The betrayal of Ukraine is only the latest chapter in the slow retreat of Western civilisation since the triumph of 1989. Unless something changes soon, that retreat now threatens to become a stampede.

'It is easy to denigrate democracy while enjoying its benefits'

'Good writing, like clear thinking, is very hard to teach or to learn. If the writer has something to say, the words come naturally; if not, no amount of instruction will help.'

'Michelangelo was the best-remunerated artist in Italy and, like Bacon and Freud, he died a rich man. There the resemblace ends'