Section

Politics

Political commentary drawn from fifty years at the centre of British political life. Current events, historical argument, and the long view.

· 8 min

'The whole world's in a terrible state of chassis.'

The Elephant in the Bed

From the Great War to Gaza, from Kaiser Bill to President Trump: the chassis has never stopped rattling. Bruce Anderson surveys a world in disorder and asks whether anyone is coming to set it right.

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Politics
1,390 words
6 Apr 2026
· 7 min

Toryism is hard work.

Hard Pounding

Without a teleology to sustain them, Conservatives are condemned to a Promethean struggle — ensuring that good keeps its nose ahead of evil, world without end. Burke, Hobbes, Oakeshott: the philosophy the party needs.

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Politics
1,295 words
29 Mar 2026