Columnists
Why did Theresa May deport my homeless friend?
I’ve heard some excellent things about our Home Secretary, Theresa May. People who work in her department say she’s bright…
The martyrdom of Mark Steyn
When I first read, many months ago, that the notorious US climate scientist Michael Mann was suing the notorious right-wing…
Where I’m looking for the next great banking blow-up
A reader likens me to Dr Pangloss, the quack philosopher in Voltaire’s Candide who insisted that ‘all is for the…
The martyrdom of Mark Steyn
When I first read, many months ago, that the notorious US climate scientist Michael Mann was suing the notorious right-wing…
Why was my homeless friend deported?
I’ve heard some excellent things about our Home Secretary, Theresa May. People who work in her department say she’s bright…
Ed's finally reforming Labour. So why are the unions happy?
Ed Miliband has his legacy. Or, at least, what he hopes will be the first part of it. He has…
The Spectator's Notes: Quangos - a world of perfect hypocrisy
The accusation that the Tories have been installing their people in public appointments should evoke only a hollow laugh. They…
I've invented a new game. It's called 'Six Degrees of Shami Chakrabarti'
Can someone please explain to me why the BBC newsreaders were not wearing black armbands last weekend when reporting the…
How Alex Salmond could lose his referendum and still wreck the United Kingdom
From a kind of torpor about this year’s Scottish referendum, Lord Lang of Monkton has roused me. You may remember…
If Philip Seymour Hoffman wasn’t happy, what hope is there for us?
Celebrity deaths have no decorum. From Elvis on his toilet to Whitney face down in her bathtub, their last moments…
Any other business: The £1 bet that built a 1,000-strong company
At a charity lunch in Manchester, I meet a cheerful ‘engagement manager’ from AO.com, formerly Appliances Online, a fast-growing internet…
If Philip Seymour Hoffman wasn’t happy, what hope is there for the rest of us?
Celebrity deaths have no decorum. From Elvis on his toilet to Whitney face down in her bathtub, their last moments…
Warning: ‘no’ won’t be Scotland’s final answer
Listen http://traffic.libsyn.com/spectator/TheViewFrom22_6_February_2014_v4.mp3 From a kind of torpor about this year’s Scottish referendum, Lord Lang of Monkton has roused me. You…
The coalition is now an open marriage
Without any fanfare or formal announcement, the government has moved into a new phase. ‘We’re not in a coalition now.…
What medieval farmers knew – and the Environment Agency doesn't
Our neighbour Philip Merricks is a farmer on Romney Marsh, 90 per cent of whose land is below sea level.…
Why I'm on board for the homophobic bus
London has long since lost its allure for me — altogether too many cars, foreigners, cyclists, middle-class liberals and people…
Hearts - the next stage of the 3D printing revolution
I have seen the future — your future if you’re rich enough or brave enough to embrace it — and…
How the MPs' expenses scandal proved the wisdom of Alain de Botton
Whenever I’m tempted to pretend to be nicer so that fewer people hate me, I remember my old friend Alain…
Ed Balls's secret: he doesn't care whether his tax plan makes sense
There were a million people who voted Labour in the 2005 general election but not in 2010, when the party…
How the MPs’ expenses scandal proves the wisdom of Alain de Botton
Whenever I’m tempted to pretend to be nicer so that fewer people hate me, I remember my old friend Alain…
Unravelling the mysteries of the printed heart
I have seen the future — your future if you’re rich enough or brave enough to embrace it — and…
What the NHS owes the Tories
Pinned to the wall of Jeremy Hunt’s office in the Department of Health is an A1 piece of paper detailing…
The Spectator's Notes: George Osborne's personal recovery
Now that the economic statistics are looking better, people are beginning to rediscover the once-fashionable thought that George Osborne is…
Why didn't Bridget Harris just slap Lord Rennard?
When I was promoted to being editor of a programme at the BBC, back in the late 1990s, my line…
Is a new art form being born on Woman's Hour?
In a comic-strip cartoon, beads of water apparently radiating outward from the head of one of the characters indicate embarrassment.…
