Features
Only the south of France could silence Henry James
‘Saint-Tropez?’ said the French mother of a friend. ‘C’est un peu… “tacky”.’ She was distressed to think of our taking…
£350 million for the NHS: How the Brexit bus pledge is coming true
A fortnight before Philip Hammond delivered his last Budget, the chief executive of the NHS gave a speech making the…
Britain and Islam – the real special relationship
In all the agonising about Islamism, and what to do about it, it would be a mistake to forget a…
Putin’s World Cup is the most political tournament ever
Politics and sport should never mix is the hoary old chestnut — but they always do. It’s a thrilling concoction.…
Bernard-Henri Lévy: ‘Brexit will not happen’
I meet Bernard-Henri Lévy in a colossally luxurious hotel on a tree-lined avenue just behind the Elysée Palace. The French…
The adoption waiting game
When my husband, John, was born in 1946, doctors were the chief agents of adoption. His mother was young, single,…
Why old bangers beat shiny new cars hands down
I was collecting my daughter from school when my path was blocked by an enormous black Range Rover sitting in…
Why are so many women obsessed with horses?
When asked to describe in three words what it means to win Badminton, the world’s most challenging and prestigious equestrian…
Asterix and the sheer brilliance of his creators
A sterix, te amamus! For those not lucky enough to learn their Latin from the dazzling René Goscinny and Albert…
Will Italy become the first country to fall to populism?
It looks indeed as if Italy — the beating pulse of European civilisation — will be the first country in…
Macron can see that the EU must change or die
It was a moment to cherish, not to spoil. But I wasn’t the only one at the grand Charlemagne prize…
What does friendship with Israel really mean?
Harold Macmillan once remarked that: ‘There are three bodies no sensible man ever directly challenges: the Roman Catholic Church, the…
The eradication of South Georgia’s rats proves we can do anything – even Brexit
The extermination of every single one of South Georgia’s rats, for the sake of its birds, was confirmed at a…
Wedding lists are out of control – just look at Harry and Meghan’s
I have a phobia of wedding lists. They always seem very presumptuous. Friends ask for monstrous amounts of things that…
Why do powerful men love to be spanked?
Spanking is back in the news. Le vice anglais was meant to be a dying art — a vestige of…
The right stuff: I’ll miss my friend Tom Wolfe
To some, Tom Wolfe’s death might seem a greater loss for readers on the right wing of American culture and…
Notes from Jerusalem: Everyone is in love with Donald Trump
‘Trump Make Israel Great’ reads the banner on the deserted hotel next to the new American embassy in Jerusalem. Unlike…
Nothing quite beats a British beach
‘May I take a picture of your snake?’ I asked the tattooed man with a python around his neck, regretting…
Trump, Iran and the end of the deal
For someone so frequently denounced as a liar, Donald Trump keeps an awful lot of promises. In the 2016 election…
Thanks to Donald Trump, night is falling in Iran again
In the White House on Tuesday, with the world just where he wanted it — eyes on the TV, transfixed…
Is it any wonder children can’t express themselves when all they have is emojis?
Smiley face. Sad face. Smoochy face. Sick face. Edvard Munch ‘Scream’ face. How are you feeling today? Any of the…
The ‘woke’ who do coke
Midnight in Shoreditch, and snaking round the brickwork of old east London is a line of chattering clubbers. Everyone seems…
Our great universities are struggling – but not because of Brexit
British universities have serious problems. The recent strikes protesting against a sudden reduction in pension rights were unusually effective, and…
What The Spectator’s 48-year-old intern did next
To anyone who has dreamed of becoming a journalist, the thrill of walking into a national newspaper office never goes…
Interview: what Aussies really think of Brexit
When friends speak, you should listen — and you would be hard pressed to find a better friend of this…
