Columnists
The Spectator
When you vote in Britain, there is a relaxed feeling in the polling stations. This is a long-established part of…
Something must be done for Wales
On Monday 25 July we climbed Cader Idris. No particular reason except a free Monday and a memory of what…
The best thing about Brexit? It’s not my fault
Brexit Britain fills me with calm. Six weeks on, there’s no point pretending otherwise. Losing is far better than winning.…
Why lining shareholders’ pockets is more productive than plugging black holes
The revelation by actuarial consultants Lane Clark & Peacock that 56 of the supposedly blue chip companies in the FTSE 100…
Rio, Rio
Stuff I have learnt after two solid weeks watching the Olympics on TV. 1. Tennis and golf shouldn’t be Olympic…
Why lining shareholders’ pockets is more productive than plugging black holes
The revelation by actuarial consultants Lane Clark & Peacock that 56 of the supposedly blue chip companies in the FTSE 100…
The best thing about Brexit? It’s not my fault
Brexit Britain fills me with calm. Six weeks on, there’s no point pretending otherwise. Losing is far better than winning.…
Something must be done for Wales
On Monday 25 July we climbed Cader Idris. No particular reason except a free Monday and a memory of what…
It’s not the Trots you need to worry about
How strange it is that an obscure Tsarist prison warder in Odessa is commemorated forever in thousands of tiny, irritable…
The Spectator
When you vote in Britain, there is a relaxed feeling in the polling stations. This is a long-established part of…
It’s fatuous to outlaw an emotion – especially hate
A man in Austria has been sentenced to three months in prison for posting a picture of his cat on…
Remind you of anyone? How Theresa May is morphing into Gordon Brown
Standing outside No. 10, our newly chosen — though not elected — Prime Minister decided to address the country directly.…
The honour that truly stinks came from Corbyn
Another honours list comes and goes and yet again my name is not on it. I don’t think either the…
The Spectator’s Notes
Those who want to revive grammar schools are accused of ‘bring backery’ — the unthinking idea that the past was…
Christopher Biggins and the fall of civilisation
Suppose you’d invited me round to dinner to celebrate my engagement to your daughter, which do you think would be…
Why not use RBS as an experiment in narrowing the top-to-bottom pay gap?
Theresa May sent a strong message to the corporate world when she criticised the ‘irrational, unhealthy and growing gap’ between…
Why not use RBS as an experiment in narrowing the top-to-bottom pay gap?
Theresa May sent a strong message to the corporate world when she criticised the ‘irrational, unhealthy and growing gap’ between…
Christopher Biggins and the fall of civilisation
Suppose you’d invited me round to dinner to celebrate my engagement to your daughter, which do you think would be…
The Spectator’s Notes
Those who want to revive grammar schools are accused of ‘bring backery’ — the unthinking idea that the past was…
Remind you of anyone? How Theresa May is morphing into Gordon Brown
Standing outside No. 10, our newly chosen — though not elected — Prime Minister decided to address the country directly.…
The honour that truly stinks came from Corbyn
Another honours list comes and goes and yet again my name is not on it. I don’t think either the…
The Spectator’s notes
The Daily Telegraph revealed on Tuesday that Michael Spencer, the chief executive of Icap, has been blocked for a peerage…
Top tips for UK-China trade: grab the cheque and sup with a long spoon
There are reasons why Theresa May might harbour doubts about the Hinkley Point nuclear project — chiefly its unproven French…
The Bible is too important to be left to believers
May I write a review of a review? I have to get this out of my system, having been unable…
Thank God for Sir Philip Green, the perfect modern hate figure
Good old Sir Philip Green. Where would we be without him? So often, those national hate figures let you down.…
