Opinion

Shining humour on to dark times, comedian MITCH BENN says if this was The Walking Dead, he would skip ahead. First of all, I hope this finds you safe, well and still relatively sane. I know the waggish thing to do at the moment is to draw satirical comparison between our current plight and the […]

Police are not overlords, they are citizens in uniform, argues JAMES BALL. They need to guide us through this crisis, not force us. In the days shortly before the UK government eventually decided to lock down much of the country – which was still only a handful of weeks ago, even if it feels much […]

With no more plays to review, TIM WALKER reviews the stars he’s met, starting with Roger Moore and one role that really mattered to him The director Stephen Unwin has a question he puts to people who want to work for him on his productions. ‘Don’t you just love stars?’ he’ll say, smiling broadly. All […]

Despite the coronavirus outbreak the government is continuing with Brexit talks. Consequently a campaign for assoicate EU citizenship must continue. The campaign to allow British citizens to apply for associate EU membership must go on. When all this is over the economic consequences will be devastating and the USA will be in no position to […]

Whether it’s the NHS, students or sport we should write off 2020. Andrew Adonis makes the point that students should be allowed to repeat this year with no fees. My daughter, who is in her first year at university, has already suffered as a consequence of the lecturers’ strike and will have lost half a […]

BONNIE GREER writes how the central ‘beautiful figure’ of Italian culture cannot be seperated from the tragedy facing Italians Anyone who has been to Italy or known Italians will recognise la bella figura. The term literally means ‘beautiful figure’ and expresses a central part of the country’s culture, a basic part of who its people […]

One reader says those blaming China should look closer to home for who to blame over the response to coronavirus. Don’t blame the Chinese for being slow off the mark. They had no great warning and knew little about what was coming. However we did have warning and lots of information from China and we […]

One reader thinks the daily press briefings from the government has improved without Boris Johnson. I’m finding the 5pm Covid-19 briefings without Boris Johnson more factual, succinct and more credible. I think experts give more guidance than politicians. This may be our darkest hour but Boris is most certainly not Churchillian Tony Howarth London SW3 […]

A new Labour leader finally takes Jeremy Corbyn’s place this week – his dogged determination to carry on to the end has been one of his final strategic mistakes. No-one could have predicted the crisis the country would be facing when Labour decided to set the close of the leadership contest for this week, but […]

Experts at King’s College London have developed a free coronavirus app to monitor symptoms on a population-wide level. TIM SPECTOR from the institution said that the public response has been staggering. The global COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is a public health emergency. In just under three months, we have gone from […]

Are you protected for life once you have the coronavirus antibodies as the government’s experts claim? CONNOR BAMFORD assesses the claim which spurred the idea of ‘herd immunity’. Patrick Vallance, chief scientific adviser to the UK government, recently said that many groups are working on blood tests for COVID-19, adding: ‘That would tell us who […]

BONNIE GREER assesses the English coping strategies coming to the fore during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. Americans and Italians and the French, just to name a few cultures, are touchy-feely. An American will shake your hand under almost any circumstances. Or give you a hug. Especially if they do not know you because the hug […]

The Brexit transition period must be delayed to help the UK after the coronavirus outbreak. The coronavirus crisis, resulting in mass panic buying, hoarding and supply shortages with extensive empty shelves in supermarkets, has inadvertently become a dry run for no-deal Brexit and an unofficial test of resilience in the UK. I expect to see […]

The COVID-19 response has been at a national, not European, level. With countries often turning to populist and nationalist solutions, what is needed is a wider community response. What the economic downturn that began in 2008 did not achieve, could be managed by a microorganism. The outbreak and spread of the virus SARS-CoV-2 and the […]

A more humane society is possible from the response to coronavirus. But, as SIMON MAIR explains, it requires politicians moving away from putting the markets and profits first. Coronavirus warnings on signs in Glasgow as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire. – Credit: PA […]

Is it time for Boris Johnson to show genuine leadership by calling for a national unity government to steer the country through the coronavirus outbreak? These are truly unprecedented times and as such there must surely now be a government of national unity. If parliament is forced to suspend, either formally or through parliamentarians voluntarily […]

With Boris Johnson belatedly raising his game, MITCH BENN’s attention turns to ‘horrifyingly fascinatiing’ behaviour of his US counterpart. How are we all holding up? I do hope you’re all well, safe and still relatively sane. I won’t ask if you’re all behaving yourselves and staying indoors, since that decision is no longer ours to […]

The COVID-19 crisis represents an opportunity for positive change that could span decades, according to JAMES BALL. Boris Johnson is almost certainly not a fan of the man who coined the phrase ‘there are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen’ – it was Vladimir Ilyich Lenin – but even he […]

With the coronavirus lockdown in place, a change in daily routines can cause anxiety levels to rise. But DUSANA DORJEE says there are ways to turn these thoughts into positive mental health habits. Given the constant stream of negative news about the novel coronavirus pandemic, it’s easy to feel anxious and uncertain. Anxiety is also […]

The government has been heavily criticised for its response to COVID-19. Many concerns are warranted, but VAGEESH JAIN says we should now look forward with optimism and hope rather than despair. Over the past couple of weeks, the UK government has received unwavering criticism for its response to COVID-19. Several faultfinders have unleashed their uninhibited […]

ALASTAIR CAMPBELL says it’s time for Boris Johnson to get serious. He has 20 steps the prime minister needs to take ahead of his next coronavirus update. A few weeks ago, when the only Corona we had ever heard of was a beer or a cigar, I was out walking the dog with my daughter, […]

It is not always possible to predict when a pandemic is going to happen but, as NEIL PYPER argues, we can be better prepared for such events. As much of the world gets used to social distancing, school closures and restrictions in movement in response to the coronavirus pandemic, obvious questions are being asked about […]

While the chancellor’s measures to help workers are welcome, they do not go far enough to protect all during the coronavirus. ALEX DE RUYTER and DAVID HEARNE argue a basic income for all is now needed. The outbreak of coronavirus has exposed the fragility of a labour market characterised by the growing gig economy, zero-hours […]

The coronavirus pandemic has moved the arts out of theatres and concert halls and into the online space. Will performers manage to make it work for both themselves and their audiences? There’s still a great deal of uncertainty as to what impact the coronavirus pandemic will have on the UK’s cultural life. More and more […]

Former Conservative Party adviser BARNABY TOWNS says it is Emmanuel Macron showing real leadership during the coronavirus epidemic. From history and heritage to population and per-person income, France and the United Kingdom stand out as peer nations. Bloody and then peaceful rivalry define a millennium of war and invasion and two centuries as allies following […]

Every EU country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic is a reminder that each are sovereign. Some Brexiters are gloating over the EU27’s lack of coordination in dealing with the coronavirus crisis and a few European nations even closing their borders. First, it must be said that most European nations have opted for similar policies. But […]

What’s gone wrong with America’s response to the coronavirus? PETER DROBAC explains what it can learn from the Asian response to the pandemic. It’s always been a question of when, and not whether, humanity would face another challenge on the scale of the 1918 flu pandemic. The novel coronavirus is shaping up to be that […]

Readers have their say on the response to the coronavirus. When everything is over let’s remember who risked their lives to save ours and contain the infection; and let’s remember that if there is money to be found to fix public budgets, health is the last place to look for them. When everything is over, […]

Readers assess the politics surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and give their perspective on the news. Sir Keir Starmer may feel that currently ‘there isn’t really a case for rejoining’ the EU, but circumstances may change. A number of possible developments could turn public opinion towards rejoining, such as: increased costs in trade with Europe, a […]

MITCH BENN issues some rousing words on the coronavirus fight – and how it has changed our foucs. So, how are we all doing? I do hope that everyone is finding quarantine as unstressful as possible and that the only fever any of you is registering is the figurative ‘cabin’ variety. I myself am actually […]

Now the schools are closed, how do you deal with children at home and how do you explain the coronavirus to them? EMMA MAYNARD has some advice. The UK has become the latest country to close schools in a bid to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus. This is a game changer for […]

Is the coronavirus reason for the Houses of Parliament to close, or rather a reason for it to remain open? Politics lecturer ALEX PRIOR looks at the significance of Westminster during the outbreak. As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, there is substantial debate around whether the UK parliament should continue to operate. MPs are still meeting […]