Paris was built to meet the needs of a police state. Floral tributes to the city’s dead tell a very partial history
I stand outside La Belle Équipe on the corner of the rue Faidherbe and the rue de Charonne staring down…
By
Syria and the impossible war
David Cameron’s claim that bombing Isis in Syria will make us safer is simply wrong
We should be in no doubt that our intervention will greatly increase the chances of Islamic State striking in…
By
Why we fear terrorism more than climate change
We can respond to both threats with resolve and common purpose, without diminishing our traditions and values.
By
Higher fees, but more students
For all the anger over the new fees system, it is in many respects more progressive.
By
For the love of the bloody kings
We have been bidden lately to celebrate Henry V, “Harry of Monmouth”: patriot, soldier, trouncer of our one-time enemies…
By
Labour’s Syria split shows Jeremy Corbyn needs to choose between peace and war with his MPs
The leader's failed attempt to whip his party against air strikes alienated both supporters and opponents.
By
Why Oldham West could be just the start of Labour’s worries
Labour's Ukip problem is deeper than Jeremy Corbyn - it reflects a division long present in the party.
By
Commons Confidential: Blame it on the guru
Corbyn delayed, Starmer renamed - and teaching your white, working-class granny to suck eggs.
By
If men got pregnant, abortion would be legal everywhere
The concept of women deciding when, whether and how to have children, is still a threat to the status…
By
Performers and fans are like owners and pets – but I’m not sure which is which
At a Carrie Brownstein reading, I was reminded again how alike performers and fans can be. It's hard to…
By
I only went to fashion week once – after I saw them applaud starvation, I won’t be back
Don’t tell me that high fashion is about joy. It is not. It is about a want that can never…
By
A true scientific revolution: the triumph of mathematicians over philosophers
The moment it was accepted that Aristotle had not been right about everything was a crucial turning point in…
By
The Returning Officer: Suffragettes VI
In 1909, Helen Fraser led a suffrage propaganda tour of Scotland.
By
Rediscovering Alexander von Humboldt and his lifelong, Ulyssean quest for nature
Everyone from Darwin to Simón Bolívar considered the Prussian naturalist to be the foremost of his generation.
By
No tale too tall: the time Donald Macleod’s straight face slipped
Over the years, Macleod has perfected the tones of the world’s least extravagant teacher for Composer of the Week. One opera, however,…
By
No one knows what they’re doing in Syria – but standing back is not an option
Ultimately this is a question about the world in which we want to live.
By
Sinatra and the mob
Just what was Frank Sinatra's association with "made men"?
By
Vivian Gornick: one of the most significant writers you have probably never heard of
No one writes better about friendship, about the way that connection can blaze up and fall away, within the…
By
In The Murder Detectives, terrible crimes feel mundane
I’ve seen Channel 4's The Murder Detectives described elsewhere as “gripping”. I’m going to come over all honest and transgressive, and tell…
By
The practical yet mystical magic of David Jones
The man who an early art teacher said "leaves everything out except the magic" is captured by two Sussex…
By
Into the terror zone: how Isis has gained support in Syria, Iraq and Libya
As the roots of Isis grow deeper, support for the group is increasing.
By
Hardest harvest: the understated ache of Sunset Song
Terence Davies’s adaptation of Lewis Grassic Gibbons's 1932 novel hasn't "got legs" – that's the point.
By
Cold comforts: the best children’s books of 2015
Get hold of these, and your holidays will be peaceful and merry.
By
Can social democracy rise to the challenge of the far right across Europe?
The rise of the populist radical right is an epiphenomenon of a profound crisis of the social-democratic left.
By
My soft spot for Leicester, with its Thinkerman, Thai fans and gourmet burgers
“Helicopters and fleets of Mercedes limousines,” says Jon Holmes, “now ship bands of Thai supporters who come up from…
By
I break the British Library’s code of silence and discover I’m an interfering, heartless jerk
Murmur murmur murmur, they go. Whisper whisper whisper. They are just five feet from me. I have to act.
By
What not to buy for the cook who has everything
Even a lovingly crafted present wasn’t good enough for one correspondent, who bemoaned the way that Christmas had morphed…
By
Britain is right to target Isis in Syria, but we must plan for a future after Assad
Islamic State has gripped the imagination of western politics, but many Syrian rebels are more concerned by Assad. If…
By
Assad’s barbarism, white women’s fiction, and how my imaginary cat didn’t get me a house
I have to admit my eyebrows lifted at Marlon James' assertion that “if I pandered to a cultural tone…
By
Leader: Syria – the laboratory for world destruction
British intervention in Syria must be backed up with a multinational plan to help bring stability to the region in…
By
“I hate censorship”: Larry King on his journey from prime time TV to Russia Today
The talk show host opens up about interview technique, his unique method of tweeting, and his experience of working…
By