“There’s a big hole where the left should be.” An interview with Nick Cohen
“This division of a left represented by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and a right represented by Peter Hitchens: no one is like that in British society. It is a media creation. They’re equally contemptible, predictable, immune to evidence, what’s the point?” Nick Cohen is a journalist whose political
Lives in Three Lines: The Artistic Form of Tweets
“Two heads are better than one, reckoned Ndako, of Bosso. His nosy neighbors, who made him open the dripping bag, objected.” Over the past two years, novelist and art historian Teju Cole has tweeted hundreds of the curious, violent, often tragic stories found in the crime and metro sections of l
An afternoon with Oxford’s nudists
“Peggy, reach over and press the bubbles button, would you?” As the tub comes to life with a loud gurgle, Lenny begins to shake with laughter, causing the bubbles to spill over the edge. “The bubbles help out modest naturists who don’t want to have their bits on show!” Peggy and Lenny are
Laughter in the Dark: How Philip French Found Film
“I discovered almost everything through the cinema rather than, as it were, communing directly with nature and the society around me,” said Philip French, the Observer’s longstanding film critic, and former The ISIS editor, as he reminisces about how his love of films began. “It was a way to
“We are invisible people”: Getting to know Oxford’s rough sleepers
“If people haven’t had that experience of being dragged up with nothing, you couldn’t explain to them what it’s like. They would not understand.” John doesn’t talk about being brought up – the word is always ‘dragged’. Homeless since the age of 14, he has spent the last nine of his
I (Don’t) Wanna Hold Your Hand
Walk down the street. As long as it’s a street with a few people in it, there are probably some who insist upon being in relationships. You might feel pleased for them or you might feel bitter that they have what you so desperately crave. Either way, you may not think to pay much attention [&helli
Raising Hell: America’s Religious Rollercoaster Ride
Imagine taking your child to a place where they will watch graphic simulations of abortion, rape and suicide. Alternatively, imagine taking them to a place where they will see demonstrations of charity, forgiveness and faith. In terms of the child’s welfare, the choice seems obvious. In term
For here are the people: Britain by Mass Observation since 1937
“While Europe was tensely watching the crisis over Czechoslovakia, Herr Hitler paid a surprise visit to the French frontier to-day.” So began Britain by Mass Observation, a 1939 Penguin Special by Charles Madge and Tom Harrisson. They were not endorsing this characterization of the start of the
The K. of F.
The routine was simple. We board the train and the King of France gives the speech I’ve heard a hundred times: “Excuse me ladies and gentlemen I am a single father with two children / my son was hit by a drunk driver / he is in a wheelchair / I have no insurance / […]