Columnists
The only thing you’re allowed to hate is hate itself
If we are to ban states of mind, my vote would be for self-righteousness first, followed by sententiousness, with maybe…
What does it mean to be ‘moved’ by something?
Catching a train last week at London’s St Pancras I encountered a man playing a piano. You can do this…
Jazz is dominated by men. So what?
I’d recommend any aspiring writer to marry a jazz drummer. It’s done wonders for my powers of concentration. If I…
Nissan’s Carlos Ghosn was a tall nail. But was he really a bent one?
The arrest of Carlos Ghosn and the move to oust him as chairman of Nissan in Japan has stunned the…
If Corbyn’s PM, expect him to wear a white poppy and Frida Kahlo T-shirt
‘It’s time for Bond — Basildon Bond,’ is the joke among pro-Leave MPs as Theresa May serves up her mess…
The maths probably won’t work for May, however hard she tries
The bad news for Theresa May is that Brexit isn’t over. She might have agreed terms with the European Commission…
The elites will never let us peasants fully revolt
Peasants’ Revolts tend not to work out too well in this country, for the peasants. I suppose that is why…
Why I won’t be turning Catholic just yet
I didn’t get an audience with the Pope when I visited Rome last weekend. But given that he’s a borderline…
Anyone seen Jeff Bezos? I’m here to talk to him about tax
Los Angeles/Seattle US stocks briefly rallied after the midterm results as markets looked favourably on a divided Congress and the…
The lesson of the midterms? Trump’s crudeness works
Washington, DC President Donald J. Trump thinks only in terms of winning and losing. On Tuesday, he won and he…
Why I’ve changed my name
As someone who has recently discovered he is black, I have watched with incredulity the treatment doled out by the…
Is there a moral difference between an NDA and blackmail?
Reader, may I call you John? Now imagine, John, that you are my employer and I know (or claim) that…
Trump is right about many things, which is why he must be stopped
At my lecture in Sheffield last week, the final question in an otherwise temperate Q&A was antagonistic. My last Spectator…
History will judge UK ministers harshly for the Irish backstop
We may or may not hear news soon of a settlement of the Irish border issue that will allow Brexit…
My great-grandfather’s personal remembrance day
The sixth of November 1918 was remembrance day for my great-grandfather, Norman Moore. It was the fourth anniversary of the…
Bring on the next Black Wednesday
At the Brexit-related cabinet last week — as revealed by James Forsyth in these pages — David Lidington made an…
This Budget showed the Tories preparing for defeat, not victory
There’s a spectre haunting the Tories — the spectre of 1997. Tories fear that history could be about to repeat…
How smoking saved my life
I almost got killed this week. I went for a very early morning walk in a New Hampshire forest, in…
In defence of university drinking rituals
When the Fawn saw the selfies Boy had taken in the aftermath of his college football club’s initiation ceremony, first…
What Mills & Boon can teach us in the age of #MeToo
In celebration of its 110th birthday, I downloaded a Mills & Boon — The Greek Tycoon’s Blackmailed Mistress — and…
Has Philip Hammond saved the high street? No – but every little helps
How much did Philip Hammond’s giveaway Budget help dying town centres? Not enough, say campaigners, but let’s give the Chancellor…
George Orwell’s legacy has been monopolised by the left
Mrs May says she is taking her stand on the issue of Northern Ireland and the integrity of the United…
Even ministers don’t understand Brexit
The Brexit negotiations are becoming so complicated that even the cabinet admits that it doesn’t understand what is going on.…
The march of the migrants poses a dilemma for America
Trump has hinted that Democrats may have been secretly funding the ‘caravan’ of more than 7,000 Honduran immigrants trooping towards…
In defence of Nick Clegg
As I write, the sneering at Nick Clegg has started. The first cuckoo I’ve heard in this chorus is calling…
