Columnists
The Spectator’s Notes
Like almost everyone else, I have no idea whether the accusations about paedophilia in Parliament in the 1980s are true.…
There’s no fighting paedophile panic. But I’ll try
As essay titles go, ‘On losing an argument with Tim Loughton MP’ may fail to catch the imagination; but there…
When did Israel start to seem so bafflingly foreign?
Glaring, the ennui over Israel. The way we drag our eyes to the page, and sigh, and want to read…
Gold-fixing was never like match-fixing but its days must surely be numbered
In a season obsessed with sport and personal misbehaviour — separately or in combination — the word ‘fixing’ immediately brings…
When did Israel start to seem so bafflingly foreign?
Glaring, the ennui over Israel. The way we drag our eyes to the page, and sigh, and want to read…
There’s no fighting paedophile panic. But I’ll try
Listen http://traffic.libsyn.com/spectator/TheViewFrom22_10_July_2014_v4.mp3 As essay titles go, ‘On losing an argument with Tim Loughton MP’ may fail to catch the imagination;…
The Spectator’s Notes
‘A culture changes by example and a licentious old man being found guilty will help do that,’ says a leader…
Mr al-Baghdadi’s inspirational vision for Europe
There is something attractive about almost the whole of southern Europe being part of an immense and somewhat rigorous caliphate,…
The reassuring triumph of Big Mother
Feminism in modern Britain is not for the faint-hearted. Only the smartest, mouthiest girls on the social media scene dare…
Our shameful empire of aid
‘Why did you leave us?’ said the old Sudanese man in Omdurman market. ‘Things were so much better when you…
Here we go again: bankers taking liberties in pools full of sharks
It was at the Mansion House dinner last year that a City gent two seats away announced himself to be…
Our shameful empire of aid
‘Why did you leave us?’ said the old Sudanese man in Omdurman market. ‘Things were so much better when you…
The reassuring triumph of Big Mother
Feminism in modern Britain is not for the faint-hearted. Only the smartest, mouthiest girls on the social media scene dare…
Osborne is finally spreading his wings
George Osborne’s first taste of political leadership came aged 12. At his prep school, Colet Court, he took charge of…
The Spectator’s Notes
Radek Sikorski, the Polish foreign minister, is undoubtedly one of the most dashing figures on the world stage. I first…
Rebekah Brooks takes her place in a perfect picture of modern Britain
What image comes to mind when we think of Britain today? I was moved to contemplate this question after reading…
A bacon bap isn’t Miliband’s problem. We are
That bacon bap earlier this month was not the cause of Ed Miliband’s unpopularity. Ed Miliband’s unpopularity was the cause…
I may not know much about khat, but I know banning it is crazy
Khat is a leafy stimulant chewed mainly, I gather, by Somalis. This week the government banned its possession and sale.…
Osborne’s northern ‘super-city’ looks like a cynical vote-grab – but I’m all for it
When John Prescott used to wax garrulous about a ‘superhighway’ from Hull to Liverpool, everyone assumed it was a wheeze…
I may not know much about khat, but I know banning it is crazy
Khat is a leafy stimulant chewed mainly, I gather, by Somalis. This week the government banned its possession and sale.…
A bacon bap isn’t Miliband’s problem. We are
Listen http://traffic.libsyn.com/spectator/TheViewFrom22_26_June_2014_v4.mp3 That bacon bap earlier this month was not the cause of Ed Miliband’s unpopularity. Ed Miliband’s unpopularity was…
How the Westminster hawk became an endangered species
There is a slight whiff of the summer of 1914 to Westminster at the moment. The garden party season is…
À la recherche du tea perdu
Every summer this magazine invites some of its (randomly selected) subscribers to tea in the garden. Every Englishman loves tea…
This oil price rise is a blip, not a spike – but it’s still a timely reminder to get fracking
‘Iraq turmoil sends crude oil prices to nine-month high’ is the sort of headline that used to send shivers down…
The Spectator’s Notes
On Friday night, I went to Althorp, childhood home of Diana, Princess of Wales, to speak at its literary festival.…
