What we now face is regime change. That is why these strange crowds have begun to gather round ancient and forgotten monuments, demanding their removal and destruction. They do not know what they want, or understand what they are destroying. But that no longer matters. They think their moment has come, and they may well be … Read more
I can’t stand Dominic Cummings. It was loathing at first sight when I first came across him in 2001 and nothing I have heard or seen since has changed my mind. And I hope that anyone who reads this column knows that I am not a defender of the Johnson Government, which I regard as … Read more
Think of Chancellor Rishi Sunak as a smiling salesman of payday loans, and you will begin to get the picture. ‘Yes, of course you can have the money. Happy to help!’ he says as he hands over the wads of notes. But it will not be the cheery face of Mr Sunak that you see … Read more
I find it incredible that it is now five weeks since I wrote here: ‘We have gone quite mad. I know that many people are thinking this, but dare not say so. I will be accused of all kinds of terrible things for taking this view – but that is another aspect of how crazy … Read more
Until I started travelling in the Communist world, my main experience of living under tyranny was my time at a boarding school on the edge of Dartmoor, 60 years ago. The headmaster, an enormous, booming man, had many fine qualities. But he was given to dreadful rages, which tended to strike late on Saturday afternoons. … Read more
As I watched the Prime Minister order mass house arrest on Monday night, I felt revulsion, anger and grief – as anyone brought up when this was a free and well-governed country would. I also felt terribly alone. You could not have known, from anything broadcast that night or printed the following day, that anyone … Read more
Some years ago I had the very good luck to fall into the hands of a totally useless doctor. It was hell, and nearly worse than that, but it taught me one of the most important lessons of my life. He was charming, grey-haired, smooth and beautifully dressed. He was standing in for my usual … Read more
It was a bright, cold day in Oxford and everywhere I looked, rainbow flags flapped and fluttered in the sharp wind. They flew from the ancient colleges along the High Street. They flew from the Town Hall. And what they said to me was ‘Your side has lost. There is nothing you can do about … Read more
Yes, you are right. We have gone quite mad. I know that many people are thinking this, but dare not say so. I will be accused of all kinds of terrible things for taking this view – but that is another aspect of how crazy things are. Yes, coronavirus poses a risk. No, our response … Read more
If Jason Kakaire had screamed ‘Allahu akbar!’ as he went about his bloody work, you would have heard of him, and he would have been debated in the House of Commons. But because Kakaire’s five cruel and devastating knife attacks in London could not possibly be given any political or religious motive, there is barely a … Read more