Life
There’s space for a new party in Britain, but not for another SDP
I was 17 when the Labour party last split, in January 1981, and for a variety of reasons got quite…
We football romantics love the fifth round of the FA cup
And so we say farewell to the round of 16 in the FA Cup, traditionally a viscerally thrilling process that…
![[istockphoto.com]](https://www.spectator.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/iStock_962573364.jpg?w=410&h=275&crop=1)
Dear Mary: how can I hide that I’m no longer drinking?
Q. I have given up drink except on certain occasions when it would be really rude to refuse. What’s the…
A temple to small food in a room for rich people: the Ledbury in Notting Hill reviewed
A serious restaurant for serious times: the Ledbury in Notting Hill. It’s a good time to do it, as the…
There’s a lot of interrogating going on – and not just by policemen
My husband sat in his usual chair, interrogating the contents of his whisky glass with his old, tired nose. In…
Faithless husbands can be the best husbands
Gstaad Who was it that said we always hurt those we love the most? I did just that last…
‘I don’t know how ever Jerry stands it’: diary of a world war one artillery man
My sister’s boyfriend is a solitary man and easily overwhelmed by another’s presence. On his rare visits he flits in…
Why I could kiss Mark Zuckerberg
Since posting some of my research into the RSPCA on Facebook, I now better understand the way social networking works.…
Did the BHA call it right on equine flu?
The pre-war Fabians Sidney and Beatrice Webb apparently had a pre-marriage agreement. It wasn’t like today’s Hollywood prenups, designed to…
Bridge
Two of the best (and most enjoyable) Pairs and Teams tournaments of the year have just finished, and I miss…
Homage to Kramnik
The former world champion Vladimir Kramnik recently announced his retirement from competitive chess. He is one of the greats of the…
no. 541
Black to play. This position is from Gelfand–Kramnik, Berlin 1996. This is one of Kramnik’s finest finishes. Can you spot…
What’s not to love
In Competition No. 3085 you were invited to submit a poem in dispraise of Valentine’s Day. The day is said…
2395: Concise crossword
The seven clues below have to be interpreted cryptically and are then entered in the grid where they will fit.…
to 2392: Beknighted
The unclued lights (10/1D, 11, 23/38, 29D/28 and 39) received knighthoods or a DBE in the recent New Year’s Honours List.…
![School children gather in Sydney last November to demand the government takes action on climate change [MARK METCALFE/GETTY IMAGES]](https://www.spectator.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Striking_children.jpg?w=410&h=275&crop=1)
If children want to protest against climate change, why not do it at the weekend?
Thousands of schoolchildren are planning to go on ‘strike’ on Friday to protest about government inaction on climate change. Called…
The Battle for Britain
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![Video-conferencing could revolutionise how we work – so why have we failed to invest in it properly? [GETTY IMAGES]](https://www.spectator.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/GettyImages_517017732.jpg?w=410&h=275&crop=1)
We don’t need more technology, we need better technology
I’d like to propose a new scientific institution: the IUT, or Institute of Underrated Technology. Rather than trying to invent…
![[ISTOCKPHOTO.COM]](https://www.spectator.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/iStock_482988416.jpg?w=410&h=275&crop=1)
Dear Mary: How can I get my annoying children to answer my texts?
Q. I have learned through a third party that a friend, who is feeling particularly insecure these days, has not been…
Only the south offers beer lovers a decent pint
We were discussing beer. It is a cheerful subject so I made an appropriate point. In recent years, the quality…
What the sports pages mean by ‘marquee’?
Ordinarily my husband is punctilious in keeping the pages of the Telegraph straight, especially when it is read by other…
In Gstaad neither poor nor rich worry about inequality
Gstaad Here in Gstaad there is no worker alienation. Nor are the rich especially worried. The talk is about…
Oscar is nine, and has largely abandoned speech in favour of gestures and monosyllables
Just before I left France, Oscar’s mum sent over a photo of Oscar in his classroom at school showing the…
I can’t believe I went online and found the most adorable lodger in Britain
‘I see you’ve got the posters up then?’ said the little lodger as she came home from work. She’s got…
The British see Africa only in terms of aid but there are business opportunities aplenty
Kenya As the Union Flag was lowered during Kenya’s Uhuru ceremony in 1963, the Duke of Edinburgh turned to…
