Columnists
The RSPB is fighting for wind turbines. The birds can fend for themselves
The RSPB has come out against fracking and urged the government to ‘rethink its shale gas policies’. And of course…
Syria vote? What Syria vote? David Cameron's strategy is to forget it ever happened
The political conference season may be lacking in party activists nowadays, but it has lost none of its importance to…
The Spectator’s Notes
David Cameron says that he will not come back to the House of Commons again about the question of Syria…
What are we supposed to say when a grooming ring comes to light?
It is a tragedy that some of us are born in the wrong times. According to that increasingly gobby conduit…
You can’t demand democracy in Syria but ignore it at home
After David Cameron’s decision to seek parliamentary approval for air strikes against Syria, two lobbies came charging in, banners aloft.…
What Vodafone should do with its huge windfall: invest it in the next Vodafone
Vodafone, which has just collected an £84 billion windfall from the sale of its 45 per cent stake in Verizon…
The awkward truth about democracy in action
After David Cameron’s decision to seek parliamentary approval for air strikes against Syria, two lobbies came charging in, banners aloft.…
The PM is preparing for another coalition. His colleagues have other plans
Conservatives have been returning to their Westminster offices this week to find the wind behind them. Something suddenly seems to…
Why must we worry about London’s success?
For a long time my view of the Imperial Capital — as, like other Scots, I am still prone to…
The tao of Ayn Rand
I’m now half way through Atlas Shrugged and I’m loving almost every moment. But Ayn Rand isn’t someone you read…
By all means wring your hands over Syria. Just don’t ask me to trust you
They’re getting the rebuttals in early, have you noticed that? You might call them a pre-emptive strikes. Here’s William Hague,…
A windfall tax on monster basements could solve London’s housing problem
The mega-rich are best housed behind high fences, on wooded estates patrolled by dogs; that way, they don’t have to…
By all means wring your hands over Syria. Just don’t ask me to trust you
They’re getting the rebuttals in early, have you noticed that? You might call them a pre-emptive strikes. Here’s William Hague,…
The tao of Ayn Rand
I’m now half way through Atlas Shrugged and I’m loving almost every moment. But Ayn Rand isn’t someone you read…
Conservative landslide in Australia: Tony Abbott will crush Kevin Rudd
Sometimes only a cliché will do, especially when the subject is the Australian Labor party. Labor is holed beneath the…
I don’t think it’s over in the Balkans
I returned last week from a short break in the Balkans; travelling by train in Serbia, walking from village to…
Unpaid internships turned me into a banker – but I still think they’re a good thing
My thanks to ‘AndyB’, the only reader who posted an online comment on my column last week. It was ‘Don’t…
Lose weight the Muriel Spark way
Those of you dieting your way to a svelte physique amid the flesh-exposing terrors of summer should take courage from…
I don’t think it’s over in the Balkans
I returned last week from a short break in the Balkans; travelling by train in Serbia, walking from village to…
A far diet from Kensington
Those of you dieting your way to a svelte physique amid the flesh-exposing terrors of summer should take courage from…
A far diet from Kensington
Those of you dieting your way to a svelte physique amid the flesh-exposing terrors of summer should take courage from…
Ed Miliband may be stumbling - but don't forget his huge headstart
Coming back to the office after a holiday is never a pleasant experience. There’s the clogged inbox, the reminders that…
The sad story of Oprah, the handbag and the shop assistant
Listen, this story is moving so quickly stuff will almost certainly have happened in between me writing it and you…
Ukip are playing it safe – so they’ve rejected me
So farewell then £80,000 salary, £150,000 expense account, secretary, team of assistants, constituency office, first-class travel, immunity from prosecution, Brussels…
Why we should fear the new housing bubble
It’s senseless to ask how things are going to end, because things as a general rule don’t. They rumble on,…
