Diary
Diary
I was born and raised in Sheffield, a proud steel-making city which drew much of its energy from a sense…
Diary
The last time I wrote for The Spectator’s diary slot, over the summer, theatres were tentatively beginning to turn their…
Diary
Amsterdam These are dangerous times in the Netherlands. Anti-lockdown mobs have torched cars, thrown rocks and attacked the police.…
Diary
This week, I’m having puppies! First litter! The Johnsons were not doggy as we always moved around too much (my…
Diary
Two weeks ago, I resigned my post as philosophy professor at Sussex University. For three years, I’ve faced bullying and…
Diary
COP26 is not your typical power summit, because world leaders, NGOs and hacks are all in the same scrum. Outside…
Diary
Rishi Sunak had a pre-game Twix and a Sprite to prepare for this week’s impressive Budget. I used to have…
Diary
The wonderful thing about woke narratives is that you only have to wait a while until they collapse. The core…
Diary
I’m on a book tour which involves 65 speeches in 60 days in Britain, Washington, Philadelphia, Virginia, Mexico, California and…
Diary
The rhythm of the big party conference leader interviews is a strange one. First come days of slow, repetitive, detailed…
Diary
I am just back from my final salmon fishing trip of the year. I have never had a worse season…
Diary
As the cross-Channel ferry noses into Ouistreham, I have a perfect view westward along the D-Day beaches. The excitement of…
Diary
During one of the interminable lockdowns I mentioned that I didn’t care if I never went to another launch party…
Diary
In football, you are always stronger in numbers. With a shared focus, people from different cultures, nationalities, races, sexual orientations,…
Diary
I have no personal investment in America’s Afghanistan war. My own service in Vietnam, now a half-century in the past,…
Diary
I’ve been to two of my favourite book festivals recently, Chalke Valley History Festival and Charleston, and the experience has…
Diary
Kabul I’ve been to the front line in Iraq, Syria and Libya and witnessed all kinds of crazy, unlikely…
Diary
For obvious reasons, stocks in ex-editors of The Spectator are experiencing an all-time low. But my own complaint is with…
Diary
I’ve always been a Spectator reader, so I’m delighted to be writing a diary about the Olympics from Tokyo. My…
Diary
The past week has seen another media splash about the self-exiled Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Following the recent ruckus…
Diary
You always remember when a prime minister calls you to ask you to take on a new role, and you…
Diary
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee pageant was officially launched last week, with a splashy press call in the Raphael Court of…
Diary
I’ve been amazed by the response to my decision to leave my band, Mumford & Sons. The article in which…
Diary
It turns out that if there’s one thing more expensive than making theatre, it’s not making it. Empty buildings haemorrhage…
Diary
I’ve always maintained I go to Fermanagh for sanity, and after the past few months, I need a return to…
