http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dylan-jones/dylan-jones-young-is-better-than-old-pretty-is-better-than-ugly-movies-are-better-than-music-and-anything-is-better-than-politics-1823675.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dylan-jones/dylan-jones-young-is-better-than-old-pretty-is-better-than-ugly-movies-are-better-than-music-and-anything-is-better-than-politics-1823675.html <p> If there is one book that sums up the maelstrom of superficiality, white-hot ambition and old-world/new-wave glamour of Andy Warhol's New York years it is former Interview editor Bob Colacello's awesome Holy Terror: </p> Dylan Jones Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-sorry-roy-but-ireland-played-like-superstars-1824844.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-sorry-roy-but-ireland-played-like-superstars-1824844.html ]]> <p>The furore concerning the Thierry Henry handball has moved into a new dimension of weirdness, with the player himself agreeing that the controversial World Cup qualifier should be replayed, while former Ireland captain Roy Keane, with his customary charm, asserts that the Irish got what they deserved.</p> Brian Viner Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/david-lister/david-lister-how-can-they-not-love-lily-1824970.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/david-lister/david-lister-how-can-they-not-love-lily-1824970.html <p>It is the season of lists. Best of the Year/ Decade. Worst of the Year/ Decade. Most Beautiful of the Year/Decade. I'd like to introduce a "Mildly Enjoyable Night Out But Nothing To Write Home About of The Year/Decade", because that is also a large part of the cultural experience. But for the moment we'll have to make do with the best-of category.</p> David Lister Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/richard-ingrams/richard-ingramsrsquos-week-why-are-so-many-deniers-of-climate-change-on-the-right-1824967.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/richard-ingrams/richard-ingramsrsquos-week-why-are-so-many-deniers-of-climate-change-on-the-right-1824967.html <p>"Never write about any matter that you do not well understand" – advice to us journalists once given by one of the very greatest, William Cobbett. In my many years as a newspaper columnist I have tried (perhaps not always successfully) to bear it in mind.</p> Richard Ingrams Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/thomas-sutcliffe/tom-sutcliffe-its-about-as-good-as-it-gets-1823812.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/thomas-sutcliffe/tom-sutcliffe-its-about-as-good-as-it-gets-1823812.html ]]> <p> Goodness, notoriously, writes white – that is, it won't show up on the page. Evil, no problem at all – the ink flowing black and creating a contrast so sharp that you could read it from across the room. And one of the reasons for this disjunction is that we take evil to be a more active principal than goodness. </p> Thomas Sutcliffe Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/paul-vallely-in-shops-here-the-level-of-attentiveness-borders-on-a-free-social-service-1823081.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/paul-vallely-in-shops-here-the-level-of-attentiveness-borders-on-a-free-social-service-1823081.html <p> The woman who serves in Bargain Booze used to be a social worker. It seems it's a calling that never leaves you. </p> Columnists Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/jaci-stephen-in-la-you-might-as-well-buy-a-cabbage-as-a-peach-for-all-the-difference-in-taste-1822295.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/jaci-stephen-in-la-you-might-as-well-buy-a-cabbage-as-a-peach-for-all-the-difference-in-taste-1822295.html <p> Will I ever taste a real tomato again? Will I ever again taste a tomato that is distinguishable from a sprout? These are some of the questions I find myself asking every week as I dive among the bruised supermarket pulp here and try, in vain, to find just one ripe, full, firm fruit that smells and tastes as a tomato should. </p> Columnists Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/alex-james/alex-james-my-heart-was-singing-in-the-rain-1822432.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/alex-james/alex-james-my-heart-was-singing-in-the-rain-1822432.html <p>So posh he was – posh in the way only Cotswolds people can be: a truly exotic creature, as rare and doomed as a snow leopard. And he was standing in my kitchen. Suddenly he turned to complaining. "Damp," he said. "Too damp. That's the bloodear trouble."</p> Alex James Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/christopher-maume-the-british-national-party-is-right-about-one-thing-the-country-is-filling-up-1821711.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/christopher-maume-the-british-national-party-is-right-about-one-thing-the-country-is-filling-up-1821711.html <p>I am not a fan of the BNP, honest. Nick Griffin, patron saint of the benighted and cross-eyed, is as about as high on my list of People To Hug Before I Die as Melanie Phillips or the Grimes twins are. By way of consolation, they all enjoy exalted placings in the list of People To Hang Before I Die. But the British National Party are right about one thing: the country is filling up. Bill Bryson could have called his love letter to Britain Notes from a Small Island With Too Many People, Especially in London.</p> Columnists Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/thomas-sutcliffe/tom-sutcliffe-the-overcomplicated-life-of-belle-de-jour-1821768.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/thomas-sutcliffe/tom-sutcliffe-the-overcomplicated-life-of-belle-de-jour-1821768.html <p>I wonder how many men looked at the photograph of Dr Brooke Magnanti – who outed herself the other day as the real Belle de Jour, blogger horizontale – and thought to themselves, "Yeah ... well I reckon I'd pay £300 for that". I know I did – and it's not because I'd pay £300 for that. </p> Thomas Sutcliffe Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dom-joly/dom-joly-you-can-bet-everyone-else-is-a-winner-1821309.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dom-joly/dom-joly-you-can-bet-everyone-else-is-a-winner-1821309.html ]]> <p>Living near Cheltenham as I do, there is never a shortage of invites to the races. I've been quite a few times and I'm only just starting to realise why it is not for me. It's not that I am an ignoramus of the sport – I even have a close relative who breeds racehorses. As a kid on expeditions deep into the Syrian Desert, we'd drive up the highest sand dune to try and get the BBC World Service coverage of the Grand National. </p> Dom Joly Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dj-taylor-this-could-get-ugly-1820842.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dj-taylor-this-could-get-ugly-1820842.html <p> It was a bad week for those highly desirable abstracts, personal and collective freedom. The Government did confirm that the so-called “Big Brother” scheme, whereby every phone call, email and internet visit in the UK would be logged on a central database, has effectively been abandoned. </p> Columnists Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:40 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dom-joly/dom-joly-one-snip-lots-of-smiles-ndash-and-a-big-cry-for-help-1820855.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dom-joly/dom-joly-one-snip-lots-of-smiles-ndash-and-a-big-cry-for-help-1820855.html <p>It's only gone and happened again. I pop out for an evening in London and wham – the vet's snippers strike again. I meet Stacey for lunch at our beloved eaterie, Made By Bob in Cirencester. Lunch is friendly and happy – and then she hits me with the sucker punch.</p> Dom Joly Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dylan-jones/dylan-jones-gazza-hijacked-a-london-bus-and-successfully-steered-it-along-the-bayswater-road-albeit-at-a-glacial-pace-1818762.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dylan-jones/dylan-jones-gazza-hijacked-a-london-bus-and-successfully-steered-it-along-the-bayswater-road-albeit-at-a-glacial-pace-1818762.html <p>While I understand that – as a thoroughbred media whore – I am rather complicit in this, it has become impossible now to imagine anyone of any celebrity status socialising outside of a private members' club. Indeed these days the very idea of mixing with the proletariat is anathema to the sort of person who uses Heat magazine as a contemporary alternative to the town crier. Me? Caught in a pub? With my reputation? Perish the very thought, my dear boy ... </p> Dylan Jones Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/richard-ingrams/richard-ingramss-week-lots-of-money-for-bbc-staff-less-for-its-contributors-1820381.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/richard-ingrams/richard-ingramss-week-lots-of-money-for-bbc-staff-less-for-its-contributors-1820381.html <p>MPs should be grateful to the BBC for revealing this week full details of the pay and expenses of all their senior executives.</p> Richard Ingrams Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-unexpected-frictions-follow-fergusons-fall-1820469.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-unexpected-frictions-follow-fergusons-fall-1820469.html <p>Pretty much everyone in football seems to agree that Peterborough United's sacking of Darren Ferguson is an act of myopic foolishness. He led the Posh to back-to-back promotions, and a disappointing start to the club's season in the Championship seems like flimsy grounds for dismissing a man who, in terms of his ability to mould and motivate a team, has plainly proved himself to be a chip off the old block. </p> Brian Viner Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/david-lister/david-lister-great-writers-dont-need-a-helping-hand-1820384.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/david-lister/david-lister-great-writers-dont-need-a-helping-hand-1820384.html <p>There's an unusual story about the new Alan Bennett play, The Habit of Art, which opens at the National Theatre next Tuesday. I gather that the National's artistic director, Nicholas Hytner, found the manuscript just pushed through his front door at home. Bennett had worked on it alone without telling anyone and, shy man that he is, just delivered it unannounced and unexpected – and departed without ringing the bell.</p> David Lister Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/thomas-sutcliffe/tom-sutcliffe-the-very-model-of-a-modern-museum-1819469.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/thomas-sutcliffe/tom-sutcliffe-the-very-model-of-a-modern-museum-1819469.html <p>I don't quite know how I'd managed to avoid the Ashmolean Museum all my life, but until just the other day I had. "Avoiding" isn't quite the right word of course; it wasn't that I crossed the road to steer clear every time I visited Oxford and at all other times the chances of falling through the front door was non-existent. A museum doesn't follow you around, pleading for a relationship, after all, and the Ashmolean could have been said to have been shyer than most in some respects, an institution that kept itself to itself. In fact, a dim sense of it as a dusty and superannuated place may have been one of the reasons I never went, though I'm ashamed to say (it's a formulaic phrase but it's actually true in this case) that I never really thought about it that clearly. Anyway, I've broken my duck now – visiting to see what the architect Rick Maher has done to the building for its £61 million refit and departing a bit startled to see what treasures I'd unwittingly ignored. </p> Thomas Sutcliffe Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-great-sporting-events-are-woven-into-our-culture-1819916.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-great-sporting-events-are-woven-into-our-culture-1819916.html <p>Great sporting events are part of the fabric of our nation. Even those who loathe every aspect of sport would have to concede that the FA Cup final, Wimbledon, the Ashes and the Grand National are woven into our culture, and the accessibility or otherwise of such events on television is an emotive matter for millions of people.</p> Brian Viner Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-why-would-my-children-collect-sticks-when-they-could-be-on-facebook-1818841.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-why-would-my-children-collect-sticks-when-they-could-be-on-facebook-1818841.html <p>The time has come when I can no longer send my children into our little wood to collect kindling. This is partly because they are no longer the obliging creatures they used to be, and why would anyone want to be picking up twigs when they could be on Facebook, and partly because it's November, and even after a mostly dry autumn the twigs are damp.</p> Brian Viner Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/jaci-stephen-i-could-be-verne-troyers-tall-girlfriend-but-he-likes-women-over-6ft-too-1818093.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/jaci-stephen-i-could-be-verne-troyers-tall-girlfriend-but-he-likes-women-over-6ft-too-1818093.html <p>You don't hear any references to midgets for years, and then three come along together.</p> Columnists Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/alex-james/alex-james-i-woke-up-and-it-was-a-different-world-1818174.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/alex-james/alex-james-i-woke-up-and-it-was-a-different-world-1818174.html <p>Fog, thick fog: an infinity of the stuff; murky endlessness that felt for a moment that it might crack like a huge egg and separate into pools of fluffy white mists and a golden yolk of sunshine. But it didn't. By noon the day had merely staggered towards a state of fine fizzing drizzle and given up on itself. From dawn to dusk it was as grey as an old towel.</p> Alex James Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/thomas-sutcliffe/tom-sutcliffe-a-massacre-that-may-or-may-not-be-art-1818178.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/thomas-sutcliffe/tom-sutcliffe-a-massacre-that-may-or-may-not-be-art-1818178.html <p> A few months ago the Mexican film-maker Guillermo Del Toro, the director of Pan's Labyrinth, gave an interview to Wired magazine in which he predicted that "in the next 10 years there will be an earthshaking Citizen Kane of games". </p> Thomas Sutcliffe Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/john-walsh/john-walsh-if-a-politician-lays-a-wreath-at-the-cenotaph-its-a-mark-of-respect-1817700.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/john-walsh/john-walsh-if-a-politician-lays-a-wreath-at-the-cenotaph-its-a-mark-of-respect-1817700.html <p>The Prime Minister is so intensely disliked by certain elements of public and press right now, he cannot do anything right. He attends Remembrance Day at the Cenotaph looking solemn and dignified, black tie and poppy carefully in place, lays a wreath, steps back in thoughtful silence – and is abused in the papers next day for failing to bow his head. A "shocked" rent-a-crowd of easily offended protocol sticklers included a confused Dave-from-Lancashire who said, "It was an insult to the fallen." No, Dave. If a politician lays a wreath at the Cenotaph, it's not an insult; it's an expression of respect. And forgetting to adjust your head a certain way indicates you have personal feelings and aren't just going through the motions.</p> John Walsh Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dom-joly/dom-joly-where-exactly-is-the-fun-in-a-funrun-1817322.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dom-joly/dom-joly-where-exactly-is-the-fun-in-a-funrun-1817322.html ]]> <p>I was getting on to a plane from Heathrow bound for Milan and it seemed to be packed with very gaunt, tired-looking Italian women in tracksuits. For a while I couldn't work it out. Was this the return leg of a particularly strenuous weekend Anglo-Italian yoga break in the Lake District? Maybe it was just an away-day flight taking members of the "very thin and ill-looking Italian club" for a trip around London. I was very curious so I did my usual and eavesdropped. </p> Dom Joly Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dom-joly/dom-joly-one-fivecourse-dinner-and-im-running-on-empty-1816840.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dom-joly/dom-joly-one-fivecourse-dinner-and-im-running-on-empty-1816840.html <p>To Milan, for a curious challenge in which I attempt to drive a Volvo all the way back to Marlow on a single tank of diesel. It is all very Top Gear, on a far smaller budget – just me, the comedian Rufus Hound and a South African cameraman who has never been to Europe before. There was a little pre-chat from some technical boffin who went on about torque and revs and stuff that I'm not much interested in. "How fast can we go and still potentially make it?" I asked him. "If you keep it at a steady 70 you should be all right," was his reply. This came as a relief, as I'd had a sneaking suspicion that it was going to have to be something like 42mph. </p> Dom Joly Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dylan-jones/dylan-jones-for-a-period-in-the-sixties-eel-pie-island-became-so-popular-it-even-began-issuing-its-own-passports-1814676.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dylan-jones/dylan-jones-for-a-period-in-the-sixties-eel-pie-island-became-so-popular-it-even-began-issuing-its-own-passports-1814676.html <p>If you take a train to Twickenham, to the west of London, and then walk down to the edge of the Thames, you will discover a magical place that feels as though it's from another era. People like to say that the Isle of Wight feels like Britain did in the Fifties, but Eel Pie Island feels like I imagine London did back in the early Sixties, when jazz and R&B were still the pulse beat of the city.</p> Dylan Jones Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/richard-ingrams/richard-ingramss-week-politicians-need-all-the-scientific-help-they-can-get-1816594.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/richard-ingrams/richard-ingramss-week-politicians-need-all-the-scientific-help-they-can-get-1816594.html <p>The scientific community is still spluttering about the sacking of the Government's drugs adviser Professor David Nutt, and there is plenty of high-falutin' talk about the integrity of scientists and the value of the independent advice they offer to politicians.</p> Richard Ingrams Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/david-lister/david-lister-the-pulsating-battle-to-rule-the-arts-1816599.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/david-lister/david-lister-the-pulsating-battle-to-rule-the-arts-1816599.html <p>Who should be the next chairman of the London Regional Arts Council? There's a question that invites the reader to turn the page. But this seemingly arcane question has become intriguing, controversial even. </p> David Lister Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-pietersen-has-style-of-original-brylcreem-boy-1816627.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-pietersen-has-style-of-original-brylcreem-boy-1816627.html ]]> <p>Andrew Strauss tells us that the South African origins of himself, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior and Jonathan Trott are "a non-issue" for England's cricketers. Which is fair enough, but you can bet your last rand that they won't be treated as a non-issue by the South Africans during the forthcoming series of five one-day internationals and four Test matches. If the South Africa captain, Graeme Smith, doesn't encourage his men to target these perceived turncoats in the England team, then he's not the chest-thumping patriot I took him to be. And even if he doesn't – for he does seem to be mellowing somewhat – the home supporters in Durban and Johannesburg will most certainly let the abuse fly at those biltong-flavoured Englishmen, reserving particular vehemence for Pietersen, who is scheduled to join the party next week.</p> Brian Viner Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/thomas-sutcliffe/tom-sutcliffe-its-good-to-be-strung-along-1815323.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/thomas-sutcliffe/tom-sutcliffe-its-good-to-be-strung-along-1815323.html ]]> <p>There was a brief theatrical vogue, some years ago now, for travelling toys. The scene would shift from one geographical area to another in the play and to illustrate this fact the designer would contrive to have a model train or airplane or steam-ship trundle jerkily across the stage. I quickly grew to loathe the fashion partly because it was just a fashion and went round like measles but also for two paradoxically opposed reasons. The first was that audiences were so easily gratified by the effect. Almost invariably they would give one of those collective moos that cuteness always squeezes out of a crowd and then applaud as if it was an act of unprecedented genius to put a teeny-weeny train on stage. The second reason was that I wasn't nearly as immune to the charm of such moments as I would like to have been. There was something about the sudden shift of perspective, the reverse zoom it imposed on your point of view, that had delight in it, and I didn't like it, in much the same way that you can fiercely resent being made to cry by a cheap tear-jerker, even as the tears roll down your cheeks. </p> Thomas Sutcliffe Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-much-as-it-pains-me-to-say-it-yorkshire-is-the-best-source-of-unusual-words-1814765.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-much-as-it-pains-me-to-say-it-yorkshire-is-the-best-source-of-unusual-words-1814765.html <p>My friend Ian, who has lived all his 50-odd years in a village on the Herefordshire-Shropshire border, introduced us some years ago to an expression so localised that nobody I've tried it on in Leominster, eight miles down the road, understands what I'm on about. </p> Brian Viner Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/jaci-stephen-at-my-beverly-hills-gym-theres-only-victoria-beckham-for-company-1814128.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/jaci-stephen-at-my-beverly-hills-gym-theres-only-victoria-beckham-for-company-1814128.html <p>Seven months after joining the Beverly Hills branch of Sports Club LA, I am no nearer to finding a group sport that I enjoy. My daily workouts are undoubtedly enhanced and encouraged by seeing the exquisite form of Victoria Beckham on a nearby treadmill, and even more so a couple of weeks ago, when Mr Beckham also turned up in the gym, a sight that induced in me so severe a case of Beckhamitis, I swear I had two birthdays in the time it took the paramedics to bring me round.</p> Columnists Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/alex-james/alex-james-all-the-fun-of-the-fair-ndash-the-travellers-way-1814150.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/alex-james/alex-james-all-the-fun-of-the-fair-ndash-the-travellers-way-1814150.html <p>Lines of cars in both directions and where the lines crossed, just outside fudgey, hoity-toity Stow-on-the-Wold was a blat of almost unimaginable ugliness, stuck on the hillside. Civilisation slapped on top of nature like a Post-It note: the travellers' horse fair, caravans and trailers horrible in the rain. It was at least as ugly as Glastonbury – a locust mess of stinks, mud, stick-men with too many teeth, blob women with none. Even as we arrived, before we'd parked the car, our hearts beat faster, a sense of danger, revellers shouting, impatience building with the traffic, the glamour of youth and glimmering thighs specked with mud. </p> Alex James Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/john-walsh/john-walsh-fleetwood-mac-survived-42-years-of-madness-sex-drugs-failure-and-success-1813588.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/john-walsh/john-walsh-fleetwood-mac-survived-42-years-of-madness-sex-drugs-failure-and-success-1813588.html <p> I went to see Fleetwood Mac at Wembley Arena and, musically speaking, it was wonderful. The strains of "If You Go Your Own Way" (which Lindsay Buckingham wrote about Stevie Nicks after their stormy relationship came to an end), the passion that Stevie Nicks put into "Sara" (the song she wrote about her best friend, for whom Mick Fleetwood left his wife after he'd ended his affair with Stevie), the tenderness of "You Make Loving Fun" (which the keyboards player Christine McVie wrote in a tribute to the lighting-rigger for whom she conceived a passion when her husband, the bassist John McVie, hit the bottle), and the final singalong of "Don't Stop" (which Christine wrote after her eight-year marriage packed up,) were inspiring indeed, although my favourite moment was Buckingham's gorgeous solo rendition of "Never Goin' Back Again" (about Stevie's breakdown, after her well-documented cocaine addiction...) </p> John Walsh Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-up-and-away-with-you-critics-1813653.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-up-and-away-with-you-critics-1813653.html <p>A few days ago I went with my wife and children to see Up, the new feature film by those brilliant animators at Pixar. As you are perhaps aware, Up has been lauded to the skies as one of the greatest achievements in animated film-making since Walt Disney doodled his first mouse. </p> Brian Viner Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/thomas-sutcliffe/tom-sutcliffe-lets-be-clear-about-what-were-eating-1813656.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/thomas-sutcliffe/tom-sutcliffe-lets-be-clear-about-what-were-eating-1813656.html <p>It hasn't really been a good few days for this Government, when it comes to the relationship between simple scientific facts and public health. Their commitment to giving the people the facts doesn't apparently extend to giving them facts that might contradict current political orthodoxies. But they do have a modest opportunity this week to show themselves to be on the side of useful scientific intelligence. Tomorrow, the House of Commons debates a 10-Minute Rule Bill put forward by the Labour MP Helen Southworth, in which she calls for a legal requirement for a uniform system of food labelling on the front of packaged food.</p> Thomas Sutcliffe Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dom-joly/dom-joly-faster-higher-longer-total-olympics-1813244.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dom-joly/dom-joly-faster-higher-longer-total-olympics-1813244.html ]]> <p>It just goes to show that you should never judge a book by the cover. There was I thinking that Andre Agassi was an uberdull, born-again Christian tennis player and that his book would be the very same. Then I find out that he's of Iranian/Assyrian (whatever that might be) descent, gives large donations to the Democratic Party and that his middle name is Kirk... this changed everything. </p> Dom Joly Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dom-joly/dom-joly-gardening-and-yoga-ndash-the-grave-is-surely-looming-1812763.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dom-joly/dom-joly-gardening-and-yoga-ndash-the-grave-is-surely-looming-1812763.html <p>Why is it that when you get older you have to start doing all the stupid things that you used to laugh at when you were younger? I've lost count of the things that I swore I'd never do that now form part of my daily routine. I now make weird disapproving noises to myself whenever I spot a chavvy-looking youth wandering past me on the pavement. When said youth turns back towards me and sticks a horrid little knife up to my face I find myself meekly handing over whatever gadget I've just bought. Buzzing from the adrenalin of this experience I drive home at over 30 miles an hour and decide to do some gardening to clear my head. </p> Dom Joly Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dylan-jones/dylan-jones-i-love-the-fright-masks-the-scary-sweets-the-useless-plastic-halloween-gifts-in-all-the-supermarkets-1810975.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dylan-jones/dylan-jones-i-love-the-fright-masks-the-scary-sweets-the-useless-plastic-halloween-gifts-in-all-the-supermarkets-1810975.html <p>Halloween has always been big in our house. Not as big as Christmas, obviously – and I probably buy into the whole commercialism of the festive season more than anyone else I know, including my children – but big enough. In fact I've always loved it, in spite of being unceremoniously ignored by our neighbours when my brother and I attempted trick-or-treating in the wilds of Suffolk when we were young, something we had picked up from the nearby US </p> Dylan Jones Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-team-spirits-from-beyond-the-grave-1812167.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-team-spirits-from-beyond-the-grave-1812167.html ]]> <p> It's not often that The Last Word falls on Halloween – roughly every seven years, in fact – so I've been racking my brains for some suitably ghoulish material. </p> Brian Viner Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/david-lister/david-lister-you-need-a-phd-for-a-night-at-the-opera-1812304.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/david-lister/david-lister-you-need-a-phd-for-a-night-at-the-opera-1812304.html <p>They're expensive and often of little use, yet they are the one part of the cultural experience that rarely provokes comment. Why can't the programmes on sale at concerts, theatres and operas be better?</p> David Lister Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/richard-ingrams/richard-ingramsrsquos-week-we-could-learn-a-thing-or-two-from-the-french-1812301.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/richard-ingrams/richard-ingramsrsquos-week-we-could-learn-a-thing-or-two-from-the-french-1812301.html <p>A schoolboy who recently joined an anti-Scientology demonstration in London had his name taken by the police when he refused to lower a placard which called Scientology a cult. Luckily the case against him was dropped after the human rights organisation Liberty intervened on his behalf.</p> Richard Ingrams Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-ive-opened-fetes-named-beers-judged-gardens-fairy-cakes-and-perry-1811080.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-ive-opened-fetes-named-beers-judged-gardens-fairy-cakes-and-perry-1811080.html <p>The voice on the telephone was frightfully well spoken. "Mr Viner?" </p> Brian Viner Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/jaci-stephen-strimmers-are-one-of-the-downsides-to-the-outdoor-lifestyle-here-1810362.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/jaci-stephen-strimmers-are-one-of-the-downsides-to-the-outdoor-lifestyle-here-1810362.html <p>Apparently, they call it Mow, Blow and Go; but to me, the US Strimming Championships taking place outside my front door can be the only explanation for why the sound of revving machinery woke me before 8am Monday morning. And Sunday. And Saturday.</p> Columnists Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/david-lister/david-lister-the-perils-of-being-friends-with-the-boss-1809964.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/david-lister/david-lister-the-perils-of-being-friends-with-the-boss-1809964.html <p>The editor on my first newspaper had a habit of standing behind you as you were writing. Eventually, unnerved by his presence, you would stop writing. "What are you doing?" he would ask, amazed. "I'm thinking," the hapless reporter would answer. "Don't think! Write!" he would bark, emphasising the point with a jab of his finger between the shoulder blades.</p> David Lister Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dom-joly/dom-joly-to-be-precise-this-is-legalised-joyriding-1809478.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dom-joly/dom-joly-to-be-precise-this-is-legalised-joyriding-1809478.html ]]> <p>I was in Cardiff for the weekend to do some filming around the World Rally Championship. Now, if I'm honest, before I went I knew very little about the world of rally. But now... well... I'm a veritable font of information. </p> Dom Joly Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dom-joly/dom-joly-the-guns-have-fallen-silent-on-the-golf-course-1808967.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dom-joly/dom-joly-the-guns-have-fallen-silent-on-the-golf-course-1808967.html <p>To Beirut golf course (le "Royal Beirut" as it's known to locals wags) for a leisurely round. I haven't played here since I was about 12 years old. This is where I swung my very first golf club. There was an Egyptian pro who gave me lessons. </p> Dom Joly Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dylan-jones/dylan-jones-provincetown-was-home-to-norman-mailer-now-its-the-most-fashionable-resort-in-north-america-1807349.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/dylan-jones/dylan-jones-provincetown-was-home-to-norman-mailer-now-its-the-most-fashionable-resort-in-north-america-1807349.html <p>Right now Provincetown might just be the most fashionable resort in the world. The former fishing village is certainly the most fashionable resort in North America. Well, at least on the East Coast. Sitting on the very tip of Cape Cod, this is where the Pilgrims first set foot on American soil (not at Plymouth, but here!) before moving inland and making a fuss elsewhere. And in many ways it probably doesn't look so different now from how it did then.</p> Dylan Jones Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-blackpool-prom-and-holloways-illuminations-1808255.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-viner/brian-viner-blackpool-prom-and-holloways-illuminations-1808255.html <p>Until May this year there was, in the public consciousness, only one man named Holloway associated with the Lancashire town of Blackpool. That was the comic actor Stanley Holloway, who in 1932 recorded Marriott Edgar's daft, delightful ode "The Lion and Albert", about "a grand little lad" called Albert Ramsbottom who was swallowed whole by Wallace, the scarred old lion at Blackpool zoo. "There's a famous seaside place called Blackpool," it begins, "that's noted for fresh air and fun."</p> Brian Viner Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/richard-ingrams/richard-ingramsrsquos-week-we-forget-our-soldiers-legal-fears-over-iraq-1808433.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/richard-ingrams/richard-ingramsrsquos-week-we-forget-our-soldiers-legal-fears-over-iraq-1808433.html <p>Having, as I do, what some may consider a perverse inclination to sympathise with anyone subjected to unanimous abuse, I have been struggling to think of something nice to say about Mr Nick Griffin.</p> Richard Ingrams Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/david-lister/david-lister-annie-get-your-politically-correct-gun-1808436.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/david-lister/david-lister-annie-get-your-politically-correct-gun-1808436.html <p> Those who like musicals will know that Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun has one of the great scores. Watching the new production of the show at the Young Vic in London with Jane Horrocks, it was good to be reminded of showstoppers such as "Anything You Can Do" and "There's No Business Like Show Business". </p> David Lister Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/thomas-sutcliffe/tom-sutcliffe-its-time-for-tough-love-at-the-tate-1807185.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/thomas-sutcliffe/tom-sutcliffe-its-time-for-tough-love-at-the-tate-1807185.html <p>I tend to think of Bullets Over Broadway when I hear about collaborative artworks, Woody Allen's 1994 comedy being a near-perfect parable of the ruthlessness necessary for high artistic achievement. In the film, a mob enforcer with only rudimentary education (he burned his school down) is given the job of looking after a gangster's moll who has been given a starring part in a Broadway play in return for a hefty investment. </p> Thomas Sutcliffe Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100