FORGOTTEN HISTORY: Martin kettle - Caught on Camera

A night without Nessun Dorma: what does booing at the opera say about UK audiences?

Critics worry that heckling, such as that at a recent Royal Opera performance, is becoming more common

The Guardian - UK · Jan 29

The spy who came in from the bus stop

Brief letters: Tailed in Moscow | Martin Kettle on music | John Crace has it all covered | Changing duvet covers | Reform UK characters

The Guardian - UK · Jan 21

In praise of Martin Kettle’s mind and method

Letters: Readers reflect on the writer’s legacy after the publication of his last regular weekly column for the Guardian after 41 years on the staff

The Guardian - UK · Jan 18

All children should have access to arts education

Letters: Readers respond to an article by Martin Kettle about the impact of educational inequality on Britain’s cultural sector

The Guardian - UK · Dec 22, 2025

Keir Starmer is our most musical prime minister since Edward Heath. He must take up the baton for the arts

Not all of the problems of Britain’s cultural sector come down to funding, but an awful lot do. That’s where leadership comes in, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle

The Guardian - UK · Dec 18, 2025

Why it’s ridiculous to call our new train system ‘Great’ British Rail

The name originated during the period of Boris Johnson boosterism. People no longer want Brexit triumphalism, but things that actually work, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle

The Guardian - UK · Dec 11, 2025

Europe is holding the line against Trump’s and Putin’s plans for Ukraine. But it won’t be able to for ever

In the 21st-century imbalance of power, Europe and Nato have neither the arms nor the wealth to impel Russia or the US to take its peace settlement seriously, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle

The Guardian - UK · Dec 4, 2025

Rachel Reeves’s budget has inflamed, not calmed, Britain’s febrile mood

The chancellor’s statement will be remembered for the many taxes it raised, rather than the big one – income tax – it did not, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle

The Guardian - UK · Nov 27, 2025

People are right to ask ‘what is the point of Labour?’ when it can’t agree on anything

Who knows where this government’s credibility will be after next week’s exceptionally difficult budget, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle

The Guardian - UK · Nov 20, 2025

A word of warning to the hounds circling Starmer: be careful what you wish for

With this level of unpopularity, the question of the PM’s future may seem simple. Yet what comes next could be nastily complicated, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle

The Guardian - UK · Nov 12, 2025