It's hard to think that a few days ago the national obsession revolved around the Gorton and Denton by-election and the arrest of Peter Mandelson. In essence, it was the usual mixture of parliamentary arithmetic and political theatre that felt shocking enough then, but mild considering what we are being confronted with today.
As we digest the sight of America and Israel attacking Iran, the mood has darkened and the temperature of world affairs has risen several degrees ever since. Guy Walters captures the mood in this brilliant essay: The world has turned into a real-life House of Dynamite – has WWIII already started?
Meanwhile, thousands of British people – tourists and non-doms – are still trapped in the UAE. Helen Kirwan-Taylor reckons over 20 per cent of her friendship group moved for tax purposes, but as war rages around them they are now realising what is important. As they scramble private jets, they are desperate to come home – if only they knew where that was.
And Alan Rusbridger takes a look at Trump's habit of picking up the phone to his favourite reporters. He asks: Has the right-wing British press become Trump's trumpet?
If you are finding this all as exhausting as it is frightening, I would urge you to read Kate Steele's fantastic essay on how she found romantic fiction as a balm for the soul. With Emerald Fennell's adaptation of Emily Brontë's windswept classic breaking box-office records and A Woman of Substance about to hit our screens, she explains how these tales of the human heart are essential in dark times – and deeper than you might think.
Of course, this genre is not taken seriously because it is often dismissed as 'silly' women's fiction, a view which carries more than a hint of misogyny. And we wouldn't want that on International Women's Day, would we? In the spirit of examining how much work is still to be done when it comes to equal rights, Chris Blackhurst takes a closer look at Rachel Reeves's claims that there are now more women on boards of the country's biggest companies. The trouble is, there are still precious few in charge – and that has got to change.
I mean, if women were in charge, would we be facing the strongman war we are witnessing today? It's a bold claim to make, but it feels more relevant by the day. However, even with a woman at the top of the Home Office, five years on from the shocking murder of Sarah Everard many women still don't feel safe. Olivia Petter explains why here.
It was also the Home Office that withdrew study visas for Afghan students. Did Shabana Mahmood think about how this could affect the girls in Kabul and their one chance to escape the Taliban? No, she did not, writes Shabnam Nasimi, who tells the story of her 18-year-old cousin who, after resisting a forced marriage and studying in secret, was offered a university place at York and Reading – one she can no longer take up.
It's a brilliant read – and more urgent than ever on International Women's Day, when it feels the world is spinning backwards in so many ways.
And before you accuse me of having a downer on men, I point you to Chloe Combi's excellent article on the boys taking back control of the manosphere. There's a whole generation rejecting the Andrew Tate hype, our future is in their hands. Hurrah.
Until next weekend!
Victoria Harper
Executive Editor
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