Although it’s widely disdained, the very vagueness of David Cameron’s ambitious idea gives it resilience, says David Hayes
17 Jun 13 Comments (0)Ken Loach’s dreamland
The renowned director’s new film, which uses the socialist mood of 1945 to assail the world Margaret Thatcher created, is bad history and worse politics, says David Hayes
28 Apr 13 Comments (0)Force of nature
Australian journalist Natalie Bennett has big ambitions for Britain’s Green Party. Carmela Ferraro talked to her in London
17 Apr 13 Comments (0)Britain’s military complex
The grim conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have dulled the instinct for armed intervention. But it still runs deep in British political culture, writes David Hayes
12 Apr 13 Comments (1)Margaret Thatcher, between myth and politics
A sympathetic film portrayal of Britain’s most divisive modern prime minister fits a broader mood of reappraisal of her years in power, says David Hayes
09 Apr 13 Comments (3)
Citizenship by the booklet
Like Australia, Britain decided to make it harder for new arrivals to become citizens. Kerry Ryan looks at the mixed results
05 Mar 13 Comments (1)Britain and Europe: living together, apart
The roots of ambivalence in Britain’s relationship with the European Union go deep, says David Hayes
25 Feb 13 Comments (0)From scandal to reform: Leveson’s way forward
The Leveson report’s case for more rigorous press accountability was immediately undercut by David Cameron, but despite the cheers from the tabloids, the prime minister has backed himself into a dangerous corner, writes Rodney Tiffen
06 Dec 12 Comments (0)Britain’s economic tunnel
An endless recession has changed politics and livelihoods. But in a many-sided national argument there is no consensus about its lessons, says David Hayes
03 Dec 12 Comments (0)Britain’s political misty season
The halfway point of Britain’s five-year parliament finds all of the parties under pressure to adapt to a changing environment, says David Hayes
04 Oct 12 Comments (0)An Olympics fantasy
A thrilling opening ceremony turned London’s mood from cynical to euphoric. But after artistic seduction comes political reduction, says David Hayes in London
03 Aug 12 Comments (0)Rupert Murdoch’s Annus Horribilis
It’s a year since News Corporation’s cover-up of phone-hacking in Britain began to unravel. Rodney Tiffen takes stock of the damage so far, assesses the News Corp split, and looks ahead
10 Jul 12 Comments (1)Alive and well in London
Brian McFarlane reviews a classic theatrical revival, a new play paired with an old one, and a musical adapted from a film for the stage
25 Jun 12 Comments (0)A holiday from reality
Britain’s season of high spectacle offers only a temporary respite from economic and political troubles, writes David Hayes
18 Jun 12 Comments (0)Is Tom Crone Rupert Murdoch’s John Dean?
Comparisons with Watergate raise worrying prospects for News Corporation, writes Rodney Tiffen
03 May 12 Comments (0)A long reign and a lost republic
The celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s sixty years on the throne coincides with the best of recent times for the British monarchy. The moment will pass, but this offers little comfort to the institution’s paralysed opponents, says David Hayes
19 Apr 12 Comments (2)The matter of Scotland
A high-stakes constitutional tussle over the future of the United Kingdom is under way. The political transformation of Scotland since the 1950s will help to shape the outcome, says David Hayes
22 Feb 12 Comments (0)The intimate megacity
London’s mayoral election might be overshadowed in 2012 by royal and Olympic pageants, but it’s more revealing of the city’s heartbeat, says David Hayes
07 Dec 11 Comments (0)The smoke this time
An encampment around St Paul’s Cathedral in London casts a new light on this icon of British wartime defiance. But the epic days of the 1940s may have something to teach the protesters in return, says David Hayes
01 Nov 11 Comments (0)