“The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.” Antonio Gramsci’s words, written in prison near Bari almost 100 years ago, ring out to us now. The politi

You wouldn’t guess from the cover design—three songbirds silhouetted over swatches of picturesque Englishness—but Catherine Clarke’s A History of England in 25 Poems hits one of its sweet spots with a

Controversy of the week

It is nearly ten long years since the British people voted to leave the European Union. The latest opinion polls show that a majority now believe that Brexit has gone badly. Too much time has been was

The blunders, mishaps and poor performance of the current government have led to nostalgia for the golden years of New Labour under Tony Blair. In reality, Blair’s government made decisions that have

→ Walk through parliament and barely a wall is clear of portraits and paintings harking back to hundreds of years of tradition. Sitting in Ed Davey’s office is a somewhat different experience. On the