Silent spring?
Spring has sprung in all its glory — but DAVE BANGS is disturbed by the absence of a crucial sound
The welcome news that Cuba has finally been removed from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list is tempered by the fact that Donald Trump, the man who put it there, is returning to the White House, warns NATASHA HICKMAN
Thanks to impressive progress in Britain with wind and solar generation, clean electricity now costs a fraction of the price of gas — yet the current system keeps bills artificially high to protect fossil fuels, writes TOM HARDY
By spreading race-based conspiracy theories, the billionaire tycoon turned right-wing provocateur has been seriously undermining the case against those who really did let victims of the grooming gangs down, writes SOLOMON HUGHES
Many Western countries are grappling with deep political instability. What are the causes of this, and what could be a possible way forward? asks MARC VANDEPITTE
KEITH BENNETT explains why, despite its present meagre economic outcomes, an honest and fruitful partnership with China is worth pursuing
Nick Wright talks to photographer and author JANINA STRUK
I HAD planned a more sharply political topic for these notes, but spring has arrived full-on. It demands attention. If you’ve any free time, then let it demand yours.
The oaks are in golden-green leaf. The bluebells are a hyacinth-scented carpet of blue-purple. Small lanes and woodland rides are a garden of colour. Cuckoo flower, stitchwort, wood spurge, bugle, fading primroses.
Only one thing spoils it. It’s full of odd silences. Odd absences of hoped-for sound.
More from this author
From John Clare country to ancient fenland, Ed Miliband’s solar farm approvals risk industrialising precious rural spaces — we must find greener solutions that don’t sacrifice our countryside’s beauty, writes DAVE BANGS
Decades of right to buy have eroded the social balance of our countryside — and now holiday lets and second home owners from the cities are compounding the crisis, writes DAVE BANGS
These twin Sussex co-ops selling their produce directly to locals offers a glimpse of a future of sustainable, democratised food production – all in harmony with nature, says DAVE BANGS
Similar stories
Gangs, flat champagne, nightmare island and completely cuckoo: the Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews new releases Cadejo Blanco, Widow Clicquot, Blink Twice and Cuckoo
From John Clare country to ancient fenland, Ed Miliband’s solar farm approvals risk industrialising precious rural spaces — we must find greener solutions that don’t sacrifice our countryside’s beauty, writes DAVE BANGS
by Jemima Foxtrot
DAVE BANGS catches up with some loveable feathered friends