Today’s Edition – 5th June 2023​
For the next pandemic, we need soldiers in charge, not politicians
On Covid, learning from the past is much more important than apportioning blame.
For the next pandemic, we need soldiers in charge, not politicians
On Covid, learning from the past is much more important than apportioning blame.
China is misreading the US, the US is misreading Europe

With the risks of war in the Pacific rising fast it is worth examining where our assumptions may be wrong.
Harry and Meghan have reached peak Sussex

While a period of silence would be welcome from the couple, the most likely scenario is that we will hear plenty from both of them in the months (and years) to come.
French Letter: Enjoying the craic among my new friends in CallacÂ

The social scene in Callac is surprisingly vibrant.
University exam marking boycott is a disgrace

Robbing students of the ability to graduate after years of Covid disruption is shameful – but lecturers aren’t the only ones to blame.
Weird double-bill: Beau is Afraid and Sisu reviewed

One film is brooding and introverted, the other full of revenge, Western-style. Both are well worth a watch.
Stop and Look: Diner, 1971, by Richard Estes
An apparent deadpan simplicity masks intriguing ambiguity in this captivating photorealist work.
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Columnists
 Skip: The Fed’s new jargonistic term
By some miraculously novel invention in monetary policy, the Fed might actually choose to neither tighten nor ease, but instead leave rates unchanged.
Ukraine is keeping the enemy guessing
Russian troops, waiting in their trenches, can only be fearful for the futures. Meanwhile, Russians at home have been reminded that their borders are not secure.
There is no long-term future for carmaking in this country
The government subsidy to help Jaguar Land Rover build a battery factory will likely prove a futile attempt to save the UK’s dwindling motor manufacturing sector.
Chris Christie: the new not-Trump candidate is running
The former Governor of New Jersey is an extremely long shot in next year’s presidential race. But don’t write him off just yet.
Radical moderation: work-shy Britain needs a boot up the backside
A blueprint to revive the UK. Take note, Keir Starmer.
A central bank digital currency would snuff out freedom
Britcoin could starve banks of capital to lend and devastate global financial systems. But it appeals to the governing elites, who are obsessed with technological innovation.
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World
Only a major advance by Ukraine can end the deadlock
Despite the delay, we can be confident that a counteroffensive, on some substantial scale, is coming.
Moldova’s major moment on the world stage
Hosting the second ever EPC summit is a huge undertaking for the tiny post-Soviet country of Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest nations.
Sunak tells London Defence Conference Putin has miscalculated

The new geopolitical gathering on defence and security put together by the Reaction team is going annual.
French Letter: Celebrating the future in the past

Callac may be Codgerville-en-Terre, but that doesn’t rob it of its charms.
Sunak’s Japan trip could have gone a lot worse – just ask his predecessors

Japan is a cursed destination for prime ministerial trips. An awkward question about Suella Braverman shouldn’t have rocked the boat.
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The media’s absurd over-coverage of the Phillip Schofield affair is deeply depressing
The obsession with this regrettable affair is a perfect example of all that is wrong with the modern consumer culture news cycle.
Weekend
Sparkling cast lifts Wagner’s Götterdämmerung to new heights

My first visit to Longborough Festival Opera proved a delight.
Word Watch: Wrest
The word is often overlooked in favour of “wrestle”.
Mormon-mingling and choral delights in Salt Lake City

The Tabernacle Choir excelled in Utah after a small snafu changed plans.
Review: Roger McGough, Alive and Gigging at the Liverpool Playhouse

The 85-year-old master manipulator of words and logic was at his very best.
Chelsea Flower Show proved that eco protests are for the privileged few

Green activism germinates among the hothouse flowers of privileged institutions and the middle classes.
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