Articles
A Labour stronghold weakens in UK
Like most people in Sunderland, Lee Martin was a staunch follower of the Left. Today, he is a Tory with his eyes on a seat in parliament.
Difficult words that can only be used by those they should hurt
Racial offence is in a different league to most kinds of contentious language and we should make no apologies for doing our best to avoid causing it.
Between the lines, editors serve a thankless but vital vigil
In the old days, reporters would complain that however much care they took in crafting their words, they were ultimately at the mercy of assorted members of the printing trade.
A hunger to be the best
A fortuitous French connection in the culinary world pays off handsomely for two Pakistan-born brothers.
Prevaricating? No, I am not being evasive, just dithering
When reflecting on all the unfortunate souls whose only mistake was to enter teaching and find me among their pupils, I still wonder - as they would - how I ended up as the guest speaker at an annual meeting of the Queen's English Society.
When did vehicle stickers stop being about the driver?
People no longer insist on revealing something about themselves to the multitude of strangers sharing their road space. What produced this change?
A new car makes for a bumpy trip down nostalgia lane
After 320,000 km, it is time to trade in the old BMW. Oh, the places I've been in the cars I've owned.
At the end of life, what is dignity?
The assisted suicides of a British couple have stirred a fresh debate on the ethics of voluntary euthanasia.
Silly season means French towns are never lost for words
One week ago, almost everyone in France seemed to be on the road, heading south on the first serious holiday departure date of the summer.
Motor sport is just ear-bursting tedium - but not in Abu Dhabi
A curmudgeonly snarl for motor sports and bicycle racing until it's down to the final metres.
'Ilan's only fault was to be Jewish'
As a court in Paris passes judgment on 27 people accused of murder three years ago, questions remain over who is really to blame.
Avoid clichés like the swine flu - the plague is old hat
In Whatever Works, a new film directed by Woody Allen, the anti-hero Boris Yellnikoff is a cantankerous, condescending old pedant with an ego nurtured by his past life as an eminent physicist.
How to cut a dash with your hyphens
I would go so far as to say no one should lose sleep over the role of the hyphen, but suspect there are some teachers and editors who will go on tossing and turning for a while to come.
Airbus hit the sea 'belly first'
The Air France Airbus that crashed on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris a month ago did not break up in the sky, investigators say.
A rip-roaring ride - or a rip-off through the Mediterranean...
Road trips in France can cost a small fortune so it's worth having air conditioning in your car to guarantee yourself at least one comfort.
