The people driving these changes don’t understand what they’re playing with
During decades of Soviet rule, Lithuanian basketball became a proxy independence struggle. As geopolitical tensions in the Baltic states rise, the sport is once again a venue for political competition
The singer-songwriter-author-filmmaker-artist-provocateur also becomes an octogenarian next week. He still means as much as ever
The words, two decades ago, of an elderly fan to a younger one. The past weekend proved them true all over again
Boris Johnson’s roadmap for lockdown easing is now imperilled by a rampant Covid variant. On 14 June, he must make one of the most difficult decisions of his life
By their crass undermining of the independence of the cultural sector, ministers are threatening a precious principle of public life – and encouraging polarisation over the nation’s heritage
The glib notion of a “post-racial” world is especially meaningless to those of mixed-heritage – the fastest growing ethnic group in the country
Television still has tremendous reach – and, when it comes to issues like mental health, it’s using that reach for good
The State Opening of parliament lacked pomp and – more importantly – purpose. A former Number 10 speechwriter judges the government’s legislative plan to be both vague and grubby
Parts of the Pacific are threatened by rising tides and extreme weather events. This Photo Essay looks at some of the islands most at risk
Last week’s elections show that the political centre of gravity is shifting towards social conservatism matched by high public spending. In this new landscape, Keir Starmer is nowhere
The US president understands that this is an age to borrow and spend. The UK’s chancellor, Rishi Sunak, should be no less ambitious
It’s a terrible time to be a student. Covid-19 has exposed that mental health support at universities is inadequate – but young people have ideas about how to fix it
The far right has stoked up fear of immigration, elites, and multiculturalism. Now, extremists are turning their attention online to the alleged threat of the green agenda – with an eye to discrediting COP-26
Thousands of Hong Kongers will soon arrive in the UK, prompting fears they will be ill-treated, or that there may be a second Windrush scandal. But, in one London suburb, a model of civic integration is emerging as a beacon of hope
The first of a series on racial justice: almost 12 months since the murder of George Floyd, there has been far too little real change in the UK law and order system
Orson Welles’ film – often called the greatest of all time – is 80 years old. But its age isn’t nearly as remarkable as its prescience
Emissions pledges have become a trendy tool through which companies show off their “green” credentials. They’re just talk
Deepfakes are wrecking thousands of women’s lives. They need to come under the rule of law – although that’s just a start
The basic biological distinction between a woman and a man is too important to our conceptual ordering of the world to be ditched in order to soothe the feelings of trans people
The feud between Johnson and Cummings was always on the cards, and has entangled the whole government in a clash between two narcissists at the worst possible time
The status quo in football is financially unsustainable. We need to look to the franchise model of American sport if we want the game to survive and prosper in a rapidly-changing social and technological context
On Stephen Lawrence Day, we should remember what has been achieved since Macpherson’s 1999 report on the teenager’s murder, what remains to be done, and how the government’s Sewell report has imperilled progress
The preservation of carbon sinks, such as peat bogs, is one of the easiest steps we can take to address the climate emergency
The fact that an idea as grotesque as the European Super League is being contemplated at all shows how far the game has moved away from the grassroots supporters that used to be its heart and soul
To understand why the former prime minister behaved as he did over Greensill, you have to grasp how very strange the plutocratic world of senior Tories really is
The supply chain financing offered by Lex Greensill seemed like a useful tool. But its shiny appeal was deceptive – and the fallout has potentially serious implications for politics, government and fintech. To help you through the thickets, here’s a step-by-step guide.
Rachael Blackmore’s triumph in the Grand National was also a victory for generations of female jockeys – many of them little-known – who struggled against the patriarchal racing establishment for the most basic rights on the racecourse
Rather than focusing on private companies representing their own interests, why not make public bodies more transparent and accountable? The Freedom of Information Act could do that job
The surfeit of hot takes, the bombardment of social media, and the fear of cancel culture have left us quivering wrecks, less likely to arrive at – and defend – clear ideas and evidence-based arguments
If David Cameron were better at lobbying, he might be in even hotter water over the Greensill scandal. His statement and exchange with Rishi Sunak show that he was a poor advocate for a failing business
Old rivalries and political repression have tipped Africa’s role model into a violent war – from which no winners can emerge
The rush to judge the Duke of Edinburgh by the standards of 2021 says more about us than him. We are forgetting the habits of decorum that help to bind a society
That’s the horrendous question recently asked of the author by her eight-year-old daughter. Lockdown is forcing young people to spend ever more time on the internet – and they’re encountering its darker corners
Young people have shared 14,000 accounts of rape culture at over 600 different schools. Analysis of their testimonies reveals the challenges children face, and what they want done about it
The system of subsidies doled out by quangos is no longer fit for purpose. Technology, private investment and subscriptions could lead to a cultural renaissance
Even if they’ve managed to survive the pandemic, many businesses now face crippling loan repayments. There is a way to help
Brits baulk at equine cruelty, but don’t flinch when other animals suffer. Our national obsession has shaped politics and literature – and destroyed a trainer’s career
Whether or not you agree the police were heavy-handed at the Clapham Common vigil, we need greater public understanding of the challenges facing officers
Streaming ineptitude overshadowed the former first minister’s online press conference, but his ambitions should be taken seriously
The Batley Grammar School case shows what happens when liberalism loses its nerve and allows theocratic cherry-picking
We should not blame individuals. But we can make systemic changes for the future – including publishing the scientific advice as soon as it is made
Powertrains are going electric – and Beijing controls the necessary raw materials
The outpouring of stories of street-level harassment prompted by the killing of Sarah Everard should be a spur to action on the built environment, and to address the shocking ways in which it fails women. There is plenty of best practice to follow. What is lacking is political will
The golfer achieved greatness and threw it away. Twice. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised when godly beings do extraordinary things
From vaccine hesitancy to the erasure of biological sex, facts are taking a bashing in the age of social media and of lobby groups weaponising feeling. The stakes are dauntingly high
A former Number 10 speechwriter analyses Cummings’s appearance before the Science and Technology Select Committee, and what it says about the man himself
When it comes to combatting global warming, people should step back more and let nature take the lead
Britain must teach artificial intelligence in schools and nurture ambitious start-ups if it is to remain a leader in the field
The sport needs to try a different kind of conversion if it is to endure in light of concussion, and links to early onset dementia. Players need answers, and to be brave in confronting the reality of the game we love
We need to treat the dangers that women face every day as urgently, seriously and systematically as we confront the risk of terrorist attacks. It is a national security issue
Women must be able to reclaim the streets – not just to walk but to wander and explore. Until we can walk without fear, we have very little freedom at all
Reports, reviews, inquiries – this is a government trying to kick a crisis into touch. Cressida Dick’s replacement is only the first of many steps that must be taken urgently
Look to past plagues and wars, and how humanity has commemorated the fallen. Collective amnesia has long been a friend to the virus, and we should not make the error of forgetfulness
My personal experience of bereavement trauma and academic work on PTSD tell me how much work lies ahead. Let’s come together on 23 March to reflect on those we have lost to Covid
Finding £17,000 a month towards the care of my parents forced me to reflect on the collective delusions and political cowardice that conspire to prevent us confronting – once and for all – this huge social challenge
A former Number Ten speechwriter unpacks the true meaning of Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah – and the dissonant ideas of monarchy and modernity at its heart
This has been a week of hypocrisy, sexism and racism, in which a single interview has revealed appalling double standards. Do we have the courage as a society to enact real change?
The road that brought the prince and now Meghan to give their interview inspires compassion and regret. But the monarchy will survive. There is more nuance in this saga than the polarised debates of our age will allow
Hallucinogen use is soaring, alongside scientific research on the potential benefits of these drugs. But my first (and last) trip illustrates the perils of psychedelics – especially in the lockdown-induced mental health epidemic
Boris Johnson must grasp that showering health care professionals with praise is no longer enough. In this, as in other respects, the Conservatives must ditch pre-pandemic thinking
Rishi Sunak’s Budget, far from being a visionary response to the economic challenge ahead, failed to address the changed landscape that businesses will face when we emerge from lockdown
The post-Brexit British supermarket bombards you with Union Jack product branding. But food nationalism – crude as it can be – is mostly a myth in a system of global supply chains
Beavers are coming back to the waters of Britain, in glorious abundance. They must not be thwarted by the meddling of our own species
Structural reform of international bodies is only part of the solution. The key is to identify the main challenges – China, climate emergency, global economic change, the next pandemic – and develop a new and nuanced multilateralism
Brexit was meant to take back control for the legislature. But the Palace of Westminster has been dangerously docile during the pandemic
Cinema is a unique and precious art form. Which doesn’t mean Netflix is all bad
The great political philosopher’s A Theory of Justice is 50 years old – and out of fashion. We should still read it
A former Number 10 speechwriter gives his assessment of the prime minister’s Monday evening address
For centuries, foreign talent has invigorated the City. After Brexit and the pandemic, London is losing its lustre
The plan to exit lockdown, unveiled by the PM this evening, will only work if the country accepts its complexity and can tolerate further delays
Idling, the act of keeping an engine running when a vehicle is stationary, has been an offence for decades. Yet fines are rarely issued. Small changes could help end this dangerous habit once and for all
Access to the financial world has never been easier for young people. But the pitfalls are as limitless as the opportunities
With political problems building at home, the options available to Russia’s president are narrowing
Don’t focus on Aung San Suu Kyi’s undoubted flaws. The prize in this fragile state is the survival and flourishing of a meaningful liberal society
The PM is rightly proud of the vaccine roll-out’s success. But that success is fraught with danger
Women in their twenties and thirties will know this feeling of pressure and change. But they haven’t been allowed the language to describe it
Life spent in digital spaces might have made young people especially well prepared for lockdown. But it didn’t – they’re bearing the brunt of the mental anguish
2001: A Space Odyssey, The Usual Suspects, William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar… the Handforth Parish Council meeting had it all
There are plenty of gaps in the statistics, from the number of vaccinations to even just the number of care home residents. It’s a sign of official neglect
As the River Lea progresses to the Thames, it is sullied and poisoned. Its plight, shared by waterways all over the country, should not be ignored
The findings of decision science – and past calamities like the Challenger Shuttle disaster – can help us prepare for multiple futures
The pandemic has caused specific forms of anguish for specific groups – and the problems will stay with us for years
Vaccine nationalism is inevitable, especially after Boris Johnson’s victory over the European Commission. But now the PM faces much deeper and unsettling questions about the UK’s place in the world
It’s a Sin, the television drama about the AIDS crisis, reveals a lot about then and a lot about now – including things that seldom get noticed
The government has presided over a national disaster – but you wouldn’t know it from watching the news
The world’s richest man is telling one hell of a story – and lots of people are aching to believe it
English speakers have traditionally been resistant to non-English language music. They’re missing out – big time
Why we’re calling for a national count of the domestic abuse victims who die in sudden or unexplained circumstances
The dark winter months are always a worry for women runners – and now they can’t just go to the gym instead. Lawmakers must find a solution
Churchill, statues, “wokeness”: these should not be priorities for Left or Right in an age of pandemic
Set in a sanatorium in the Alps, Thomas Mann’s 1924 novel diagnoses our current condition. Its main character emerges into the horror of World War One. What will we emerge into?
A former prime ministerial speechwriter assesses the president’s Inaugural Address, which may have lacked a strong central idea – but struck the right tone
The president leaves office with few admirers and facing an impeachment trial. But that doesn’t mean we should ignore his agenda altogether
The Emirates avoid much of the criticism that Saudi Arabia attracts. But their influence in the region is just as significant – and perhaps even more pernicious
The producer Phil Spector was rightly reviled for the murder of Lana Clarkson. But he also single-handedly created much of the modern musical landscape
The Tory MP Steve Baker threatened Boris Johnson’s leadership last week – revealing the tasteless idiocy of the lockdown sceptics
Chuck Hagel, a Republican senator for 12 years and Barack Obama’s defence chief, was speaking to this week’s Tortoise Slow Newscast
It was just another rambling Trump speech to his supporters. Except it wasn’t. This was the speech that got the president impeached for a second time.
The director of the remarkable Up series, Michael Apted, died last week. His casts had more to thank him for than just the work.
The demise of the ‘Big Topshop’ in London will leave a gap in our Saturday afternoons – and our lives
A new rival and a new Brexit-supporting chair could force the Beeb into a culture war it shouldn’t need to fight
Over the past few days, senior Republican figures have lined up to denounce Trump. But they all knew about him before now – and did nothing
The Proud Boys who stormed the US Capitol last week started life as a risible drinking club. In the digital age, mutation is constant
It’s a medium that’s been around for decades – and yet it’s still proving its worth
As new Covid restrictions are finalised, the PM needs to break the habit of a lifetime and speak candidly about the great trials that lie ahead
The government’s shared parental leave scheme was meant to be revolutionary. Instead, it’s a mess
The numbers suggest that, during Covid, Britain’s services have been outclassed by other countries’ – but the numbers might be wrong
‘The Sovereign Individual’ was co-authored by William Rees-Mogg, father of Jacob. Its politics are those of the modern libertarian right
John le Carré was much more than the greatest chronicler of the Cold War. He saw the fault-lines in all that followed – and warned us of them till the end
Joseph Muscat, former leader of Malta, has been testifying at the public inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination
It’s five years since the Paris Climate Agreement. While nation states have wavered, local mayors have held firm
Whether or not we get a deal by the end of year, Britain is now going to enter a state of endless negotiation
A certain tribe of Conservative backbenchers is kicking up a fuss over new Covid restrictions. But this really isn’t a time – or a matter – for base politicking
The government may allow a council to fail to set an example to others. But this isn’t a time for setting examples
The history of popular music never stands still. Our appreciation of it shouldn’t either
The author wrote a story for her student newspaper about men speaking over women. Then it appeared in national newspapers – but in a way that just repeated the problem
This week’s Spending Review will reveal a chancellor torn between a yearning to balance the books and the needs of a new era
The rules for ministerial behaviour aren’t rules at all. All that really matters is what the prime minister thinks
The departure of Boris Johnson’s controversial aide could free up others to do better work
We’re all tired of the pandemic and its lockdowns. But for the public sector, there are very particular consequences
Welcome words of healing and unity, but Biden faces an uphill struggle
Britain’s Treasury is gearing up for a health crisis that will last until at least March. The rest of the government must do likewise
Trump’s defeat would guarantee nothing. Trumpism lingers
We’re quick to disbelieve and ignore allegations of violence
Their politics are different, but their personalities might be closer than they’d care to admit
The mayor of Greater Manchester is taking on the government over its Covid restrictions. By doing so, he is standing up for localism
On the shoulders of Covid comes a wave of mental illness that the UK is not prepared for