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Gavin Esler

Gavin Esler

Columnist
Gavin Esler is a writer, award-winning broadcaster and podcaster. He was the BBC’s chief correspondent in North America for eight years and a long-time anchor of Newsnight, Dateline London and other BBC programmes. He is the author of five novels and four works of non-fiction, including most recently ‘How Britain Ends'. His awards include a Sony Gold and a Royal Television Society award. His new book ‘Britain Is Better Than This’ will be published in September 2023.
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Writer-director Emerald Fennell, left, and actress Carey Mulligan pose for a portrait to promote their film "Promising Young Woman" during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on January 25, 2020. The film is nominated for an Oscar for best picture. Fennell is nominated for best director and Mulligan is nominated for best actress. AP
The missing ingredient in the big ticket movies of 2021

The Bafta and Oscar nominees are brilliant but for the one problem

CommentApril 20, 2021
Gavin Esler
Police form a line to stop Nationalists and Loyalists attacking each other, as a hijacked bus burns in the distance in Belfast, Northern Ireland, April 7. AP
Violence in Northern Ireland has awakened fears of the Troubles

Events have consequences. Those of Boris Johnson's Brexit decision of 2019 are playing out

CommentApril 19, 2021
Gavin Esler
US President Joe Biden delivers a speech on infrastructure spending at Carpenters Pittsburgh Training Center in Pittsburgh, US last month. AP
Biden’s spending spree is a sign: in the US big government is back

If it goes wrong, and taxes rise significantly, Americans may not be so grateful

CommentApril 06, 2021
Gavin Esler
'Yes' campaigners gather for a rally in George Square, Glasgow, in 2014. Reuters
Why Scotland's election will give Boris Johnson sleepless nights

If pro-independence parties win 50 per cent of the vote in May, a second referendum may be inevitable

CommentMarch 29, 2021
Gavin Esler
A handout photograph released by the UK Parliament shows Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivering a statement on the Government's 'Integrated Review' in a socially distanced, hybrid session at the House of Commons, in central London on March 16, 2021. Britain on Tuesday announced plans to increase its stockpile of nuclear weapons, reversing a trend towards disarmament after the end of the Cold War. A government review of defence, security and foreign policy said emerging threats made it no longer possible to stick to its commitment to reduce warheads. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - NO USE FOR ENTERTAINMENT, SATIRICAL, ADVERTISING PURPOSES - MANDATORY CREDIT " AFP PHOTO / Jessica Taylor /UK Parliament" / AFP / UK PARLIAMENT / JESSICA TAYLOR / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - NO USE FOR ENTERTAINMENT, SATIRICAL, ADVERTISING PURPOSES - MANDATORY CREDIT " AFP PHOTO / Jessica Taylor /UK Parliament"
Boris Johnson's nuclear ambitions can't end well

The Prime Minister wants to hike capacity by 40 per cent – from 180 to 260 nuclear warheads

CommentMarch 22, 2021
Gavin Esler
Musicians perform near the Houses of Parliament during a protest highlighting their inability to perform live or work during the pandemic. These musicians are facing a different kind of challenge these days. Reuters
Brexit hasn't been music to British musicians' ears

Creative industries are facing bureaucratic restrictions on short-term work for artists in the EU

CommentMarch 15, 2021
Gavin Esler
Meghan Markle, the American-born Duchess of Sussex, has complained of bullying within the UK Royal Family. AFP
Much ado about Meghan

Even in the Royal Family's most significant moments, the world cannot help but think of them as theatre

CommentMarch 08, 2021
Gavin Esler
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and former leader Alex Salmond in happier times. Getty
Political intrigue could slow Scotland's independence march

Edinburgh is embroiled in a nasty feud ahead of plans for a referendum. This will come as good news for London

CommentMarch 02, 2021
Gavin Esler
Front pages of Australian newspapers are displayed featuring stories about Facebook in Sydney on Friday. AP Photo
Like it or not, we need news. But do we need Facebook?

The social media platform must pay for reliable news. Those funds can then be spent by media outlets on gathering news

CommentFebruary 22, 2021
Gavin Esler
Shoppers by the 'Churchill And Roosevelt Allies Sculpture' in London, January 29, during England's third lockdown. AP
Taking another look at British history and the Empire is a good thing

No version of history can be an unquestionable truth

CommentFebruary 15, 2021
Gavin Esler
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to US President Joe Biden from London after his inauguration. Reuters
Biden says diplomacy is back – Boris Johnson should listen

It's time for Whitehall to reset relations with Washington in the post-Trump era

CommentFebruary 15, 2021
Gavin Esler
Annie Lynch, the first person to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in Ireland, receives the second dose in Dublin on January 19. AFP
Do Brussels and London really care about Northern Ireland?

Between Brexit and the EU vaccine ‘fiasco’, Belfast keeps getting a raw deal

CommentFebruary 02, 2021
Gavin Esler
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks to US President Joe Biden from London on January 23. Downing Street handout via Reuters
Is the UK really about to become a 'failed state'?

British nationalism has been blamed for a lot that has gone wrong, but English nationalism is the real danger

CommentJanuary 25, 2021
Gavin Esler
A fisherman holds a freshly caught spider crab while trawling in the English Channel from the Port of Newhaven, England. Bloomberg
The sheer fishiness of Boris Johnson's Brexit deal

The Brexit deal has become a nightmare for businesses of all kinds

CommentJanuary 25, 2021
Gavin Esler
US President Joe Biden signs documents in the President's Room at the Capitol following the inauguration in Washington, January 20, 2020. EPA/Bloomberg
‘Hope in hard times’ was central message of Biden inauguration

In his first address to the nation, America’s new president made it clear he is on a mission to heal

CommentJanuary 21, 2021
Gavin Esler
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