Simon Heffer

Columnist

Dr Simon Heffer is a British commentator and author who writes for International Business Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, and The New Statesman. He previously wrote columns for The Daily Mail and The Spectator.

He is the biographer of Enoch Powell, Thomas Carlyle, and Ralph Vaughan Williams, and recently published High Minds: The Victorians and The Birth of Modern Britain.

Simon Heffer: Vladimir Putin shows up the West once more with Russia military intervention in Syria

He may not be the most popular man outside of his country but Putin's hawkishness can hurt Islamic State.

Simon Heffer: Catalonia's fight for independence comes from EU's strangling effect on prosperous regions

While there are superficial similarities with Scotland, Catalans have a stronger base to go it alone from.

Simon Heffer: How Bernie Sanders is giving Hillary Clinton a run for her money in US presidential race

Clinton was favourite to be Democrat candidate in 2016 but the Vermont Independent is taking over.

Simon Heffer: How long will South Africa survive? With Jacob Zuma at the helm, probably not long

South Africa is in a mess and its past white rulers, the ANC and the West are all to blame.

Simon Heffer: UK blocking illegal economic migrants is its duty and not humanitarian disregard

Lines have to be drawn at the wholesale admission of economic migrants who are not fleeing persecution.

Simon Heffer: American forces aim their weapons at Putin's most vulnerable spot - his cronies' wallets

As Barack Obama finally flexes his muscles in world affairs, Europe can only stare worried at Russia's potential response.

Simon Heffer: The eurozone project has failed no matter what happens next for Greece

Will the EU paymasters follow through with threats to boot Greece out of the Eurozone?

Danish politician Kristian Thulesen Dahl

Simon Heffer: Danish peasants' revolt could lead to the downfall of David Cameron and the EU

Recent elections in Denmark show European citizens finally realise they're getting railroaded by the EU.

Simon Heffer: Tsipras will betray Europe over Greece and risks an outcome worse than austerity

People of the various states consider themselves to be national first and European second.

Simon Heffer: Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush celebrity cult risks dominating 2016 US election

Name recognition counts enormously in American politics, just ask Hillary and Jeb.

Simon Heffer: David Cameron needs to bolster Britain's vulnerable defences not focus on the EU

Cameron has to get his party on side and prepare for the consequences if Britain wants to leave the EU.

Simon Heffer: Dishonest UK foreign policy won't rescue drowning Mediterranean migrants

If we hadn't scrapped most of our navy we could have been in the Mediterranean saving migrants from drowning.

Simon Heffer: Kim Kardashian and Pope Francis left Turkey in PR disaster over Armenian genocide

Turkey is foolish for denying atrocities committed against the Armenians a century ago.

Simon Heffer: French public dismisses François Hollande and his doomed economic project

Hollande and his party have failed to inspire the French public and haven't succeeded in improving the economy.

Simon Heffer: John Kerry's radical Bashar al-Assad stance is a burst of realism amid inept US foreign policy

America's bid to rescue its reputation for incoherent foreign policy is too little too late.

Russian bomber was carrying nuclear missile

Simon Heffer: Vladimir Putin is laughing at the complacency of the West and its pathetic defences

The West needs to bolster its inadequate defence against the Putin threat.

Simon Heffer: Putin isn't afraid of the EU but will he risk all by taking on Nato in the Baltics?

Putin's fall from power is more likely to come from a coup than anything Europe can impose.

Simon Heffer: Whether Greece stays or leaves, anti-austerity threatens to test the EU to destruction

The eurozone will never be the same again after Syriza's victory in Greece.

Simon Heffer: We rely on intelligence too heavily to thwart terror attacks and ignore basic defences

The West needs to undermine Islamic fundamentalism as well as monitoring it.

Simon Heffer: Angela Merkel underestimates how toxic Europe is for David Cameron's UK voters

Cameron faces an uphill battle to persuade voters to stay in the EU if a referendum does take place.

Sony Picture attacked by Russian hackers not North Korea

Simon Heffer: Infantile North Korea is poised to become lethal rather than just offensive

The US needs a long-term strategy to deal with North Korea, whose sense of humour failure could be devastating.

An Isis terrorist from Britain called Abu Hajar al-Britani has blown himself up in Iraq

Simon Heffer: Britain failed to prevent America's moral collapse over paranoid CIA torture

America has lost the moral authority in the fight against the Islamic State.

Tories fear haemorrhage of support to Ukip after Cameron's self-inflicted wound over EU

Cameron's mismanagement of the immigration issue has thrust EU relations further into the spotlight.

Simon Heffer: Putin Took a Kicking at G20 but Name-Calling Won't Stop Russia's Aggression

The G20 Summit was unpleasant for Putin, but will it cause him to moderate his behaviour or step it up?

Simon Heffer: France's Economy Has Been Splattered, and Front National is Feasting on the Carcass

Brainless economic policies are coming back to haunt Hollande and his left-wing boffins.

Simon Heffer: Britain Must Cast off its Timidity and Face up to the Threat of Vladimir Putin and Isis

The world is as dangerous as it's ever been, and Britain needs to act accordingly.