Marie Le Conte
01 June 2026
Should we relax about phone use at the cinema?
Rosamund Pike was right to call out a texting theatregoer. But is a new approach needed?
Read the full article29 May 2026
The NHS has let women down. Now, social media is taking advantage
Online spaces are being colonised by those hoping to profit from the lack of information and help available in women’s healthcare
Read the full article27 May 2026
I thought my teenage years would last for ever. Then they were deleted
There are good reasons for some old websites to expire, but huge amounts of personal history go with them
Read the full article20 May 2026
There is no more room for failures. Andy Burnham, you’ve been warned
A prime minister cannot trample over parliament. It doesn’t work that way and the ones who try it invariably go down in flames. Whoever follows Starmer into No 10 should keep that in mind
Read the full article20 May 2026
I boycotted Eurovision.. now the World Cup is next
I love football, and I love big international tournaments – but it will be impossible to watch Donald Trump’s tournament and enjoy it
Read the full article12 May 2026
Britain needs a prime minister in the real world. That’s not Keir Starmer
As a leader, Starmer was meant to be rigorous. But he turned out to be just as flimsy as his predecessors
Read the full article08 May 2026
How Rosalía put on the best show of the year
Her blend of pop, opera, goth, techno and Catholicism, performed in over a dozen languages, requires a huge effort of will to hold it all together. She was more than up to the task
Read the full article04 May 2026
Smartphones have become just too good
There was a sweet spot back in the 2010s when they were good, but not so good that they overwhelmed your entire life. Until recently, I had a phone like that. And then I got an upgrade. Big mistake
Read the full article01 May 2026
It’s official: AI hates women
A UN report shows that women are increasingly targeted by sophisticated forms of violence online. For us, the golden days of the internet are long gone
Read the full article01 May 2026
Is it me, or is there nothing to watch anymore?
I’ve got four rules before I commit to a series or movie - and everything Netflix or Disney puts out seems to fail
Read the full article24 April 2026
The state should subsidise creatives – it works in Ireland, and kept me going in lockdown
The Irish gave 2,000 artists £283 a week, and more than recouped the cost of the scheme. Why not try it here?
Read the full article23 April 2026
When politicians talk about tasering and deporting their opponents, it’s no joke
Shabana Mahmood’s quip wasn’t funny. The danger is the signal it sends to Britain’s extremists – that if the home secretary can say things like that, anyone can
Read the full article17 April 2026
Can you talk seriously about sex? No stupid jokes, no laughing. Can you?
One MP is giving it a go, and the results have been wearyingly predictable. But the internet means the way people learn about sex has changed forever. Sex education must change with it
Read the full article13 April 2026
Orbán’s defeat: The beginning of the end of populism
He spent over a decade tearing up the rules of Hungarian politics and society, and became a model for the new authoritarian global right. And now he’s out, the country is overwhelmed with joy
Read the full article08 April 2026
Hungary dares to dream – but Orbán has a trick up his sleeve
The populist PM looks increasingly desperate, yet even a narrow loss in Sunday’s election would see his grip on the country’s institutions continue
Read the full article07 April 2026
This revelation about the tradwife movement made me want to blow up social media
Surprise! The men who want women to be submissive and domestic aren’t really motivated by protection or tradition – but by hostile sexism
Read the full article03 April 2026
The most contradictory identity in America
The Iranian Jews of New York City arrived in the 1970s and now face a war in which three places they could call home are all involved. If the Islamic regime falls, that raises a tough question: would they ever go back?
Read the full article01 April 2026
For the love of God, stop taking your Zoom meetings in cafes
I popped in to get some admin done, and found a man loudly trying to pitch an AI-based start-up to some investors. It was unbearable
Read the full article01 April 2026
Loana Petrucciani, the French Britney Spears
A French reality TV star gained national attention by outraging the viewing public. What followed was tragedy
Read the full article25 March 2026
France can breathe a sigh of relief – for now
The bar recent French elections was low. Still, France managed to lumber over it
Read the full article23 March 2026
I’m flying to America – but is it still there?
I used to feel joy at the prospect of visiting the US. But now it feels like entering hostile territory. Wish me luck at passport control
Read the full article19 March 2026
The man bringing full-blown extremism back to the Tory party
Nick Timothy’s recent comments on Muslims have been so inflammatory they’ve done the unthinkable – they’ve drawn a unified, strong response from the Labour government
Read the full article19 March 2026
Hey everyone: don’t forget about the real world!
It’s very easy to get drawn into a life shaped entirely by the ogres who control the algorithms of social media. But that’s the route to populism. Why not go outside, and see what’s going on in the trees?
Read the full article18 March 2026
If you have kids but can’t be arsed to speak to them, what’s the point?
It’s depressing to see tiny children glued to screens and worrying to think what this total absorption in tech will do to their young minds. Are we raising a generation of screen-addicted zombies?
Read the full article11 March 2026
Brits living in Dubai – sorry, but you’re awful
If your priorities in life are heat and paying no tax, and if you choose to ignore harsh, dubious rules, especially for women, then don’t be surprised if most of us back in the old country regard you as a soulless, smug twat
Read the full article05 March 2026
This is the last chance for the French left
They are the only political force that can keep the extreme right wingers out of power in France. And so, of course, they have just fallen out
Read the full article04 March 2026
The problem that will never be solved
People with mental health issues can go to therapy, can seek help and learn to manage their conditions. But it’s important to remember that sometimes there is no happy ending
Read the full article04 March 2026
That friend you’ve not seen for ages? Give them a call
There’s a natural rhythm to relationships when you’re young that mean you can embrace someone without ever really meaning to
Read the full article25 February 2026
The Outsiders Arts Club
Do you secretly know very little about art? Are you interested in good stuff that doesn’t need a mortgage to buy it? Then this is the place for you
Read the full article25 February 2026
The one thing I will never understand about Britain – class
This September, I will have lived in the UK for longer than I lived in France. And yet the defining characteristic of British society still remains, to me, a total mystery
Read the full article14 February 2026
London is unaffordable – even for an optimist like me
My rent is about to jump by well over 10% and I’m not alone in my struggle. Why aren’t alarm bells ringing for the government?
Read the full article11 February 2026
A cure for political extremism
Smoking and drinking might be bad for the health, but sitting around with people who see the world differently can have profoundly beneficial effects
Read the full article