Rupert Hawksley

Abu Dhabi

Opinion Editor at The i Paper

Opinion editor @theipaper. Previously The Independent, The National and The Telegraph

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Articles

Putin's Victory Day parade is a mere fig leaf to hide Russia's weakness

5 days ago | inews.co.uk | Rupert Hawksley

Moscow comes to a standstill today for the traditional Victory Day parade that marks the end of the Second World War in 1945. The silence will not just be the result of citizens pausing to admire the latest Russian military hardware or to reflect on the lessons of history – such as the consequences of appeasement, for example, or the annexation of sovereign territory. In fact, the Russian capital will also go quiet because the authorities will be blocking internet access.
Trump is behaving like a textbook fascist

6 days ago | inews.co.uk | Rupert Hawksley

Eighty years ago, King George VI addressed the nation on the occasion of VE Day, marking victory in Europe against Nazi Germany. He was clear about what Allied victory meant: the defeat of fascism and the survival of “every land where freedom is cherished and law and liberty go hand in hand”.
Putin’s European neighbours are uneasy about invasion. They are right to be

1 week ago | inews.co.uk | Rupert Hawksley

When the Russian bear grows restless, its neighbours, mostly former members of the old Soviet Union, tend to have trouble sleeping too. The prospect of a wider war in Europe is real – and it would be a war we fight alone, without support from our oldest ally, the United States. Anyone wanting to understand how seriously Russia’s neighbours take this threat need look no further than Norway.
A watershed moment for the NHS this week - but did anyone actually notice?

1 week ago | inews.co.uk | Rupert Hawksley

This week, a watershed moment for the NHS should have happened. I say “should have”, as I am worried not enough people noticed. So worried, in fact, I took to social media to highlight it and that post exploded. The messages below it and in my private inbox are some of the most distressing and sobering I have received.
The note that proves it: Meghan has won

1 month ago | inews.co.uk | Rupert Hawksley

It is unarguably the classiest clapback ever. A calligraphy clapback, no less. Two weeks on, we’re all still talking about Meghan Markle’s – sorry, Sussex’s – Netflix show. Every human being on the planet with social media has scathingly reviewed or parodied it, and in presumably the most brutal blow to date, Kerry Katona let it be known that she switched off after five minutes.
Kemi’s on a kill mission - and net zero is her target

1 month ago | inews.co.uk | Rupert Hawksley

The setting for Kemi Badenoch’s speech in which she attacked net zero targets, describing them as “impossible”, was the offices of a swanky business advisory firm in London’s King’s Cross. Here was a clear signal that the Leader of the Opposition’s vibe is shifting from spiky doyenne of right-leaning think-tanks to a pragmatic figure, challenging Labour’s view of the route to British prosperity.
Trump's bellicose rhetoric only increases the chances of World War Three

2 months ago | inews.co.uk | Rupert Hawksley

Whatever one thinks about President Trump’s showboating, he is undoubtedly shaking up the world order and the serene environment of geopolitics and diplomacy like almost no peacetime leader in memory. So when he speaks of threats of global conflict, we must take him – and them – seriously.
Starmer is doing many of the things the Tories were too chicken to try

2 months ago | inews.co.uk | Rupert Hawksley

In Westminster, a question is often asked when it comes to rating prime ministers: who is the heir to Blair? The three-time election winning Labour leader may these days be a dirty word in some Labour circles but his endurance and legacy mean he is often held up as the pinnacle of owning the centre. Before he was elected in 2005, David Cameron described himself as the “heir to Blair” – not everyone in his party was impressed. They already found him a little too modern.
Russia's response to drone attacks was highly revealing

2 months ago | inews.co.uk | Rupert Hawksley

“Peace talks constructive. Many dead in latest massive drone strikes” is, I think, a fair summary of the latest events in the Russia-Ukraine-US trifecta. That paradox is indicative of a number of factors which will now play out fast, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s top aide, Andriy Yermak, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio conduct talks in Saudi Arabia to expedite a resolution to the war in Ukraine.
A trip to the dentist with my son taught me a harsh lesson about nostalgia

2 months ago | inews.co.uk | Rupert Hawksley

My 13-year-old son did as 13-year-old sons are wont to do and broke one of his teeth this week while arsing about at school. So off we went, with many muttered imprecations from me and many muffled responses from him, to get it fixed by an emergency dentist. We had, as is the way of these things, never met this dentist before. And he, it turned out, was old school. He greeted us unsmilingly. There was no welcoming chat. Just a command to the patient to “Sit down. Lie back.” And then he began.