Columnists
It costs £34,000 to become an MP. No wonder they expect higher pay
Mark Simmonds has been in politics long enough to know not to expect much sympathy from his constituents. He resigned…
It’s OK to mention anti-Semitic attacks – but not who commits them
I was attacked by a swan the other day, as I walked along the bank of the River Stour in…
You’re never too old, they say. But I am
For my 49th birthday treat, I went to see Shakespeare in Love at the Noël Coward theatre in London. Expensive…
Why a City job should be graduates’ last resort
August is the season for conversation about career choices. Every holiday party seems to include new graduates or next year’s…
You’re never too old, they say. But I am
For my 49th birthday treat, I went to see Shakespeare in Love at the Noël Coward theatre in London. Expensive…
A fitting exit for the self-publicising Lady Warsi
At the impressive Westminster Abbey vigil to mark the centenary of the first world war on Monday night, there was…
Tread carefully! Your garden is saturated with racial meaning – and so is Ikea
Is your life saturated with racial meaning? The most common answer to this question, when I ask friends and acquaintances,…
I found my inner fascist in a letterbox
There’s a little bit of a fascist in all of us. For some, the tragedy of human want may provoke…
The man who could sell the British public on fracking
Iain Conn, who will succeed Sam Laidlaw as chief executive of Centrica, would have been a dead cert for the…
Why don’t any of my friends own holiday homes?
This is to be one of those columns that makes the writer faintly wish there wasn’t an internet. It would…
I found my inner fascist in a letterbox
There’s a little bit of a fascist in all of us. For some, the tragedy of human want may provoke…
The Spectator’s Notes
Listen http://traffic.libsyn.com/spectator/TheViewFrom22_07_August_2014_v4.mp3 At the impressive Westminster Abbey vigil to mark the centenary of the first world war on Monday night,…
Why this could be David Cameron's last summer in politics
At this time of year, whenever you see a British politician looking particularly busy, you can take it as a…
The Spectator's Notes: My grandfather's dire omen on the eve of war
This week’s issue is dated 2 August. On that date 100 years ago, my great-grandfather, Norman Moore (always known as…
I was a slut too, Prime Minister, and I think you're giving in to PC nonsense
Is it ever appropriate to use the word ‘slut’? I always take my lead from the Prime Minister and he…
You owe it to yourself to visit John Clare country
This has been a terrible year for horseflies. It’s bad enough if you’re human: often by the time you swat…
I know how ineffective sanctions are – but these ones just might work
‘Sanctions,’ said Kofi Annan, ‘are a necessary middle ground between war and words.’ Neither the EU nor the US will…
The eternal beauty of John Clare
This has been a terrible year for horseflies. It’s bad enough if you’re human: often by the time you swat…
The Spectator’s Notes
This week’s issue is dated 2 August. On that date 100 years ago, my great-grandfather, Norman Moore (always known as…
Parliament's next crisis: a dangerous shortage of middle-aged men
The House of Commons is off for the summer. But few MPs and ministers expect to make it through to…
Our spies have stopped chasing subversives. That's why we're in so much trouble
Peter Clarke’s powerful report on the Trojan Horse affair in Birmingham schools is confirmation of the weakness of David Cameron…
Why I’m against posthumous pardons, even for Alan Turing
Ross Clark is a columnist I try to read because he is never trite. So I was sorry to miss…
L.P. Hartley’s guide to coping with a heatwave
Those of us who have been struggling to endure the recent heat should turn to L.P. Hartley’s classic coming-of-age novel The…
Forecasting is a mug’s game – but I was right about the economic revival
‘Perhaps I should shift my prediction to 23 July 2014,’ I wrote in April 2012. ‘That’s the opening of the…
You’ll mock me, but I have to ask: why don’t any of my friends have holiday homes?
Hugo Rifkind 9 August 2014 9:00 am
This is to be one of those columns that makes the writer faintly wish there wasn’t an internet. It would…