Columnists
Assange is a narcissist and a nut – but if America ever comes for him, we should take his side
Poor Julian Assange. Call me a contrarian but I’m genuinely starting to feel sorry for the guy. He’s just made…
You don’t have to be a left-wing think tank to believe the bosses’ pay boom is unhealthy
The FTSE100 index stands precisely where it did in the first week of December 1999. Whichever way you look at…
Assange is a narcissist and a nut – but if America ever comes for him, we should take his side
Poor Julian Assange. Call me a contrarian but I’m genuinely starting to feel sorry for the guy. He’s just made…
The real dilemma of artificial intelligence
Having written (for a Times diary) a few sentences about consciousness in robots, I settled back to study readers’ responses…
When did romantic love become a religion?
Listen http://traffic.libsyn.com/spectator/TheViewFrom22_21_August_2014_v4.mp3 Pity the modern starlet. Be she steaming-hot pop-tart or reality-show show-off, her range of emotional experiences will, thanks…
When did romantic love become a religion?
Listen http://traffic.libsyn.com/spectator/TheViewFrom22_21_August_2014_v4.mp3 Pity the modern starlet. Be she steaming-hot pop-tart or reality-show show-off, her range of emotional experiences will, thanks…
Could you afford to become an MP?
Mark Simmonds has been in politics long enough to know not to expect much sympathy from his constituents. He resigned…
What you can’t say about anti-Semitic attacks
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…
My summer advice for graduate job-seekers: try the City last, and steer well clear of PR
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…
The Spectator’s Notes
At the impressive Westminster Abbey vigil to mark the centenary of the first world war on Monday night, there was…
Tread carefully: your garden’s saturated with race
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…
A challenge for Centrica’s new boss: persuade the public we need to get 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,…
One last sleepy summer, then the fighting starts
At this time of year, whenever you see a British politician looking particularly busy, you can take it as a…
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…
Take it from an ex-slut: this is PC lunacy
Is it ever appropriate to use the word ‘slut’? I always take my lead from the Prime Minister and he…
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…
Sanctions rarely work, but they might make oligarchs whisper in Putin’s ear
‘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…
Why don’t any of my friends own 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…