Magazine
Esther Freud: “In the end a writer has to sit down and actually do it”
The novelist on the horrors of the past, the people she most admires and whether you can teach her craft
Letters: July 2021
What readers made of our June edition
Do it like Denmark
In her quest for a new social contract, the most diplomatic of technocrats, Minouche Shafik, singles out one nation for special praise—and politely buries the third way
Consent: the dynamite at the heart of the British constitution
Popular sovereignty is fundamental, but our politicians forgot it until Brexit. If they forget again, they will blow apart the country
The best television in the UK this June 2021
James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan play an uncommunicative couple on BBC Two, plus Ernest Hemingway reconsidered
We all need to do our bit to tackle cyber threats—but ministers keep us in the dark
The recent cyber-attack on SolarWinds highlights the pressing need for both national resilience and global co-operation
Condemned to be liberal: why Britain can’t easily break with economic laissez-faire
Politicians are talking big about a new "hands on" economics. But centuries of "hands-off" history shape the mindset of them, British managers and even the British trade unions
Michel Barnier’s diaries show how he overachieved on Brexit
A blow-by-blow account by the former chief negotiator contains an important lesson: unbending rigour is not always the asset you might think
Replotting the human: the thorny ethics of growing babies outside the womb
Science is getting nearer to producing babies outside the womb. The moral arguments will need to catch up fast
Ursula von der Leyen: Europe’s second-rate first lady
On paper the President of the European Commission looked perfect for the job, but her talent isn't a match for her connections and the EU is paying the price
The best classical and opera in the UK this July
The BBC Proms return, plus an opera deemed "too bawdy" for the public returns to Buxton Opera House
When no one makes the law
Judges and politicians refuse to take responsibility on assisted dying. The consequences are inhumane