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Facebook’s safety check feature and the “whataboutery” of global conflict
When Facebook told us our friends in Paris were safe, it didn't take long for the questions to begin: What about Beirut? What about Ankara? Soon after the attacks on Paris on Friday night,...
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After the Paris attacks, life goes on in a sleepless, grieving and edgy city
Andrew Hussey reports on the mood in a city struggling with complex questions about the attacks that have a specifically Parisian dimension. Last Sunday in Paris was a late autumnal treat. The sun...
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Ken Livingstone has apologised but what now for Labour's defence review?
The former mayor of London's new role as co-convenor has only sharpened the divide over Trident renewal. Even those in Labour most hostile to Ken Livingstone's appointment as co-convenor of Labour's...
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As the threat from Isis grows, Labour’s internal warfare will only get worse
The debate over foreign and defence policy has exposed the chasm between Jeremy Corbyn and his MPs. During the 1987 general election campaign, Neil Kinnock was asked by David Frost how he would...
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“Does Jammie Dodgers go with washing powder?” The Apprentice 2015 blog:...
The candidates have to smell what sells. And it’s mainly cheap tat.WARNING: This blog is for people watching The Apprentice. Contains spoilers!Read up on episode 6 here. It’s a day off for the...
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The sport of performance enhancing, Margaret Thatcher’s prayers and Emperor Jez
The will to win is enough on its own to persuade some athletes to risk their health and sometimes their lives. The UK Sport website boasts of how it “strategically invest[s]” National Lottery and...
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I never once saw Tom Graveney play – but in my imagination I watched his...
Why does one player rather than another of equal achievement lodge indelibly in the memory? Tom Graveney, who scored 122 first-class hundreds for Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and England, died...
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From Tartan to Teflon: Nicola Sturgeon’s one-year anniversary as First Minister
Twelve months ago, Nicola Sturgeon was popular, but not that popular; widely respected, but very much a Scottish rather than a UK politician. Now she has triumphed, personally and politically. What a...
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Has the DUP received concessions in Northern Ireland in exchange for...
With a new vote on military action on the horizon, David Cameron is seeking support from all quarters. After ten weeks of intense talks, power sharing in Northern Ireland has been saved by a new...
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This International Men’s Day, let’s all agree that masculinity isn’t working
If we care at all about men and boys – and if men and boys care about themselves – it’s time to drop the pretence. It’s International Men’s Day, when patriarchs the world over count the cost of being...
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Following the tax credit row, the welfare axe could fall on renters and...
What are the options for the Chancellor to save £4bn from the welfare budget to smooth his cuts to tax credits in the upcoming spending review? The Chancellor is backed into a corner on tax credits –...
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If the West closes its borders, the terrorists will have won
The two most dangerous words in politics are “us” and “them”. At times of great national tragedy, we should open our hearts – and we not close our borders. The morning after the murders, the people of...
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Come and join the team at Spear's
Spear's WMS is looking for a new managing editor. Spear’s is recruiting a new managing editor. This is a varied role and an excellent opportunity for an organised, efficient, imaginative person to help...
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Commons Confidential: Cruel intentions
Robert Halfon's East India Club jaunts, Mark Reckless plans a comeback, and a warning for Alan Yentob.Comrade Corbyn has urged shadow cabinet Castros to keep their interventions brief. You can see...
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Leader: The age of terror
In their scope, ruthlessness and malevolence, the Paris attacks felt like the dawn of a renewed era of mass terror. In the years since what Isis has described as the “blessed operation” of 11...
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Junior doctors contract row: 98 per cent vote in favour of going on strike
The first walk-out will begin on 1 December with another two dates marked out for later in the month. Junior doctors in England have voted overwhelmingly in favour of going on strike. This is the...
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Gaspar Noé’s Love shows the difference between art and pornography
Love is a relationship examined through sex, with an emotional intimacy that would be disastrous in pornography. Stanley Kubrick once mused on the idea of a sexually explicit film made with beautiful...
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How the man fans believed was Elvis removed his mask
Orion: the Man Who Would Be King tells the story of Jimmy Ellis – and how his act ended. Plus: The Great Pottery Throw Down.“Celebrity,” said John Updike, “is a mask that eats into the face.” But what...
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Shiver those timbres: the London Jazz Festival hits the airwaves
To Ronnie Scott’s in Soho for the opening of the London Jazz Festival and the launch of a new “BBC Music Jazz” pop-up station. To Ronnie Scott’s in Soho for the opening of the London Jazz Festival and...
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How Jonah Lomu changed the face of rugby
The New Zealand rugby player died this week aged 40. The death of Jonah Lomu at the tender age of 40 comes as a great shock. The tributes have poured in, and will keep flowing. He has been described...
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