Our writer has written at length about aircraft noise in the past. Here she reflects on a recent study on the subject. Below: the fuss over sexist front pages

During conference season our leaders presented arguments, defended positions and engaged in debate. Are we finally ready to have a real conversation?

The new system of phonics angers me as much as it did when it was first introduced.

Yet again, when Britain is forced to choose between a special relationship with America and cultural affinity with Europe, it chooses dithering and delay instead

Is the cover-up - if there was one - really so incomprehensible?

US talk shows are a test even for politicians with real charisma - and a British Prime Minister has no need to recast himself as a celebrity

A look back at the surreal history of these creatures shows them to be the most surreal in the natural world.

Sometimes, the best solutions to common political problems lie outside politics. By banging our heads together we can reach better results. Let's do it more often

Why can someone shovel cash into the UK without any enquiry into its provenance?

Maybe I'm wrong, but I suspect that my generation of women is uniquely bad at delegating. We came on the scene far too late to have servants – oh, how we need them! – and just too late to be satisfied with staying at home as wives and mothers. A combination of self-reliance and, often justified, concern that no one else would meet our exacting standards left us with the idea that if we didn't do something, no one else would.