A Point of View

Clive James reflects on the revelation of the identity of Belle de Jour, the author of The Diary of a London Call Girl.

Clive James celebrates the honouring of Battle of Britain commander Sir Keith Park with a temporary statue on Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth.

Clive James reflects on the seductive allure of illegal narcotics, and lays the blame for their attractions at the door of Samuel Taylor Coleridge and his trip to Xanadu.

Clive James reflects on the postal workers' dispute and gives his personal view of the modern history of labour relations.

Clive James reflects on the importance of scepticism in every walk of life, and he criticises extreme reactions to those who are sceptical about man-made global warming.

Clive James observes that while democracy is the right system for governing a country, it's the wrong system for choosing a professor of poetry.

A weekly reflection on a topical issue from Clive James.

Clive James reflects on democracy, MPs' expenses and the furore over the Oxford Poetry Professorship.

Clive James wonders what it says about the British attitude to poetry that we have the institution of the Poet Laureateship.

Loft extensions are for ordinary citizens. When the property market gets tough, the wealthy dig down to create the ultimate den, says Clive James – but he thinks it’s a worrying sign that rich people living in London are developing a bunker mentality.