Columnists
Does Evil really exist?
A week of remembrance marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz last month had me thinking hard about…
You can’t own stories
Readers of The Spectator who keep up with the latest literary hissy fits could have predicted (perhaps with a groan)…
From Enron to Airbus, can justice ever keep pace with corporate sin?
So farewell Bernie Ebbers, former chief executive of WorldCom, the long–distance phone operator that became America’s biggest-ever bankruptcy case in…
The Spectator’s Notes
It was with regret that I read that Albert, retired King of the Belgians, has finally had to admit, following…
What will the Tories fight about now?
Now that Britain is out of the European Union, it will be very hard to go back in. In the…
Why I’m standing by an old enemy
Most people won’t have heard of Selina Todd. The only reason I had was because some years ago the BBC…
We’re all the worse for drink
I’m not one of these teetotallers who frowns on people who imbibe, like an angsty ex-smoker who petulantly swats away…
How to be a man
The river of death has brimmed his banks And England’s far and Honour’s a name But the voice of…
The most sinister thing about Huawei may be how clean it is
I first wrote about the risks and rumours around Huawei — and made bad jokes about its name — in…
The Spectator’s Notes
Despite huge public pressure, I shall not be applying to be director-general of the BBC. It was kind of Tony…
Labour must change if it is to win
In the past 40 years, only two leaders of the opposition have gone on to become prime minister: Tony Blair…
A last chance to save the BBC
Whoever becomes the next director-general of the BBC should take a close look at last week’s Question Time. It came…
Meditations on a scream in the night
It was a clear and icy night at home in Derbyshire last week. I love these times and, before bed,…
Is ‘Mini Mike’ a growing threat to Trump?
Should Bernie Sanders become the Democratic presidential nominee, expect the media to overuse these sprightly English expressions: ‘between a rock…
HS2’s completion is as likely as King Harry’s coronation
Seven years ago, when HS2 was still officially costed at £33 billion, I wrote that I was looking forward to…
Anyone for a Sussex Royal potato?
Earlier this week, we accompanied our daughter-in-law, Hannah, to her British citizenship ceremony, she having passed the necessary tests. (Hannah…
Why the cabinet reshuffle might not be so radical after all
Prime ministers are never more powerful than just before a cabinet reshuffle. Ministers fall over themselves to be helpful, hoping…
We want one thing from our royals: patriotism
There is a fascinating social media group which I think we should all join. It is called ‘DeMOCKracy — 2019…
Vampire squids are killing Britain’s B&Bs
More and more of us are staying home for our holidays — but even so, our small hotels and B&Bs…
I’m at risk of becoming a cat person
Just before Christmas our cat Runty died and I wasn’t in any rush to find a replacement. I like cats…
Never mind the royals – the real national crisis is at John Lewis
Asked to name British institutions they’d rather not see shaken to the foundations, many consumers would list the John Lewis…
Why bother joining the Labour party?
Now that there is yet another chance to vote for a leader of the Labour party, if you are prepared…
The Labour candidates the Tories are worried about
When a Labour politician or aide stops to chat in the corridors of parliament these days, they only have one…
World war three? No, this was about Trump’s second term
If this is the start of the third world war, as some quivering liberal commentators seem to believe, then my…
My fellow Remainers should not aim for a ‘soft Brexit’
‘I like to write when I’m feeling spiteful,’ remarked D.H. Lawrence. ‘It’s like having a good sneeze.’ A perennial challenge…
