Commentators
Patrick Cockburn: Cautious words conceal true savagery of life in Iraq
Published: 07 December 2006
The cautious words of the Baker-Hamilton report stand in sharp contrast to the savagery and terror that dominate everyday life in Baghdad. Many of the terrible disasters it fears may occur in future are in fact already happening. It states that there is a risk of "a slide towards chaos", but with almost 4,000 Iraqis being killed every month, the chaos is already here.
D J Taylor: Tales of plagiarism and atonement
Published: 07 December 2006
Rupert Cornwell: A bombshell that intensifies the pressure on Bush
Published: 07 December 2006
Seen from the cratered, violence-drenched reality in Baghdad, the conclusions of the ISG might appear as theoretical musings from a far-away land. In the often unreal world of Washington politics however, the bipartisan panel's report is a metaphorical bombshell. It hugely intensifies the pressure on an already weakened George Bush to change course on the issue that will define his Presidency - or leave him more isolated than ever.
The Third Leader: Hard left
Published: 07 December 2006
Sinister news: left-handers think more quickly. This has rather got me worried, too, as I'm one and I hadn't noticed. But there it is, in research conducted by, hold on a second, the Australian National University into brain hemisphere connections.
Michael Ancram: We do not need these nuclear weapons
Published: 06 December 2006
Joanna Briscoe: At The Sharp End
Published: 06 December 2006
The Third Leader: Darkness before dawn?
Published: 06 December 2006
Readers, we have been here before. One thinks of Alfred, Harold, the Armada, Dunkirk. Actually, scrub Harold, as his second test proved fatal. But you catch my drift: darkest, as you will have witnessed, before dawn.
Anne Penketh: Playing the blame game in Moscow
Published: 05 December 2006
Tom Lubbock: A worthy Turner winner. And I think we'll be seeing a lot more of her
Published: 05 December 2006
In the contemporary art menagerie, the paintings of Tomma Abts are odd creatures. It's not immediately obvious what to say about them. They don't have an explicit idea or trick. They don't make statements. There's no pay-off. They have character. There's a tone of voice you can't quite catch. You can watch them for a while. They're up to something elusive. That's what's odd and good about them.
Dylan Jones: How to peel testicles
Published: 05 December 2006
Last week, I ate Tony Blair's balls. It's not a dish I have ever eaten before, and I'm not sure I'm in a hurry to eat them again - but eat Blair's balls is what I did. And you know what? I liked it.
The Third Leader: Another world
Published: 05 December 2006
Golly Gosh! Or, rather, Yeah, Yeah, Whatever: The Famous Five are about to be modernised for a new animated TV series. So, no more lashings of ginger beer, ice cream, or anything, I'm afraid, as fears grow for Julian (Jools now, surely), George (G being punchier, still asexual, but avoiding unhappy political associations), and Dick (please!).
Sean O'Grady: Don't be fooled by this hardline Tory
Published: 05 December 2006
So, happy birthday David Cameron. In case you hadn't noticed, Mr Cameron celebrates his first anniversary as Conservative Party leader tomorrow. It would be churlish to deny him a moment of satisfaction. Young as he is (40 last October), he outshines most of his recent predecessors. Admittedly, comparing Cameron with William Hague and Iain Duncan Smith isn't placing the bar high, but at least Cameron has avoided their errors. And just imagine a parallel world where David Davis is celebrating his first year in office. I can't help feeling he wouldn't have generated the same interest. "Leadership crisis" might be the story this morning.
Alex Vines: Angola is a test of British assistance to Africa
Published: 04 December 2006
Rebecca Tyrrel: Days Like Those
Published: 04 December 2006
Charles Nevin: Here are 10 reasons not to destroy the UK
Published: 04 December 2006
This being the age of expertise, the role of those with less intensively specialised, more broadly based mind-sets has inevitably been diminished and downgraded. And, indeed, as one surveys the complexities of contemporary processes, it's hard to see how the gifted polymath with a fresh mind is any longer able to contribute in any meaningful way. Consider, to take just one example, Sir Clive Woodward at Southampton.
Our Man In Paris: John Lichfield
Published: 04 December 2006
Sarah Sands: Cook more, eat slowly, be happy
Published: 03 December 2006
An apology of a column. For which we are truly sorry
Published: 03 December 2006
Hermione Eyre: The male pill could change the future ...
Published: 02 December 2006
Richard Ingrams' Week: Give Gavyn Davies his old job back at the BBC
Published: 02 December 2006
One name not mentioned in the lists of possible successors to Michael Grade as chairman of the BBC is that of his predecessor Mr Gavyn Davies.
Fergal Keane: The spirit of resistance that has found a new voice
Published: 01 December 2006
Gordon Brown and Hilary Benn: The scandal of poverty and disease
Published: 01 December 2006
Beatrice Were: 'Women need education to fight this epidemic'
Published: 01 December 2006
In 1991, my husband Francis died of Aids. Four months later I was diagnosed with HIV and my life changed for ever. Francis knew he was positive but had not told me. Like most Ugandan men, he wanted a "pure" wife, and he got one, for all the good it did me.
David Miliband: We cannot curb global warming without EU action
Published: 30 November 2006
Andrew Buncombe: The man who divides his nation in two
Published: 30 November 2006
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