I backed same-sex weddings in New York for the sake of democracy. British lawmakers should tooAcross Europe and the US support for same-sex marriage is growing, and for a simple reason: it is consistent with democracy’s promise of equal rights for all …
Will we ever really know why people turn to terrorism? | Peter Beaumont
We need to ask what leads a person to rationalise an act of murder and see themselves as above the lawThe first suicide bombing I covered took place 11 years ago on Jerusalem’s Jaffa Street. My strongest memory remains not the sight of blood or the sme…
Online child abuse: perpetrators and voyeurs must both feel the full force of law | Observer editorial
Those who choose to view disgusting images are as guilty as the abusersMark Bridger, the killer of April Jones, was a consumer of unspeakably vile material on the internet that depicted horrific abuse of children. Britain’s child protection and obsceni…
Lobbying: should MPs be banned from taking outside earnings? | Poll
One MP has resigned his party’s whip and others are being drawn into a lobbying scandal following attempts by journalists to get them to accept cash for parliamentary activities. Could the problem be solved by banning all outside earnings? &…
Britain can no longer afford to bankroll the rich | Nick Cohen
Not only is the ever-growing wealth of the super-rich not trickling down, it is creating ever-growing instability in a future not worth havingA generation of “opinion formers” has assured us that the rich are none of our business. If others become extr…
Our satisfaction with rubbish trains means free beer money for rail execs | David Mitchell
News that Network Rail executives are to receive bonuses, despite missing several modest targets, reveals the incompetence the British public can be persuaded to think they’re happy withSir David Higgins is a lucky man. He’s the chief executive of Netw…
Think brain scans can reveal our innermost thoughts? Think again | Raymond Tallis
Increasing claims for neuroscience – that it can locate jealousy or Muslim fundamentalism – are ludicrousThe grip of neuroscience on the academic and popular imagination is extraordinary. In recent decades, brain scientists have burst out of the la…
A&E crisis: ‘It’s stressful and wrong to cancel surgery on the day’ | Norman Williams
It is vital that access to surgery must be provided when it benefits patients most, says the president of the Royal College of SurgeonsRecord numbers of NHS elective operations are being cancelled for non-clinical reasons. Any form of surgery is an imp…
Why do we have to trawl for the facts about Britain and the EU? | Will Hutton
With fishing policy, as with Italy’s attempt to ban plastic bags, our government is terrified of appearing to allow the EU to undermine British ‘interests’For years, campaigners have been fighting against industrial fishing in European waters and last …
David Cameron – give the guy a break | Victoria Coren
The PM was right to go away. What could he have done to lessen the horror of Woolwich?Success for the prime minister, as his holiday shoes are applauded in the tabloid press!After last year’s controversial “black brogue incident” in Mallorca, Mr Camero…