Innovation
On political caricatures, “real” policies and the idea of public service
THE PARADOXES of Brexit multiply by the day. Brexit was supposed to allow Britain to take back control of its destiny. This week a British prime minister sat in...
On democracy, Sir Lewis Namier and the struggles of the super-rich
I SPENT MUCH of this week in the House of Commons press gallery not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Theresa May laying out the case for her deal...
On political paralysis, British intellectuals and the wisdom of Victorians
THE AUGURIES for next week’s Brexit votes are not good, to put it mildly. The European Reform Group of hardline Eurosceptic MPs is divided into two camps: those who...
On protesting “nuns”, a Labour “defection” and a story about “Andre Previn”
THE FIRST time I encountered protesters dressed as nuns was when I lived in the Bay Area of San Francisco in 1984-5. Sister Mary Boom Boom and her fellow...
On Brexit films, Brexit books and Brexit television
I RECENTLY spent a happy few days in Los Angeles promoting my new book, “Capitalism in America: A History” (co-written with Alan Greenspan). I was driving down Hollywood Boulevard...
Britain’s government slides into chaos
NOBODY CAN accuse Theresa May of an unwillingness to repeat herself. The woman who said, again and again, that “Brexit means Brexit” is now telling Britain that her version...
Boris Johnson takes centre stage—from the sidelines
TODAY’S Conservative Party conference is all about one person: Boris Johnson. Mr Johnson booked the largest room in the conference centre, with enough space for 700, but people nevertheless...
Of blue suits and smelly trainers
THE most visible difference between the Conservative Party Conference and the Labour Party Conference is age-adjusted dress sense. The Conservative Party Conference is full of young people dressed like...
