“Pretending pre-historic stonework can rival Michelangelo is an obvious nonsense.”

A hint in ⁦William Atkinson’s tour de force of Orwell’s⁩ “There are some ideas so absurd that only an intellectual could believe them.” spectator.co.uk/article/why-is…

Pretending Dr Whos weren't emotional in the past means ignoring Jon Pertwee's impressive array of facial expressions

The British Deep State: 'maximising global welfare' since the Cambridge Five

'The Chancellor has little headroom for another tax-cutting Budget. The Rwanda plan is a dud. A Nigel Farage return looms. How much worse can the Tory position become in the next six months? '

My latest ConservativeHome ToryDiary, on the perils of waiting until an autumn election.

Hubris to nemesis in record time.

I’m blown away at how apt these quotes are

“Sadiq, I just want to go outside without getting robbed or stabbed”

“Haha doubt it mate but have you heard of Ray Mysterio?”

'As Civilisation proves, great art endures, even as fashions shift – and idle posturing can never substitute for good taste.'

My latest for The Spectator, on the timeless joys of Kenneth Clark's Civilisation.

Nationalised or privatised, the nation’s infrastructure is under unprecedented pressure. Underinvestment plays a part, but the bigger - and routinely ignored - fact is that our population has risen almost 10m in 20 years, mainly through immigration. theguardian.com/politics/2024/…

To prove that I'm politically ecumenical in my reading habits, here are my three new purchases from the Waterstones off of Trafalgar Square...

I like to imagine that it would be with the same awkward and stilted tone that the formation of a Junta would be announced

Once again thinking about the guy whose fathers-in-law were Frank Lloyd Wright and Josef Stalin

Happy Birthday, Monty! 🎉

A decent way to reach 100 Test wickets back in 2008! ☝

#EnglandCricket

Fred Trueman on a Manchester catwalk in June 1971 modelling new synthetic flannels (Daily Mirror)

New post: what will we do with all the churches?

neilobrien.co.uk/p/the-end-of-m…

'I want my children to grow up in a country where the streets are safe, the public space isn't filthy, where it isn't a hassle to get around, you can own your own home and where climate change and the environment aren't an afterthought.'
—Cameron leadership victory speech, 2005