There are various well-tried ways to assess the success of a writer – reviews, books sales, prizes, the grinding envy of his peers – but the most reliable is the simplest. How much pleasure does his work give his readers?...
Read moreThere has now surely been quite enough maundering and hand-wringing about poor old Derek Conway and the so-called "family firm" which he employed in a largely non-executive capacity at Westminster. The usual rentagob moralists have been standing on the sidelines,...
Read moreWith a casual, passing comment, made during the course of an analysis of the American presidency, the journalist Jacob Weisberg has blown the cover on the White House's most closely guarded secret. President Bush has never been that interested in...
Read moreIt is generally accepted that there are two types of drinker. On the one hand, there is the acceptable recreational tippler who lowers stress levels at the end of a busy day with stiffener or two. Then there is the...
Read moreJon Stewart, the American TV presenter much adored by American liberals for his show The Daily News, is not quite himself at the moment. Although on screen he looks the same as ever – smooth, blandly handsome, generally pleased with...
Read moreThat great self-appointed spokes-person for the spurned wife, Margaret Cook, is at it again. Over the 10 years since her husband, the late Robin Cook, left her, Mrs Cook has been the first port of call for editors and producers...
Read moreThe director general of the BBC, Mark Thompson, is usually canny and sure-footed to the point of dullness when being interviewed but, on the Today programme this week, he allowed himself a moment of mild levity. Giving an advance puff...
Read moreThese are golden times, apparently, for the arts. Last October, a £1bn settlement on the Arts Council was confirmed. One of the council's senior strategists has predicted, as from next month, "the start of very, very exciting times in the...
Read moreBecause the English tend to take their language for granted, there is no equivalent of the American Dialect Society's Word of the Year. Over there, "subprime" has just squeezed home from "Googleganger" (someone who shares your name when searched on...
Read moreThere are certain well-used contemporary clichs which are more than lazy verbal shortcuts. They represent clichs of the mind and the heart. Substitutes for thought, they are weapons used by the spin-merchants of commerce and politics. They simplify complexity and...
Read more
