4 d. ago In a world full of wedgies, are you a wedger like Trump, or a wedgee like me? | Adrian Chiles

There are two sorts of people – those who pull others’ underwear, and those who have their underwear pulled. And we’d never have known it without the Lib Dems’ Ed DaveySir Ed Davey has made more than one significant contribution to the tone of political discourse over the past year. Obviously, there’s all the surfing, rollercoasting, bungee jumping and so on. There’s also his use of the word “wedgie” in relation to trade tariffs. That’s some trick to pull off. Respect. Here’s what he said earlier this month: “Despite backing the US in every major conflict this century – and offering to water down our tax on US tech billionaires – we’ve been rewarded with the same tariffs as Iran. It’s like we’re meant to be grateful Trump gave our friends a black eye and left us with just a wedgie.”This was quoted on The World at One on BBC Radio 4, which involved the presenter Sarah Montague using the word wedgie, too. Something else I never thought I’d hear. Even over where I work on BBC Radio 5 L...

Politics

9 d. ago Musk thinks Trump’s pal Navarro is a ‘moron’. Who are we supposed to root for here? | Dave Schilling

Tariffs have driven a wedge between Trump aides in an administration that hates expertise. I suppose boys will be boysI would like to dispel some rumors right up front. One, I did not receive a PhD in business from Harvard Business School. Hopefully this doesn’t make you think less of me, but I felt it necessary to be honest. Second, I did not even attend Harvard. I thought about it once; hopefully, thinking about something isn’t illegal yet.My point is that I am no elitist snob begging for your subservience. I’m a simple man, just trying to salvage the last of my meager wealth during the great trade war of 2025. I know absolutely nothing about global economic policy. As such, I must be worth listening to.Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Go off grid? Where would I get my meds, compression socks and corn removers? | Adrian Chiles

Am I just too fussy or too old? Either way I’m not cut out for a life in the wildernessI don’t really want to run away from everything. But I’m disappointed to realise I’m no longer able to do so anyway. We all have the instinct for fight or flight. Fleeing civilisation to try your luck in the wild is the most extreme expression of the second option. Somewhere, deep down, we’re hardwired with the false security of this last resort. Or perhaps it’s just me. Either way, I’ve reached the sad conclusion that, in my case, it’s not possible.I started thinking through how I’d do it. Right, I’m off, I decided, hypothetically. Hmm, what to take with me? Well, there’s my eyesight to consider. Just take my specs, or some contact lenses, too? I’ve only three weeks’ worth. How do myopic soldiers manage behind enemy lines? There must be a way. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Where have all the headphones gone on public transport? The noise is eating into my soul | Adrian Chiles

Just one antisocial fellow traveller can ruin a journey. Is it a giant two-fingered gesture to the rest of the world?Some time in the early years of the last decade, a friend and I travelled by train from London to Barcelona, where we would be covering a football match for work. We had a very nice day, playing Scrabble and drinking train wine as we sped south. The only problem was that a kid near us, not 10 years old, was watching a cartoon or playing a game on an iPad without the benefit of headphones. The sound wasn’t so much loud as persistent. Slowly but surely it drilled its way into our skulls and started to eat into our souls. I shot the family a couple of glances but got a look back which managed to communicate two things. Firstly that they were sorry. Secondly that if they took the iPad off the kid, we’d all be sorry. So, on he went. And an otherwise perfectly pleasurable journey started to drag.Then I had an idea. I got my headphones out of my bag, caught the mother’s eye,...

Politics

2 w. ago Yes, I have just done a naked forward roll. But there was a good reason | Adrian Chiles

There I was, lying in bed and worrying I’d lost a basic life skill. Can you blame me for putting it to the test?When I was in the first year at middle school, in Miss Hale’s class, my parents returned from a parents’ evening looking disappointed. My nine-year-old self picked up on this. It wasn’t my schoolwork: that was OK. It was that the teacher had revealed that in PE I was the only one in the class who couldn’t do a forward roll.This was true. It wasn’t that I was physically incapable – I was in the school football team and, without wishing to boast, probably the ninth-quickest runner. I just had this mental block. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. The idea of the world momentarily going upside down was too much for me. The prospect of such disorientation was unbearable. If only Miss Hale had taken me to one side and said: “Look, you’re overthinking this – and, believe you me, if you let it, overthinking will blight your life.” But she didn’t, because teachers didn’t talk like t...

Events

2 w. ago What do young people really think about us oldies? I asked a few | Adrian Chiles

Why is the moral panic only ever about younger generations? It’s time we heard what confuses or worries them about usEvery generation looks at the next generation, and the one after that, with bafflement and concern. There’s probably a name for this phenomenon. That’s not to say we (the olds) aren’t right to be more worried than ever about what they (the young) are up to. There’s a lot for us to be worried about and confused about in equal measure. The TV drama Adolescence got at this. Even having had its emojis and red pills – and emojis of red pills – patiently explained to me, I remain concerned and confused. Mainly confused. It’s all decidedly mysterious – and not in a good, exciting way.This intergenerational bewilderment seems only to work in one direction: down, rather than up. We flail around trying to make sense of what’s going on with the young. If you are young, this is relevant to you, too, because you will soon be feeling like this about those coming up behind you. What...

Events

3 w. ago I trust Which? to help me choose a washing machine. But I have my own views on kitchen roll and toilet paper | Adrian Chiles

I’m in awe of the organisation’s rigorous approach to product testing. That doesn’t mean I need it for everythingI don’t buy much of any value without consulting Which?. I choose to believe that Which? – wow, that question mark is annoying when you’re trying to write about Which? – is different. I choose to believe that Which? has the resources to test things properly and honestly. Yes, you can click through to places where you can buy the recommended item, but to that I turn a blind eye. I have to. Having spent so much on Which?’s say-so, I can’t face the possibility that I’ve been too trusting.I’ve only recently discovered that it’s not just big, pricey things, such as washing machines and headphones, that Which? spends its time assessing. I recently chanced upon its review of kitchen rolls. Before I knew what I was doing, I’d clicked through to buy several rolls of the Costco Kirkland Signature kitchen roll towel, which seems like too many words for something so mundane. I must c...

Politics

3 w. ago I found the world’s worst bread recipe – and I love it | Adrian Chiles

It tastes a bit weird, but it’s 288 times quicker to make than a loaf of sourdoughI don’t like offering advice unless it’s in a field in which I consider myself an expert, and there are precious few of them. I can give you comprehensive guidance on where to park, eat and drink near West Brom’s ground – Stoney Lane and the Soho Tavern, if you’re interested. I’m also good on choosing urinals for domestic use – get one with a lid. But other than that, in the expertise department I’m a bit short. So I try to stay in my lane, because there will always be plenty of people who know much more than me about the matter at hand.Recipes are a good example. The Guardian alone has dozens of great cookery writers, so how dare I muster the temerity to throw a little something of my own in the pot? The temptation is great, as I forever yearn to be asked how I’ve made something. If I cook something that seems to be going down well, I ache for my victim to ask if I would mind sharing the recipe. Shoul...

Politics