The eve of destruction
The night before last Christmas Eve, the children were asleep and even the ghost in her new home seemed at peace. Then Hattie Garlick woke up…
Slow views
2021 by the numbers
This year was one filled with plenty of numbers – some big, some small. Each tell a different story. Simon Barnes has raked through them all and, with a little help from Team Tortoise, presents the most interesting ones here
This Christmas, remember those we left behind in Afghanistan
Lynne O’Donnell has been overwhelmed by requests for help from those who were not evacuated in August – and are now being failed by a system that that is as incompetent as it is morally contemptible
Will a government review make online gambling regulation more effective? All bets are off
Since the Gambling Act 2005, various gambling-like features have appeared in online games. The government’s white paper due next year could be a chance to reign them in
Let it snow – somewhere
Snow is surrendering to rain even in the coldest places on the planet, but it can still spring surprises. An unseasonal blizzard in Greenland this year showed how climate change can deliver enough snow in a few days to change the mass of an entire ice sheet
Let there be night
The days grow short. The winter solstice is upon us. Simon Barnes traces the history of light and squints anxiously into our bright future
A bill for my brother
When Alex Henry was convicted of murder under the legal concept of Joint Enterprise, his sister Charlotte did what she had to do. She became a lawyer
The jumper
As a child Lydia Hislop dreamt of winning the world’s most famous horse race. No woman would ever do that, they said. Then Rachael Blackmore rode into view
Iraq’s forgotten victims
The Kaka’i minority ethnic group found in Iraq and Western Iran has long been persecuted, and was recently subjected to attempted genocide by Isis. David Barnett meets the survivors
The Zone
Life after death in Chernobyl
Alastair Campbell’s review of 2021
The most egregious lies, the best books, the most striking word, the best speech… this was a year full of warnings for those who cared to see
A tale of two piers
Brighton’s Palace Pier, built in 1899, is still standing proud but the once regal West Pier is a different story, writes Paul Caruana Galizia
Twenty-four hour party people
Just when we need a proper government to fight Omicron, we have a gang of rule-breaking revellers far worse than the “elites” they sought to supplant
Britain is failing its most vulnerable children
The debate over taking children into care has collapsed into a clumsy and binary row, stoked by a populist government. Those at risk deserve a system that works properly
Boycott Beijing
At the very least, a diplomatic no-show at the Winter Olympics will signal to China that we are willing to use the levers we have
Parochial matters
What made Joanna Jolly want to become a parish councillor? A lockdown-inspired sense of community and the spirit of Jackie Weaver were part of it, as she explains
Woman overboard
John Darwin famously took a canoe out to sea to fake his own death so that his life insurance could save him from bankruptcy. But his wife Anne took most of the blame. Hattie Garlick wonders why
Policing is male-dominated. That needs to change
On both sides of the Atlantic, the police have an intractable cultural problem. As a former police chief in the US, Jeff Patterson has seen it first hand. Here he outlines how the force’s treatment of female officers has changed over the years – and why it needs to be improved further still
Flashing is a serious sexual offence: treat it as such
There is still a deep cultural assumption that indecent exposure is pathetic, or even funny – paying no heed to its traumatising impact upon women
If “levelling up” means anything, it means saving a child like Arthur from hell
Yet another inquiry into the failure of child protection services will achieve nothing without ministerial commitment, policy imagination and true accountability
Covid and disabled people: A missed opportunity
The pandemic presented a chance to improve disabled people’s lives. Instead, they’ve yet again been left behind
Don’t let them have it
In the great nuclear chess game, Iran has put the US in a position where it must make the next move. And it’s not a straightforward one
Morally corrupt: An insider’s view of the police and women
A recently-retired Metropolitan Police officer recounts her time in the force, and the misogyny she was forced to endure
Tory MPs signed up to a conference of men’s rights activists
Tortoise has found that two Conservative parliamentarians committed to speak at an online event organised by “anti-feminists”
The Bard of Broadway
Stephen Sondheim was a genius. Martin Samuel will brook no argument. Here’s why
The hunger game
Elene Khoshtaria may have saved the life of her former president, but will her sacrifice change anything in Georgia? Lara Spirit reports from Tbilisi
We can end new HIV cases in the UK by 2030. Here’s how
The life changing drug PrEP must be rolled out in community pharmacies, as well as sexual health clinics, to reach all those who need it
Johnson is lying about variants and vaccines
Omicron is the predictable consequence of political failure. Until the international community gets serious about vaccine sharing, there will be ever nastier Covid mutations
Shuffle off
Spotify will do anything for the mighty Adele. Giles Smith will not
The bear with no memory
Putin is trying to destroy a precious pillar of Russia’s collective recollection
A culture change is needed in the police – it’s up to the government to lead the way
As a Black police officer, Leroy Logan experienced how embedded racism was in the force. History – and his experience – tell us that for change to happen, political will is required
The light that was journalism in Afghanistan has been snuffed out
Reporters in this troubled land have always faced a tough task. But the return of the Taliban has crushed free speech and the work of the media
Hunting the blues
Human action, or inaction, is helping blue whales recover. Our treatment of our biggest neighbour is hugely symbolic
Social care could be a much bigger problem for Johnson than sleaze
Scandals come and go, but the care crisis has the potential to engulf the prime minister
Cocooned
The super-rich are escaping to yachts and private jets in ever greater numbers. But they may be in for a rude awakening
Georgia: A democracy on the edge
Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili has been on hunger strike now for 48 days, in protest against what he alleges is his politically-motivated arrest. It’s a fight that serves as a proxy for the debate over Georgia’s future and its fragile democracy
What will it take to change police culture?
No independent review of the UK police – and there have been many – can fix the force’s problems without the support of those inside its ranks
The Pistols at dawn
Next year Danny Boyle’s series on the greatest punk band of all, The Sex Pistols, will reach our screens. In this edited extract from the new Tortoise book, Giants, drummer Paul Cook tells Michael Henderson about his part in their rise and fall
The starter’s pistol has been fired on the next Tory leadership contest
Boris Johnson is not yet finished, but the race to succeed him is now underway
The real world
The lesson of Cop is that it is open to a small number of key protagonists to save the planet. Will they?
The final curtain
Did exposure to asbestos in the National Theatre contribute to an actor’s death? Paul Caruana Galizia investigates
We don’t know how many people remain unvaccinated
When it comes to the size of England’s population, two different estimates exist. Policymakers must decide which to use
At last, a real challenge to Orbán
Parties that are normally political foes are teaming up to oust the authoritarian leader of Hungary
There are two planets at Cop
The success of the summit depends on the powerful wielders of the negotiating pen heeding the warnings of the young, of activists and of indigenous peoples
An overdue revolution in family law reporting
Sir Andrew McFarlane’s review is a transformative moment, marking a shift towards radical transparency
The Paterson scandal shows that we need major parliamentary reform
Paying MPs more may be controversial but it is only the first of many structural changes required to clean up the Commons
The government’s approach to sewage – and Britain’s rivers – is full of shit
There are good, natural reasons why flooding rivers and the sea with sewage is a terrible idea. It’s also deeply unpopular
Let the glaciers rise again
If we keep the promises made at Cop, many of these fading monuments of natural glacial beauty may yet survive
Blinkered justice
The rise of women jockeys is a cause for celebration but allegations of bullying have cast a dark shadow over the sport. Lydia Hislop fears racing is closing ranks to avoid confronting the unpalatable
Europe’s pandemic disaster
In this second despatch from Romania, Lara Spirit reports on the political and structural collapse that has thwarted vaccine rollout – and the lessons for the rest of the world
How Duran Duran ran and ran
Inspired by Tortoise’s Nick Rhodes ThinkIn, a lifelong fan of the band reflects on the way in which apparently ephemeral pop gets baked into the culture
World leaders: don’t forget the women of Afghanistan
For the Taliban, the repression of women is official policy. Are all those global heads of government who promised to hold the new Kabul regime to account really doing so?
Pope for Today
The Holy Father’s Thought for the Day this morning showed exactly why he is the moral leader the international community needs to achieve the goals of Cop 26
What Cop 26 is for
If the future of this Earth depended on the cajolery of the UN’s climate conference, we’d all be screwed. But the trillions of dollars poised for investment in the environment should give us hope
How to save multilateralism
On the eve of Cop 26, we need to rethink completely how the international community collaborates, interacts and prepares for a perilous future
Spoken by Rishi, scripted by Boris
A former Number 10 speechwriter assesses the chancellor’s Budget rhetoric, and finds a philosophical mess reflecting Sunak’s overriding need to placate Johnson
In a climate crisis, land is power
“Green lairds” are buying up Scotland to offset emissions and green their reputations. They can make a difference – but communities must have more say
Be nice to bats this Halloween
These wondrous flying mammals have had a bad rap, thanks in no small part to Bram Stoker. They deserve our friendship
Expect no more than theatre from Sunak
In tomorrow’s Budget and spending review, the chancellor will not deliver the road-map to genuine reform so badly needed by the country
Plan B should be implemented now. But Boris Johnson’s ego won’t allow that
A modest recalibration of the government’s Covid strategy would lift pressure on the NHS. But the PM will wait until he has absolutely no other option
The president that should have been
Colin Powell’s decision not to run for the White House in 1996 was one of the most consequential moments in recent American history
The fall of Austria’s Sebastian Kurz has lessons for every democracy
Yet again, we are learning how fragile the systems and conventions of supposedly stable democratic systems truly are
“Now it’s a war”
The plight of Romania – suffering horrendously from Covid – shows that getting vaccine doses to the countries that need them is only start of the challenge
Pills don’t cure poverty
Official data shows that the prescription of antidepressants is highest in areas of deprivation. But medication can only mask the suffering that poor services, housing and health conditions cause. It is no solution.
Bun fights and braying MPs: Sixty years of Prime Minister’s Questions
PMQs has now been around for decades. We decided to look back to find the best – and worst – moments, as well as looking forward to what the future may hold
Northern Ireland: A tale of two speeches
Last week, the British government and the European Union both made significant statements on the future of Northern Ireland within Brexit Britain. We’ve analysed both to determine the negotiating positions
Broken beds and broken brands
After Covid and Brexit, even the biggest high street retailers could go under. If they’re to survive, then they need to fight smarter
Let us honour Sir David Amess by protecting Parliament as well as MPs
Our system of representative democracy is in poor repair, targeted by terrorists and disdained by populists. We must halt its perilous decline
A five-point plan for Britain
The country needs rejuvenating. Here, at the start of a series, Giles Whittell introduces the five low-cost ideas that he’d like implementing – from EU membership to a new capital
I think it’s gonna be a long, long time…
Three years ago, the author bought tickets to see Elton John. But the gig is still two years away. Will pop music still exist as we know it?
Merging the health and care budgets is no magic solution
Sajid Javid’s reported plan to unite the two is more likely to starve the care system of funds, as cash is swallowed up by the NHS
The Modern Slavery Act isn’t fit for purpose
Companies are encouraged to make statements against exploitation – but not to end it. Politicians must amend the Act so that it has meaning and force
To get young people back to offices, encourage don’t chide
The British government is trying to make people return to city centres. They’re going precisely the wrong way about it
Climate politics: Why the old diplomacy no longer works
Ahead of Cop26, the world’s two biggest superpowers, China and the US, have tried talking to each other about emissions. Nothing has been achieved
Malta’s game of musical chairs
It is four years since the murder of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. We still await full justice – and a chance for her country to break from its corrupt past
A planetwide horror story
Insects are crucial for the flourishing of life on Earth. We should be nurturing them. Instead we’re killing them off, wholesale
The punishing price of mental health support
One hour of private therapy costs more than half a household’s daily budget. The government must boost the NHS’ capacity to tackle Britain’s mental health crisis
The Kathleen Stock case is about much more than trans rights
The campaign of intimidation against the Sussex University scholar is a parable of much else that is wrong with our culture – and a terrible sign that we are becoming cavalier about free expression
The meaning of Petrofac
This week, the company was fined for failing to prevent bribes. The case shows just how the oil and gas industries really work – and who loses out
Cinema doesn’t need Bond to save it
The pandemic rocked an entire industry. But now people are returning to picturehouses that have plenty of fight left in them
We’re all Taiwanese now
China’s current bellicosity ought to worry us all. There’s the possibility of war – and of the triumph of authoritarianism over democracy
A portrait of the PM as an empty vessel
A former Number 10 speech writer analyses the vacuous stream of consciousness that Boris Johnson passed off as his conference address – and finds no substance to match the bombastic promises
Raab’s criminal justice policy is shabby populism
The justice secretary is putting personal ambition before public service. What a shame that Labour seems disinclined to mount a serious challenge to his discredited strategy
How to be an ethical investor in #TheArmsRace
As pension and insurance policy holders, we can all bring pressure to bear on the funds that invest in Big Pharma – and help force the drug companies to address the scandal of vaccine inequality
The police and male violence: We knew and we did nothing
And that means all of us – from institutions to individuals. For its part, the media has to end decades of complacency and start reporting furiously
Unlike the rest of us, Johnson has plenty of fuel left in the tank
Do not confuse the present crisis with the beginning of the end for the PM. He will long outlast this Tory conference
Think the petrol situation is bad? Just wait for the care shortages…
Brexit has driven thousands of care workers away, and they’re not coming back. Without urgent policy change, disabled and older people face months of uncertainty and struggle
Going down the Brexit hole
The petrol shortages are just the start of it. The government is going to have to do a lot more than issue temporary visas if they want to pull themselves – and us – out
Lung health matters. And it ought to matter at Cop26
The government hasn’t done enough, either before or during the pandemic, to improve air quality. It can atone for that failure at next month’s climate conference
From Airbus to zeugma: decoding Starmer’s big speech
The Labour leader delivered his conference speech yesterday. It wasn’t perfect, but we did learn something about the man and his politics…
What do the German elections mean for Cop26?
The truth is: very little. But that says more about Cop than it does about Germany, which has a chance to lead global climate policy once its governing coalition is decided
America as an awards ceremony
Queues, queue-pushers, gowns, vaccines, protocols, drinks, questions… amid it all, the author’s wife won an Emmy last week
AI filmmaking is the future. And it’s already coming for the past…
This summer, the machines were let loose in Hollywood. The questions raised don’t just matter for show business, but for all of us
The world just missed its first major vaccine target. Here’s why
Ten per cent of every country’s population was meant to be fully vaccinated by the end of this month. But poorer countries, in particular, just haven’t had the doses
Those prime ministers in full…
The veteran documentary maker Michael Cockerell lifts the lid on decades of filming the occupants of Number 10
New Labour is as much of a problem for Starmer as the Left
This week in Brighton, the opposition leader must show that he has what it takes to liberate his party from the battle between competing forms of political nostalgia
In Germany, politics and football are inseparable
Far-right fans regularly clash with leftist ultras in the streets and stands – over more than just the game. Ahead of the elections this weekend, it’s a sign of the tensions in society at large
Let the dreaming spires dream afresh
An Oxford head of college presents a manifesto for a transformation of higher education – inspired both by the tough lessons of the pandemic and the potential for exciting change
From capital punishment to feline Facebook: 10 years of parliamentary petitions
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?
Biden failed
And so, too, did other Western leaders. Yesterday’s global Covid summit had to deliver billions of vaccines – but fell well short
In a class of our own
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
The UK is already a money laundering hotspot. It could get worse
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
Getting to Net Zero: an Inuit perspective
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
Autistic children deserve teachers trained to help them
They are routinely failed by our education system – but skilled, sensitive and early interventions make their lives radically better
Can capitalism save the rainforests?
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
Ransomware: the Somali pirate crisis of 2021
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
All part of the mix
People of mixed heritage have become an important part of Britain’s demographic makeup. It’s time we recognised that – and them
New Zealand wasn’t prepared for the pandemic. It just got lucky
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
Scotland’s second blueprint
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.
Prince Charles, Inc.
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?
The arts have a role to play in levelling-up the country
From Blackpool to Great Yarmouth, culture has helped us all throughout the pandemic – and it can do more in the years ahead
The Covid coup
Tunisia’s leader used vaccine shortages to take power, and then vaccine supply to consolidate his new position
On Covid and climate, rich countries can’t afford to be selfish
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
Still crazy about the monarchy after all these years…
Britain’s royal family isn’t particularly powerful and is increasingly beset by scandal. Yet our fascination with them remains strong. Why?
Care about #MeToo? Then pay attention to these video games
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?
We’ve stopped listening to the other side…
…and that’s a problem. Rampant polarisation gets in the way of everything from friendly relationships to good governance
Freedom from vaccine passports isn’t freedom for disabled people
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
Vaccines alone won’t defeat the variants
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
Our watery wasteland
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
The waning efficacy of the Pfizer jab – and what it means
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
Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain’s arm… just what cinema needs
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
Homelessness, a test of America and its leaders
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?
We need a big rethink of taxation and spending. It’s not happening…
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
A global shame: Millions of preventable deaths
Vaccination against Covid has saved 100,000 lives in England. How many lives would have been saved by a similar effort around the world?
Merkel’s chancellorship: Slow, steady… and over
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
We’re asking the wrong questions about vaccine roll-outs
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
Twenty years on, we still haven’t learned the lessons of 9/11
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
The US Supreme Court has shown that it is far from impartial in the battle over abortion
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
Feminists have to stop fighting each other – rather than the patriarchy
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
Vaccine hoarding is a scandal. But the problem can be fixed – fast
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
Social care is only the start of Rishi Sunak’s problems
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
The resignation of Trinity Hall’s master should be just the start
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
Big local lies: how misinformation is wrecking community politics
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
Monty Python’s guide to geopolitical strategy
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
I’ve been chasing Greensill for years. Why wasn’t the regulator?
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
Away from Kabul Airport, a deeper crisis looms
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
The butterflies have a message for us
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
Biden poses as a war leader
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.
The fall of Kabul shows that the UK is totally out of the loop
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
I don’t want to be called “queer” – much less a year celebrating the word
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
Much as you love to mow the lawn, let the grass grow
As appealing as tidiness is, grass is too important to the environment, to agriculture and to biodiversity to be tamed
Tech companies could limit children’s access to porn. It’s high time they did
Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner, and the child advocate, Beeban Kidron, are amongst those leading the demand for action
Which nation will be the Usain Bolt of #TheArmsRace?
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
Welcome to the real forever war
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
Brazil’s double dose of vaccine inequality
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
Can the lure of big government deals nudge companies to cut emissions?
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
I watched an entire nation betrayed by fools to fanatics
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
Flat-earth beliefs are not so far from today’s fashionable pseudoscience
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
To solve the global vaccine crisis – follow the history
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
This is how the West ends: not with a bang but a whimper
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”?
Johnson’s social care proposal is not ideal. But it’s a start
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
How the Greens go mainstream
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
We need a pandemic recovery bond – and the UK should take the lead
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
Why Rishi Sunak should learn to love climate policy
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
What we lack in the fight against Covid: information
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
Beware the big tech myth: London’s 2011 riots weren’t organised online
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
To vaccinate the world, we need to invest in a new kind of global enterprise
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
The current war in Afghanistan
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 Cummings coup failed. But the next one might not
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
Modi hails the vaccinated as “Strong Arms” – but there are far too few of them
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
Electric vehicles aren’t the answer
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
GB News will not divide us; television already has
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
South Africa: A state of emergency
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
The long, terrible legacy of Afghanistan’s Soviet war
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
Freedom Day? Not free from Covid, that’s for sure
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
A ten step plan to make the WHO fit for purpose
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 prisoner of South Kensington
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
In Afghanistan, the vaccines have dried up
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
Dominic Cummings is mostly right about the problems, wrong about the solutions
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…
What happens when someone adds to a million-word masterpiece
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
England’s dreaming
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
Herd immunity? The real herd is global
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
From slave plantations to pitchside advertising
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?
There is nothing inevitable about progress
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
The bigger, worse picture
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
Covid couldn’t care less about borders
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
It’s time for the rocket boosters
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
We need to wear masks. But that’s not enough
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
Global vaccine equality is basic social justice
The drive to distribute Covid jabs around the world has faltered perilously – and must be revived and intensified as a matter of urgency
A by-election with a bite
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
Glasgow, we have a problem
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
The social media influencers are just getting started
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 forgotten families of the social care crisis
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
1966… and all that
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
Yes, I was hugged by Matt Hancock
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
Schrodinger’s Matt
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
Debate is not hate
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
As safe as palaces
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?
The red wall is not reactionary
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
Bach in the time of Covid
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
Horror without spin
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
Don’t give in to the Nimbys, Boris
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
Another shot
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
We need to rethink power
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
These are the new forms of monogamy
Long-term commitment hasn’t gone away. It just looks very different now
Inside Afghanistan, where people fear being left alone
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
Boris gets boring
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
Machines have become our managers
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
Calling out rape culture was just the start – now we must act
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
Think globally, act locally
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
The Treasury is failing schoolchildren
By going along with his chancellor, Boris Johnson is failing them too. He has one more chance to put that right
Talking to the press isn’t always easy – even for highly paid professionals
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
Prick of conscience
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
Dystopia revisited
Like Orwell before her, Margaret Atwood warned us what was coming
Mum’s not the word
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
The missing note
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
Dawkins is wrong – grossly wrong – about Down’s syndrome
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…
Apple is gaming the system
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
Friends: The One Where We Mourn The Long 90s
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 second Cummings
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
Palestine today: new forms of subjugation and solidarity
International support for Palestinians offers hope to two cousins separated between the United States and Palestine
The Sword of Domocles
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
Conflict in the Middle East, antisemitism on British campuses
Whenever violence flares up between Israel and the Palestinians, harm is done to students thousands of miles away. A more robust response is needed
In vaccinated Britain, the government mustn’t repeat the mistakes of September
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
Sport and money don’t mix well
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
For one nation battling Russian influence, the Olympics aren’t just games
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
Multitudinous man: Bob Dylan at 80
The singer-songwriter-author-filmmaker-artist-provocateur also becomes an octogenarian next week. He still means as much as ever
Only football can do this
The words, two decades ago, of an elderly fan to a younger one. The past weekend proved them true all over again
Indian summer
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
The Tortoise Take: A phoney war
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
Mixed emotions
The glib notion of a “post-racial” world is especially meaningless to those of mixed-heritage – the fastest growing ethnic group in the country
Presenting GMB helped me remember why the media matters
Television still has tremendous reach – and, when it comes to issues like mental health, it’s using that reach for good
The Queen’s Speech
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
These are the disappearing nations
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
Same old Labour
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 Tortoise Take: Be more Biden
The US president understands that this is an age to borrow and spend. The UK’s chancellor, Rishi Sunak, should be no less ambitious
Crisis on campus
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
Climate is the new front in the culture wars
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
Here comes Hong Kong
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 Tortoise Take: a wasted year
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
Citizen Kane, a true story of the future
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
The problem with corporate climate targets
Emissions pledges have become a trendy tool through which companies show off their “green” credentials. They’re just talk
Your face, someone else’s naked body
Deepfakes are wrecking thousands of women’s lives. They need to come under the rule of law – although that’s just a start
A story about sex
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
A poundshop Watergate
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
Destroying the Super League was no victory
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
Don’t turn the clock back on racial justice
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
Peat practice
The preservation of carbon sinks, such as peat bogs, is one of the easiest steps we can take to address the climate emergency
Twilight of the football fan
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
The two Camerons
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 fool’s gold of Greensill
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.
The Velvet revolution
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
The law already exists to tackle lobbying. It just needs fixing
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
I have an opinion. Or do I?
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
Saved by incompetence
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
Ethiopia, where the past is threatening the present
Old rivalries and political repression have tipped Africa’s role model into a violent war – from which no winners can emerge
The “problematic” prince
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
‘What’s a fuck buddy, Mum?’
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
What teenagers are telling us on Everyone’s Invited
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
Diane Banks: The arts are addicted to public money. Set them free
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