The Germans have a term for what holds them together: Wehrhafte Demokratie. It roughly translates as fortified democracy, but that does not fully render its meaning. In essence, it refers to the idea that the state has the right to act against those who threat... More »
George Orwell noticed the tendency of repressive law to degenerate into farce, when truth becomes a lie and common sense is heresy. This is worth remembering now that the solicitor general, Michael Tomlinson KC, has concluded that it is right to take action ag... More »
It is 20 years since torture and terrible abuses by the US military began at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Reports of what was happening soon emerged, and an internal military report found “numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant, and wanton criminal abuses”. But... More »
Sir Ed Davey did not pull his punches on Tuesday as he wrapped up the Liberal Democrats’ conference. The party leader made it clear that the Tories would be the Lib Dems’ main opponent at the next general election. Corrupt, chaotic and careless were among the ... More »
Martin Rowson on Rishi Sunak’s precarious future – cartoon | Opinion | The Guardian More »
Buy shares in gun turrets, because Suella Braverman has made landfall in Washington to offer her esteemed take on the 1951 UN refugee convention. As a former practitioner in the field of … hang on, let me get my magnifying glass … planning law, the home secret... More »
When Donald Trump lost the White House in 2020, Europe’s strongmen, populists and climate change deniers lost a powerful ally and a protector. Yet most of Europe’s mini-Trumps have survived his fall, his denial of defeat and the storming of Congress by his sup... More »
It is a primetime drama that has been eagerly awaited but not necessarily welcomed – especially in some parts of the country. Last night, ITV aired the first episode of The Long Shadow, a seven-part series about the 13 women murdered by Peter Sutcliffe, known ... More »
Last week’s announcement that the government would delay key net-zero targets came as a surprise to anyone who has followed the policy. The existing targets were fair and well considered, and enjoyed wide political support. It’s strange to cite our world-leadi... More »
And now for something completely different. Instead of the usual newsletter format, today’s edition will be a dialogue with my colleague Peter Coy over near-term economic prospects. Peter and I have been engaged in a sort of implicit dialogue for months, in th... More »
“Sometimes truth and sometimes total BS.” That’s how Whoopi Goldberg defined standup comedy last week. “That’s what we do, we tell stories and we embellish them.” That’s one way of putting it. Goldberg was speaking in defence of her fellow standup Hasan Minhaj... More »
A recap of the weekend’s news, for those who’ve been doing something more enjoyable than following politics, like smacking themselves repeatedly round the chops with a spanner. The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has decided that the route to electoral success li... More »