'Farage in the jungle is like putting Marmite in a trifle'
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day

Why Nigel Farage failed on 'I’m a Celebrity…'
Gareth Roberts in The Spectator
"I'm a Celebrity" is intended to be a "bubble of fun that takes place as far away as it is possible to get", says Gareth Roberts in The Spectator, so Nigel Farage was "never" going to win the jungle crown. The presence of a politician on the show is an "intrusion" comparable to "putting Marmite in a trifle". And as for winning over "doubters"? Farage was "affable, certainly, but also rather dull".
Is Britain Ready to Be Honest About Its Decline?
Matthew Brooker in Bloomberg
To reverse its "relative economic decline", Britain must tackle both "golden thinking" and "inertia", argues Matthew Brooker in Bloomberg. The UK "isn't going to reinvent itself as a manufacturing powerhouse", nor was Brexit a "golden pathway to the promised land of Global Britain". And soaring use of food banks and "15 years of zero wage growth should have been enough of a hint already that something might need to change". But "is Britain ready for the conversation?"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Royal Mail is putting the Grinch to shame
Iain Dale in The Telegraph
The "unreliable" and "too expensive" Royal Mail has "transformed itself into the Christmas Grinch", writes Iain Dale for The Telegraph. The postal service is "seeking to penalise festive cheer" by slapping a "peak surcharge" on mail sent over the Christmas period, which will only "discourage more letter sending". With its reputation "shot to pieces", Royal Mail is "losing friends fast", but "it really needn't be this way".
Don't dodge Wham! this Christmas … just lean in
Sathnam Sanghera in The Times
"Last Christmas" by Wham! is the "perfect festive tune", says Sathnam Sanghera in The Times. So he "cannot condone" the "increasingly popular" annual social media game #Whamageddon, in which players compete to "go as long as possible through the festive period without hearing the song". No cover version has "got close" to the "perfection" of George Michael's vocal performance. The then 21-year-old also wrote, produced and played every instrument on the track, and that he died on Christmas Day 2016 "gives it added poignancy".
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What happened to Air India Flight 171?
Today's Big Question Preliminary report reveals 'fundamental reason' why jet crashed, but questions remain about whether it was 'deliberate, accidental or if a technical fault was responsible'
-
Why the world's busiest shipping routes are under threat
The Explainer Political tensions, mega ships and global warming offer new challenges – and opportunities
-
Bangkok: the new 'international capital of fine dining'
The Week Recommends Six Bangkok restaurants rank among the world's best
-
'Trump's authoritarian manipulation of language'
Instant Opinion Vienna has become a 'convenient target for populists' | Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
'Alaska has the resources, but America needs the will'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
'The risk to educational media for children has seemingly been lost'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
'The way AI is discussed makes it seem like this is a necessary outcome'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
'It's America that refuses to listen and learn'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
'We know these services are needed'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
'There are compelling arguments for and against homework'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
'Trucking is a dangerous business'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day