Comment & Opinion

Opinion: The doom-laden terminology of conservation campaigners is dragging us down — it's time we embraced some optimism

We’re not perfect, says Kate Green, but nor are we bottom of the class — and it's time we embraced that.

Opinion: A vanishingly rare thing has happened — we have a minister for culture who actually sounds like he's visited some of the places he has responsibility for

Our culture columnist Athena is cautiously optimistic about the future of arts, culture and architecture — even if the same old problems remain.

The dog that costs £120,000, the definition of English style, great balls of fire and the Quiz of the Day

Plus, a €12 million estate, and a rare outbreak of good news in Britain's waterways — it's The Dawn Chorus, our regular daily round-up of things you don't need to know, but will enjoy finding out about nonetheless.

We used to fly cars across the English Channel in 20 minutes — why did we stop?

It seems hard to believe, but taking your car across the English Channel to France by air actually pre-dates the cross-channel car ferry. So how did it fall out of use almost 50 years ago? Martin Fone investigates.

'It may be vain to think that the past was a cleaner, quieter and kinder place, but it felt pretty decent when you knew your GP and your GP knew you, and milk in glass bottles was delivered every morning'

Carla Carlisle is homesick for the olden days, when we didn’t know we had it so good.

True craftsmanship means making things that last generations — but these skills are in danger of being lost forever

Giles Kime is worried about the state of craftsmanship in Britain.

Alexander Darwall: Dartmoor camping case is about conservation and preservation, not denial of access

The landowner at the centre of the legal battle over wild camping on Dartmoor explains why he has chosen to go to the Supreme Court about the issue.

Will 2024 be a bumper year for Autumn colour?

A year of staggeringly wet weather across most of Britain has caused all sorts of ups and downs for gardeners and farmers — but will it have an impact on the changing colours of the leaves on the trees around us?

Jason Goodwin: 'Ahead of the Japanese invasion of Borneo, I was told, she had memorised all the top-secret embassy codes to prevent them falling into enemy hands'

The cooing of wood pigeons in autumn reminds our columnist of his grandmother and her sisters, one of which was in a secret service in the Second World War.

Property Talk: What happens when you buy or sell a country estate?

In every end is a new beginning, finds Lucy Denton, as she examines the highs and lows of the sale of a country estate, for all parties, including tenants.

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Athena: Sacrificing the Arts for 'self-imposed' fiscal rules?

Cuts to our cultural institutions will only save a minimal amount of money, but could do a significant amount of harm.

'Rural England need not be retirement England': How hybrid working can save the countryside

Forcing people back to the office reeks of management insecurity, and tracking them on their computers is Orwellian. What hybrid working can do is make people happy and bring life back to rural communities.

Beware experience, lest we forget what actually makes these places important in the first place

Jousting in castles? Falconry demonstrations? That's all fine, says Athena, as long as people don't forget about the real purposes of our visitor attractions and cultural institutions.

Minette Batters: Happiness is in the little things

The cross-bench peer and former NFU president uses some down time to reflect on the big questions, and prepares for a charity bike ride in Africa.

Labour's new National Planning Policy Framework is a 'wolf in sheep's clothing'

We can expect fireworks: Labour’s draft plans for a new planning policy contain subtle, but devastating amendments that bear closer inspection.

'Every month since June 2023 has now ranked as the planet’s hottest... we are challenging everything on which we rely — our weather, our health, our water and our food security'

The effects of climate change 'reach right down into every aspect of the planet’s life, from the spread of disease to the profound changes wrought by rising sea levels and intensive storms,' writes our columnist Agromenes.

What's for sale on 'the most mouth-watering shopping list in Britain'?

A browse through the summary of works of art and objects of cultural importance with a deferred export license reveals plenty of treasures. What should we keep?

Curious Questions: What are the finest last words ever uttered?

Final words can be poignant, tragic, ironic, loving and, sometimes, hilarious. Annunciata Elwes examines this most bizarre form of public speaking.

Sensory overload: If the modern car is all about safety, then why don't I feel safe?

Regulation and a race to innovate means our cars are full of technology that we don't want, we didn't ask for, and in some cases can cause an accident. But most of all, it makes driving absolutely awful.