Why railway ticket offices are here to stay
Ross Clark for The Spectator
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The Times view on the Covid inquiry: Best Disinfectant
The Times editorial board
"Monday’s hearing of the Covid-19 inquiry cannot have been easy viewing for Boris Johnson," says The Times leader as the former PM has a "keen sense of history and his place in it". Unfortunately for Johnson, the evidence produced so far in the official investigation "suggests that a favourable write-up in future histories" of his performance during the pandemic "appears increasingly remote".
Labour calling for a ceasefire would achieve nothing. So why should it tear itself apart over this?
Polly Toynbee for The Guardian
For Keir Starmer, calling for a "ceasefire" in the Israel-Hamas war "would have been his easier option", says Polly Toynbee in The Guardian. But as someone who expects to be prime minister next year, "breaking ranks with all Britain's allies would be frivolous for the brief gain of posturing for something unachievable". Indeed, Toynbee says, "most Britons want the UK to take a mediator's neutrality" over the conflict.
The one where Chandler Bing's impenetrable job defined a generation
Emma Jacobs for the Financial Times
"The aspirations and frustrations of the white-collar worker have been depicted by great fictional characters in novels and on the screen," says Emma Jacobs in The Financial Times. But to that "pantheon of office drones must surely be added Friends’ sardonic Chandler Bing". Compared to the other characters, Chandler's office-worker profession "seemed void of purpose", yet he approached it with a "stoicism" that "more broadly reflects Gen X's tacit acceptance of their lot".
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Film reviews: ‘Send Help’ and ‘Private Life’Feature An office doormat is stranded alone with her awful boss and a frazzled therapist turns amateur murder investigator
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Movies to watch in Februarythe week recommends Time travelers, multiverse hoppers and an Iraqi parable highlight this month’s offerings during the depths of winter
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ICE’s facial scanning is the tip of the surveillance icebergIN THE SPOTLIGHT Federal troops are increasingly turning to high-tech tracking tools that push the boundaries of personal privacy
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‘My donation felt like a rejection of the day’s politics’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
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‘The sport is still run on a shoestring’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
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Will Peter Mandelson and Andrew testify to US Congress?Today's Big Question Could political pressure overcome legal obstacles and force either man to give evidence over their relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?
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Reforming the House of LordsThe Explainer Keir Starmer’s government regards reform of the House of Lords as ‘long overdue and essential’
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‘Something close to a universal rallying cry’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
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‘Implementing strengthened provisions help advance aviation safety’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
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‘No one is exempt from responsibility, and especially not elite sport circuits’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
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How long can Keir Starmer last as Labour leader?Today's Big Question Pathway to a coup ‘still unclear’ even as potential challengers begin manoeuvring into position
