I heard someone on the radio the other day describing the honours system as egalitarian, because it honoured the achievements of ordinary...

He is the ham actor, who has forgotten whether he is auditioning for King Lear, Henry V or Bertie Wooster. He has forgotten his lines,...

It is apparent that the prime minister regards his special adviser as absolutely indispensable not only to his political project, but to...

It is not my intention that this blog should be about me, so I have to crave my readers' indulgence for this exception. I believe that it...

For many years, the British have prided themselves on the 'mixed economy' for arts funding. It has been often asserted that the British...

A common reaction when confronted with the latest truth-defying statement by Bolsonaro (or Trump) is to say: "Do they really believe that...

Although I cannot pretend to have studied the history of costume and fashion in any systematic way, it is interesting to note the...

In the postwar period, a significant number of politicians (Edward Heath, Margaret Thatcher, and Roy Jenkins) thought it necessary to...

The 19th century French intellectual, Ernest Renan said (in Eric Hobsbawm's translation), 'Getting its history wrong is part of being a...

It has often been asserted, since the beginning of the 'lockdown' that the days and weeks have, for many people, lost differentiation,...

The idea that 'special advisers' are an essential addition to any prime ministerial, or ministerial, career is a relatively new one. The...

Over the past few weeks, a number of politicians have criticised the relationship between China and the WHO. Most notorious among these...

A constant refrain of politicians during the contemporary crisis has been that they have been that they have been 'following the...