There’s no such thing as easy‑peasy politics
My five year-old granddaughter stood poised above the pool, contemplating the rings I had tossed to the bottom for her to retrieve. Read More
Articles
Our rudeness to European allies is shameful
Half a century ago, when that military circus the Royal Tournament was a national institution, there was a contretemps after a visiting Italian officer discovered that his Bersaglieri must perform in a sand arena. Read More
No firing will take place after this hour
In a clearing within a Belgian wood on an overcast November morning, raindrops from a recent shower dripped off the trees. Read More
Bullets, bodies and late-night bars: Max Hastings’ adventures in Vietnam
Max Hastings was 24 and had never been to war. All that changed when he flew into battle-scarred Vietnam and witnessed the horror – and hedonism – of a war zone. Almost 50 years on, he’s written a book about the most controversial conflict of the 20th century and returns to the country to talk to survivors. Read More
Stop hankering for the fantasy of a golden age
Nostalgia, vividly expressed in the cause-we-shall-not-mention-here, has become fashionable among Britain’s double-breasted classes. Read More
Yesterday’s Parties. Max Reviews ‘Anthony Powell: Dancing to the Music of Time’ by Hilary Spurling
Anthony Powell by Hilary Spurling (Hamish Hamilton)
A few decades ago, Evelyn Waugh and Anthony Powell were widely regarded as Britain’s foremost novelists of the modern era. Read More
Early Praise for Vietnam
‘This is a comprehensive, spellbinding, surprisingly intimate, and altogether magnificent historical narrative.’
Tim O’Brien, Vietnam veteran and novelist Read More
The English love a buffoon but the Boris Johnson joke went tragically wrong
A few months ago on the London Underground, a middle-aged stranger who found himself my neighbour demanded: “Excuse me asking, but you will know if anybody does — is Boris Johnson going to resign?” Read More
Don’t let’s delude ourselves over the special relationship
The only certainty about President Donald Trump’s visit next week is that it will unloose a fresh torrent of clichés about the “special relationship” between Britain and the United States. The man himself, if he feels benign, may toss us a bone by according it lip service. Read More