Michael Deacon

Columnist and Assistant Editor at The Telegraph

Articles

LGBT Pride Month has become a pointless embarrassment

2 days ago | telegraph.co.uk | Michael Deacon
Forget smartphones and wokery. There’s an even greater threat to our children’s education

3 days ago | yahoo.com | Michael Deacon

Given that today’s children appear to spend much of their time in school being taught that the Vikings were champions of diversity and that human beings should be encouraged to choose between one or more of 72 different genders, you may fear that educational standards in this country are slipping somewhat. But perhaps we should be grateful. Because, believe it or not, things could actually be worse. Say, for example, we were to follow a radical proposal made the other day by Daniel Susskind.
Forget smartphones and wokery. There's an even greater threat to our children's education

3 days ago | telegraph.co.uk | Michael Deacon
Israel’s Irish foes have just come up with their most shameless plan yet

6 days ago | yahoo.com | Michael Deacon

Every country in the West has its fair share of politicians who love nothing better than to indulge in noisy grandstanding about Israel. For some reason, though, Ireland’s quota seems to be particularly fervent. Last October, you may recall, local councillors in Cork responded to events in the Middle East by officially banning Benjamin Netanyahu from visiting their city. Admittedly, it is not known whether the Israeli prime minister actually had any intention of visiting it.
Israel's Irish foes have just come up with their most shameless plan yet

6 days ago | telegraph.co.uk | Michael Deacon
Prince Harry has just done something so dim, I’m almost starting to like him

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Michael Deacon

No doubt in my mind about the week’s finest newspaper headline. It featured no tabloid-style puns or other verbal japery. It simply summed up the story in 11 exquisitely deadpan words. They were: “Prince Harry flies from LA to Shanghai to promote greener travel.”Magnificent. But, at the same time, a tiny bit troubling. Because you’ve got to wonder: before dear Harry set off on the journey in question, did he not see such a headline coming? Did he not pause, just for a moment, and think: “Hang on.
Prince Harry has just done something so dim, I'm almost starting to like him

1 week ago | telegraph.co.uk | Michael Deacon
Our cities stink of weed. Decriminalisation is naive and dangerous

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Michael Deacon

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, says he believes the police should stop arresting people for possessing cannabis. Frankly, I’m shocked. Mainly because I didn’t know the police were arresting people for it in the first place. It certainly doesn’t smell like it. These days, practically all our towns and cities – including the one run by Mr Khan – stink of weed. Which suggests that a very large number of people now feel able to smoke it with absolutely no fear of getting arrested.
Sadiq Khan's plan to decriminalise cannabis is dangerously divisive

1 week ago | telegraph.co.uk | Michael Deacon

Anyway, if possession does get decriminalised, you can bet there'll soon be calls to loosen the law further. Which would be even more unwise. Just look at what's happened to New York, which in 2021 decided not only that people should be allowed to smoke cannabis, but that shops should be granted licences to sell it. Has this put criminals out of business, while raising lots of lovely extra cash through tax? Funnily enough, no. Illegal vendors simply undercut the legal ones.
The NHS must stop wasting our money on trans surgery

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Michael Deacon

Following the earth-shattering news from the Supreme Court last month that women are female, not male, trans activists may fear that the tide is turning against them. Still, at least they can always count on the support of our beloved NHS. Because, as the Telegraph revealed on Sunday, the health service has spent £20million in three years on giving trans women (i.e., biological males) “feminising genital surgery”.