Europe
Portrait of a Railway Child
Edouard Manet’s virtuosity in painting the human form is unsurpassed—and highly original
Spain (With Apologies to Auden)
New poetry by Fiona Pitt-Kethley
Blood and Lies Behind the Iron Curtain
Anne Applebaum’s magisterial Iron Curtain tells the largely untold story of Eastern Europe’s suppression at the hands of the Soviets after the Second World War
Mediterranean Metamorphosis
For the sake of the euro, the peoples of southern Europe have turned their backs on the sea that once gave them prosperity
Undemocratic Union
‘Despite Reagan’s “crusade” to “foster the infrastructure of democracy”, there are more elections but they decide less and less’
Underrated: David Heathcoat-Amory
A principled Tory Eurosceptic whose integrity is matched only by his indifference to publicity should be championed
European Profligacy
‘The problem is not austerity versus growth. The problem is that our social model — whether in France or Greece or elsewhere in Europe — no longer works’
Israel Left Behind
‘The seriousness of a left-wing movement in today’s Europe can be measured by its stance towards Israel’
Democracy in Danger: The Origins of European Technocracy
The current fiscal crisis in Europe has already led to an erosion of democracy. Lessons from history need to be learnt — the political role of technocrats must be curbed
We’re Good Europeans Yet They All Hate Us
In 1953 Thomas Mann called “not for a German Europe, but a European Germany”. Now we have both—and neither is happy
Why Remoaners should back Boris
“Boris, ironically, now offers Remoaners the best chance of a soft Brexit, or at least a sensible one. And to those who want a second referendum—’the people’s vote’—there may even be a chance of that too.”
On the road
“In the summer of 1980, in the grip of some Kerouac-ish fantasy, I opted to hitch-hike from Laredo to New York”
Discovering the Great War of China
A third of a million Chinese labourers helped the Allies defeat the Kaiser, but their huge unsung contribution ended in betrayal