For all its terrible faults, in one sense America is still the last, best hope of mankind, because it spells out so vividly the kind of happiness that most people actually want, regardless of what they are told they ought to want.

If life was what you made of it, then it could not be made for you.

A majority in all parties do, I think, want to see local government recover its old vigour and independence.

America slept because most Americans preferred it that way.

All the research shows that being married, with all its ups and downs, is by far the most effective way of making young men law-abiding and giving them a sense of purpose and self-worth.

In real terms, there is a greater disparity of earnings between the very rich and the very poor.

It's true that I'm taking a break from writing a regular column to do other things but it's got nothing to do with what dear Simon has or has not written.