Barometer
The other Argos The Argos catalogue, known as the ‘Book of Dreams’, is no longer to appear in printed form.…
To 2466: Gender bender
The author was GEORGE SAND (19/26), whose original name was AMANTINE LUCILE AURORE DUPIN (25/40/5/16). The perimetric works are INDIANA,…
Peer pressure
It is no credit to British democracy that we have the second largest legislative chamber in the world. The only…
Letters
Masking the truth Sir: Matthew Parris is right to laud the importance of embracing the scientific method (‘Why should opinion…
Barometer
The first nanny state The Prime Minister’s strategy on obesity has been labelled a work of the ‘nanny state’ —…
Portrait of the week
Home At a few hours’ notice, the government removed Spain from the list of countries from which it was possible…
Solution to 2465: Definitely amusing
Unclued lights are Brewer’s ‘Chambersisms’ — words from that dictionary with quirky definitions. First prize Maureen Quarmby, Oldham Runners-up M.…
Letters
Left-behind boys Sir: Christopher Snowdon’s perceptive and informative article (‘The lost boys’, 18 July) reflects perfectly my own experiences in…
The EU’s new fault lines
Anyone who imagined that the departure of Britain would make for more harmonious EU summits in future will have been…
Solution to 2464: TOPSY-TURVY
14 Down, TAPSALTEERIE, yields TAP 10, 15 and 35, three anagrams of SALTE (16, 32 and 36) and ERIE and…
Portrait of the Week
Home A coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford, tested on 1,077 people, was found to induce antibodies and…
Barometer
Worth a shot? How worried should we be about people refusing to have a Covid-19 vaccine if one is developed?…
Letters
Growing pains Sir: James Forsyth (‘Rewiring the state’, 4 July) shocked this loyal Spectator reader with the following: ‘Even before…
The mask slips
When Michael Gove delivered the Ditchley Annual Lecture last month he spoke about why citizens feel that the political system…
Portrait of the Week
Home New regulations would compel people to wear a face covering in shops in England from 24 July on pain…
Barometer
Take cover The government has said it will make wearing masks compulsory in shops. Mandatory masks rather run against the…
Solution to 2463: Tongue Twisters
The unclued lights were all languages which are written from right to left, entered in that manner in the grid.…
Solution to 2462: Over and Out?
The seventeen entries clued by definition only required removal of the abbreviation BR ( = Britain), in keeping with the…
Letters
Police relations Sir: As a former Met Police officer, with a similar background to Kevin Hurley, I was surprised how…
Portrait of the week
Home Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced measures intended to stimulate the economy. Under a £111 million scheme,…
Home improvements
It is hardly a profound observation to say that the government has not functioned as well as it might have…
Barometer
Price of protest Greenpeace was fined £80,000 for defying a court order and occupying an oil rig in the North…
The chilling effect
The printed press is not a natural ally of Facebook. Silicon Valley publishers have hoovered up so much advertising that…
Letters
Deterring crime Sir: Rod Liddle is right to highlight the politicisation of the police as a source of their inadequacies,…
Portrait of the Week
Home Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, said he was ‘as fit as a butcher’s dog’ and did press-ups to prove…
