The grandly-named Purpose of Life (PoL) is a charity based in . Its purposes, as approved by the Charity Commission, are “to help young people of all races and backgrounds while being particularly sensitive to the needs of ethnic minority communities”, especially through education and the relief of poverty. Nothing in its listing on the Charity Commission’s website indicates that it is a Muslim organisation. Indeed, PoL states on its own website: “We are all one family, irrespective of race, religion, colour etc.”This week, PoL’s founder and CEO, Mohammad Sajad Hussain, published on Twitter...…The grandly-named Purpose of Life (PoL) is a charity based in . Its purposes, as approved by the Charity Commission, are “to help young people of all races and backgrounds while being particularly sensitive to the needs of ethnic minority communities”, especially through education and the relief of poverty. Nothing in its listing on the Charity Commission’s website indicates that it is a Muslim organisation. Indeed, PoL states on its own website: “We are all one family, irrespective of race, religion, colour etc.”This week, PoL’s founder and CEO, Mohammad Sajad Hussain, published on Twitter...WW…

Britain wants “no new Cold War on China”, said Boris Johnson on Tuesday. He was launching the Government’s Integrated Review of Britain’s defence and security. On Thursday, in Anchorage, Alaska, the first top-level meeting took place between Joe Biden’s new administration and the Chinese government. Each side insulted the other, the Chinese negotiator turning his allotted two minutes into a 15-minute diatribe. I checked the temperature in Anchorage on my mobile phone. “Minus 8C,” it said, “feels like minus 16C.” Feels pretty much like a Cold War to me.Criticising people for wanting a Cold...…Britain wants “no new Cold War on China”, said Boris Johnson on Tuesday. He was launching the Government’s Integrated Review of Britain’s defence and security. On Thursday, in Anchorage, Alaska, the first top-level meeting took place between Joe Biden’s new administration and the Chinese government. Each side insulted the other, the Chinese negotiator turning his allotted two minutes into a 15-minute diatribe. I checked the temperature in Anchorage on my mobile phone. “Minus 8C,” it said, “feels like minus 16C.” Feels pretty much like a Cold War to me.Criticising people for wanting a Cold...WW…

The subject of today’s column furnishes so many examples that I am spoilt for choice. I think I’ll start with Winston Churchill, because everyone has heard of him.On Thursday, . Its speakers condemned him. Kehinde Andrews, professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, said Churchill was the “perfect embodiment of white supremacy”. “The British Empire was far worse than the Nazis”, he added. No one defended Churchill. The conference was held at Churchill College, Cambridge, at that college’s instigation. The college was founded in 1964, with the great man’s blessing. It is also...…The subject of today’s column furnishes so many examples that I am spoilt for choice. I think I’ll start with Winston Churchill, because everyone has heard of him.On Thursday, . Its speakers condemned him. Kehinde Andrews, professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, said Churchill was the “perfect embodiment of white supremacy”. “The British Empire was far worse than the Nazis”, he added. No one defended Churchill. The conference was held at Churchill College, Cambridge, at that college’s instigation. The college was founded in 1964, with the great man’s blessing. It is also...WW…

A year ago next Wednesday, the Chinese authorities finally admitted that the Covid-19 virus found in Wuhan was capable of human-to human transmission. They knew earlier, probably before the end of the previous year. By withholding this knowledge from the world, they gave the disease a head start. Globally, well over 90 million people have been infected. More than two million have died.It is possible, too, that the virus did not originate in the famous wet market. This was implied by the findings of a scientific paper by Birger Sorensen and Angus Dalgleish last summer. A recent long,...…A year ago next Wednesday, the Chinese authorities finally admitted that the Covid-19 virus found in Wuhan was capable of human-to human transmission. They knew earlier, probably before the end of the previous year. By withholding this knowledge from the world, they gave the disease a head start. Globally, well over 90 million people have been infected. More than two million have died.It is possible, too, that the virus did not originate in the famous wet market. This was implied by the findings of a scientific paper by Birger Sorensen and Angus Dalgleish last summer. A recent long,...WW…

Thirty years ago today, Margaret Thatcher left Downing Street for the last time as prime minister. On the doorstep, she said she was “very happy that we leave the United Kingdom in a very, very much better state than when we came here 11 and a half years ago”.It seems a good moment to reflect on how the practice of leadership has changed since then.Mrs Thatcher had come to power in 1979 partly because people felt the country lacked leadership. The famous question the Conservatives, under Ted Heath, had put to voters in the general election of February 1974 was: “Who governs Britain?” The...…Thirty years ago today, Margaret Thatcher left Downing Street for the last time as prime minister. On the doorstep, she said she was “very happy that we leave the United Kingdom in a very, very much better state than when we came here 11 and a half years ago”.It seems a good moment to reflect on how the practice of leadership has changed since then.Mrs Thatcher had come to power in 1979 partly because people felt the country lacked leadership. The famous question the Conservatives, under Ted Heath, had put to voters in the general election of February 1974 was: “Who governs Britain?” The...WW…

This week, Boris Johnson promised a  and an end to new petrol cars by 2030. He is not the first. In the Labour manifesto at the last election, on which his party went crashing to defeat, Jeremy Corbyn promised a “Green Industrial Revolution” and an end to new petrol cars by 2030.In current mainstream politics, everyone is Green, with the Left setting the pace. The only competition is to be Greener than thou. Obviously, this is a better situation than if all parties agreed they couldn’t care less about the future of the planet, but not as much of an improvement as you might imagine. The...…This week, Boris Johnson promised a  and an end to new petrol cars by 2030. He is not the first. In the Labour manifesto at the last election, on which his party went crashing to defeat, Jeremy Corbyn promised a “Green Industrial Revolution” and an end to new petrol cars by 2030.In current mainstream politics, everyone is Green, with the Left setting the pace. The only competition is to be Greener than thou. Obviously, this is a better situation than if all parties agreed they couldn’t care less about the future of the planet, but not as much of an improvement as you might imagine. The...WW…

As I write, . If so, he will duly be elected the next President of the United States of America when the Electoral College meets next month. But note a certain tentativeness. Here in Britain, most of our media, following – as usual – the lead of the main US TV networks expressed outrage at President Trump’s claim that the election was being stolen by Democrat voting fraud.Yesterday morning, BBC reporters spoke of Mr Trump’s “false claims”, as if they knew them to be so. How could they? The claims concerned details about voting and vote-counting practices in several states: no reporter could...…As I write, . If so, he will duly be elected the next President of the United States of America when the Electoral College meets next month. But note a certain tentativeness. Here in Britain, most of our media, following – as usual – the lead of the main US TV networks expressed outrage at President Trump’s claim that the election was being stolen by Democrat voting fraud.Yesterday morning, BBC reporters spoke of Mr Trump’s “false claims”, as if they knew them to be so. How could they? The claims concerned details about voting and vote-counting practices in several states: no reporter could...WW…

The late Denis Thatcher was once at a stiff official dinner in 10 Downing Street, seated next to the wife of the President of Finland. Speaking through an interpreter, he asked her abruptly, “What do the Finns think of the Chinese?” Slightly bewildered, she replied, “Well, in Finland we live next to the Russians. We don’t think much about the Chinese.” “Well, it’s about time you did,” said Mr Thatcher, “because there are more than a billion of the buggers.”I often think of Denis’s prophetic words. Since he delivered them more than 30 years ago, the number of Chinese citizens he so roundly...…The late Denis Thatcher was once at a stiff official dinner in 10 Downing Street, seated next to the wife of the President of Finland. Speaking through an interpreter, he asked her abruptly, “What do the Finns think of the Chinese?” Slightly bewildered, she replied, “Well, in Finland we live next to the Russians. We don’t think much about the Chinese.” “Well, it’s about time you did,” said Mr Thatcher, “because there are more than a billion of the buggers.”I often think of Denis’s prophetic words. Since he delivered them more than 30 years ago, the number of Chinese citizens he so roundly...WW…

Before the , was much criticised for drafting two columns for this paper – one advocating Remain, the other, Leave. How cynical, people complained – almost like tossing a coin.Yet even people with strong beliefs should look before they leap from their general principles to making a particular practical choice. Margaret Thatcher famously claimed to act out of conviction, but one of her favourite sayings was “Time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted”. You need to calculate whether your action will achieve the outcome you wish for.I am thinking about this because of the choice the American...…Before the , was much criticised for drafting two columns for this paper – one advocating Remain, the other, Leave. How cynical, people complained – almost like tossing a coin.Yet even people with strong beliefs should look before they leap from their general principles to making a particular practical choice. Margaret Thatcher famously claimed to act out of conviction, but one of her favourite sayings was “Time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted”. You need to calculate whether your action will achieve the outcome you wish for.I am thinking about this because of the choice the American...WW…

When I was a boy in the 1960s, very old people used to talk about the joys of travel before the First World War. You could go from London to St Petersburg without a passport, they recalled. One could understand their nostalgia. Even in the peaceful Sixties, and even when a traveller was entering allied countries, the formalities of entry were tedious (often including strict currency controls). As for the hostile countries of the Communist bloc, entering and moving round them was such a struggle that most people avoided that half of Europe altogether.With the end of the Cold War, and the EEC...…When I was a boy in the 1960s, very old people used to talk about the joys of travel before the First World War. You could go from London to St Petersburg without a passport, they recalled. One could understand their nostalgia. Even in the peaceful Sixties, and even when a traveller was entering allied countries, the formalities of entry were tedious (often including strict currency controls). As for the hostile countries of the Communist bloc, entering and moving round them was such a struggle that most people avoided that half of Europe altogether.With the end of the Cold War, and the EEC...WW…