Yes, of course, they should allow atheists on Thought for the Day. But isn't it curious that those who affect to despise religion seem so desperate to copy what the religious do?  read more »

Never mind H1N1, do you remember Y2K? The original bug that would paralyse Britain?  read more »

I haven't had much in common with the world's nun population, so far.  read more »

Just how socialist is Scotland? How many Marx out of ten does this nation get for left-wingery?  read more »

The most fundamental divide between men and women doesn't lie in their attitude to Carla Bruni, rugby league, slim panatellas, tinted moisturiser, fabric swatches, Bacardi Breezers or even scented candles.  read more »

We Scots, Jim Sillars once argued, were 90-minute nationalists.  read more »

Michael Gove condemns the Government's new education White Paper as nothing more than repeat announcements of previous commitments.  read more »

In a meeting last week a colleague mentioned, in passing, a report he'd read that referred to an institution's "Victorian" approach. Was that, another colleague asked, intended as a compliment? The laughter was spontaneous, loud and long.  read more »

It is the BBC which sets the standard for serious public discourse  read more »

Some people love arguments that don't rely on reason.  read more »