By: Eliot Wilson

Eliot Wilson is a writer, commentator and contributing editor at Defence On The Brink. He was formerly a clerk in the House of Commons and writes regularly on politics, defence and international security, and Parliament and the constitution, including for The Spectator, The Hill, The i Paper and CapX

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Gentlemen do wear plaid: How to sport the tartan

September 2, 2021

I spent the bank holiday weekend in Glasgow. I hadn’t visited the former second city of the Empire for a couple of years, but from its suburbs spring my roots and I always feel a degree of comfort—admixed with wonder and bewilderment, it is true—when I step into the throngs on Buchanan Street or Argyle [...]
What does Extinction Rebellion actually want?

August 31, 2021

Last week was a busy one for climate activists Extinction Rebellion. A series of non-violent but obstructionist protests saw them block first Seven Dials then Oxford Circus with a giant table representing an offer to “come to the table” to discuss fossil fuels. They also had chairs, as if the symbology were not heavy-handed enough, [...]
City Pages Review: Twitter fame, the meaning of life and abortion rights

August 26, 2021

Since the curtains came down on 2019, many of us have spent more time inside our homes than we had ever imagined. The pandemic has thrown up political and social change rarely seen in peacetime, but living through and talking about Covid has consumed incredible amounts of oxygen, often to the exclusion of other worthy [...]
Leaders are entitled to holidays but Dominic Raab’s Crete vacation was a dereliction of duty

August 23, 2021

Last week Foreign Secreatry, Dominic Raab was harangued from all sides because he was on holiday and either uncontactable or unwilling to disrupt his respite to make a telephone call to a minister in Kabul. The question of whether or not a conversation between Raab and his Afghan counterpart, Mohammad Hanif Atmar would have made [...]
It’s wedding season on steroids: Here’s how to dress properly

August 19, 2021

I’m at an age where most of my friends who are so inclined have already married. However, throw in a partner a decade younger and some pals who have made mid-stream horse changes, and I do still get invited to weddings. This year is special, of course. The pandemic and its attendant lockdown acted as [...]
The fall of Afghanistan: Western governments got bored and Taliban rule has been resurrected

August 16, 2021

We are watching a strategic and humanitarian calamity unfold. We are watching it live on TV and social media and yet, despite its immediacy, despite information from the scene of unparalleled detail and accuracy, we are doing nothing. Nothing except, perhaps, trying to evacuate the last few thousand of our troops who are still in [...]
Why you should break out the tweed for the Glorious Twelfth

August 10, 2021

In Britain, 12 August – AKA the Glorious Twelfth – is the first day of the season for red grouse. This is not just tradition but law: read the Game Act 1831 for further details. It is a day of great excitement and activity on our vast grouse moors, so big they account for nearly [...]
Rolling out the welcome map for tourists will pay off for London

August 9, 2021

Anyone who has lived in London for more than a few months will have a jaundiced view of tourists. They crowd the pavements and the Tube, they form great queues outside museums and galleries, they book out restaurants and they seem to have a preternatural ability to wander aimlessly in a way which is maximally [...]
Afternoon tea in style: A short guide

August 5, 2021

For the British, “tea” is an absurdly complex word. It is laden with meaning and nuance, and how you deploy it will, in certain circles, say more about you than you might like. Most obviously, it is, supposedly, our national drink. I can’t abide tea at any price, but steeped leaves from China, India and [...]
Nigel Farage has lost his way as voice for the silent majority

August 2, 2021

There are some basic rules of public relations which are familiar to anyone with, well, the world. There are some groups which it is folly to challenge, no matter how well argued you think your case is. Nurses, children’s hospitals, veterinarians, cancer researchers: all are best given a wide berth if you’re feeling pugilistic, as [...]

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By: Eliot Wilson

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