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I see more art, listen to more music and read less as I age
A ‘red wall’ agenda was never needed, feasible or all that popular
The UK is cosmopolitan because it doesn’t overthink
The free world has shrunk — but from heights that were unimaginable when I was born
The notion of ‘decline’ is too crude to capture what is happening to the US in the 21st century
Like so many politicians from the private sector, the UK prime minister doesn’t understand fanatics
For trying to do something about public debt, Emmanuel Macron is the politician of the year
The US variant is much more of a personality cult
The likes of Elon Musk trade on the myth that great individuals are always difficult
The problem is the fundamental Democratic offering, not a failure to communicate
Apart from dating, there is no better education in human behaviour
Organisational, financial and ideological flaws stop the continent carrying its weight
Maritime societies built the liberal world that continental ones want to undo
Democracies should tease out the contradictions between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea
The likes of Sam Bankman-Fried and Liz Truss crave certainties in the mess of adult life
War in Europe and the Middle East is slowing the vaunted pivot to Asia
The London borough shows what is possible, and what isn’t
His leadership of the Labour party has been a political masterclass
People have never been better-educated, or less original
The maligned nation is doing better than the continent at fighting extremists
Affluent, childless and middle-aged, I am unaffected by most political decisions
The jilting of Ukraine, a bonfire of treaties, but perhaps a surprise on China
The earnestness of Elon Musk and Burning Man is easy to mock, but it might explain their success
In public life, unlike in business, there is no reward for being right
There isn’t a simple clash between democracy and autocracy
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