STEPHEN ARNELL sees parallels between the US tech billionaire and HG Wells’s literary creation

David Lynch’s classic 1980 film The Elephant Man has some cruel parallels with Britain in 2025, argues STEPHEN ARNELL

Between Musk’s bizarre British power grab and Trump’s overtly corporate agenda, modern robber barons face a growing backlash — and history shows how determined leaders can tame ultra-rich excess, writes STEPHEN ARNELL

There is no denying Thomas Cromwell's positive and progressive impact on English politics, argues STEPHEN ARNELL

From Raab to Rees-Mogg, STEPHEN ARNELL observes how modern Conservatives yearn for the return of the brutal institutions where the poor were imprisoned and punished for their plight

How the BBC’s SAS: Rogue Heroes is pure public schoolboy fantasy – STEPHEN ARNELL examines the real founder of the Special Air Service, aristocrat Archibald David Stirling

STEPHEN ARNELL remembers 32 years ago when a spooky hoax by Auntie Beeb went a step too far

Boris Johnson’s poorly written memoir confirms his reputation as a prolific liar and deluded fantasist — bringing to mind striking parallels with George IV, from narcissism to womanising, observes STEPHEN ARNELL

Auntie’s offices are still packed to the rafters with private school-educated appointees, says STEPHEN ARNELL

STEPHEN ARNELL hails the comeback of RAR for the 21st century in the form of Love Music Hate Racism

From Lee Anderson's sad parliamentary antics to Tommy Robinson's lager-soaked rallies, STEPHEN ARNELL skewers the hollow bravado of Britain's resurgent right and looks at how mass mobilisation can counter its influence

As the Conservative Party struggles to find its next leader, STEPHEN ARNELL offers a sardonic tour through the rogues’ gallery of contenders and their less-than-inspiring qualifications

With Meet the Rees-Moggs soon playing on Discovery+, STEPHEN ARNELL considers what kind of shows his fellow defenestrated MPs might best star in

There are strange similarities between the ancient emperors and today’s departing Tories, writes STEPHEN ARNELL

Francis Ford Coppola’s latest film centred on a ‘New Rome’ gets STEPHEN ARNELL wondering about the similarities between lame-duck PM Sunak and one of the last Roman emperors, Honorius

Guy Ritchie's latest Netflix series delves into the world of bent aristocrats, revealing the dark underbelly beneath their veneer of privilege. Here STEPHEN ARNELL takes a look at some of the real British toffs who engaged in criminal activity

As the currently whipless Tory MP Lee Anderson ponders whether to jump ship and pledge allegiance to the xenophobic upstart party Reform UK, STEPHEN ARNELL looks at a Blackshirted parallel from 93 years ago

Our home-grown quislings in the Tory scene are already scrambling to kiss The Donald's ring. A dreadful sight — but spare a thought for those actually in the US, and the potential for outright civil war, writes STEPHEN ARNELL

After the Horizon Post Office affair, STEPHEN ARNELL looks at Tory (and other) disasters worthy of being dramatised for the small screen

STEPHEN ARNELL looks to 2024, which will see 190 years since the Tolpuddle Martyrs and 200 years after the passing of the 1824 Vagrancy Act

STEPHEN ARNELL looks at the historical practice of erasing the memory of reviled political leaders from ancient Rome to modern Westminster

It’s not rare to think politicians are full of it — but must we accept them making seas and rivers full of it too, asks STEPHEN ARNELL

STEPHEN ARNELL argues one side of the political spectrum is pushing British discourse towards the gutter

Today marks 184 years since the greatest armed rebellion in 19th-century Britain when Chartist workers fought bloody gun battles with the police and army in the heart of industrial Wales, writes STEPHEN ARNELL