Edited by Peter Franklin

Heresy of the week: Our politicians will respond strongly to the Paris massacre, but not to protect free speech

The cultivation of hyper-sensitivity is now spreading from the post-modern left to the rest of the political spectrum

The NHS policies of the two main parties: essentially the same

The people working on the NHS frontline might not be perfect, but they are in a better position to know what’s what than ministers and officials.

Open-plan offices and the conspiracy against silence

It’s as if those who rule us can’t bear to hear their own thoughts

The two women fighting over the future of Europe

Angela Merkel versus Marine Le Pen.

Why Ian Birrell is almost right about a possible Lab-Con ‘coalition’

If Labour comes first and Ed Miliband becomes Prime Minister, then something approaching Birrell’s scenario could unfold