The Week
Nigel Farage’s diary: How I survived Dry January
Dry January is tougher than it sounds. Well, for me anyway. It’s now been some 28 days since I’ve had…
Female bishops are very, very old news
Female bishops The Reverend Libby Lane was ordained as Bishop of Stockport, the Church of England’s first female bishop. —…
Syriza could have learned from Aristophanes. Instead it's headed for Greek tragedy
The German chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed her desire for Greece to remain part of the European ‘story’. Since Greeks…
From the archives
From ‘Reprisals’, The Spectator, 30 January 1915: There has been a tendency among some newspapers, and perhaps still more among…
Letters
Non pas Charlie Sir: Like many people I too was shocked and horrified at the attack on the staff of…
Don't believe the gloom-mongers: deflation will be good for Britain
Campaigning in Putney in 1978, Mrs Thatcher famously took out a pair of scissors and cut a pound note down…
Portrait of the week
Home More than 1,100 imams and Islamic leaders received a letter from Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, and Lord Ahmad…
Tom Holland’s diary: Fighting jihadism with Mohammed, and bowling the Crown Prince of Udaipur
As weather bombs brew in the north Atlantic, I’m roughing it by heading off to Rajasthan, and the literary festival…
The surprising truth about global inequality
Poor data Oxfam complained of an ‘inequality explosion’, citing an estimate that by next year 1 per cent of the…
Socrates, Aristophanes and Charlie Hebdo
What would the ancients have made of Charlie Hebdo? The First Amendment tolerates the expression of opinions, however offensive, but…
From the archives
From ‘Economic quackery’, The Spectator, 23 January 1915: Ever since the war began there has been a tendency to rely upon…
Australian letters
Lucky Country Sir: I run a slashing contracting business and cattle at Byron Bay. I just sat down here at…
David Cameron has a very strange idea of freedom
Last Sunday, David Cameron marched through Paris in solidarity, so it seemed, with those who stand up for free speech.…
Portrait of the week
Home David Cameron, the Prime Minister, said that he wanted to change the law so that there would be no…
Panic, profiteering and a mysterious girl in a Mini: notes from Moscow
Moscow Here we go again. The rouble slides, then tumbles, and slides again. For those of us who remember the…
Three people to ask about free speech in Britain
Not Charlie Some cases which make Britain a pretty poor champion of free speech: — In 2005 Bristol pub landlord…
Ched Evans: law vs people power
‘This was the rule for men that Zeus established: whereas fish, beasts and birds eat each other, since there is…
From the archives
From ‘Music and the war’, The Spectator, 16 January 1915: The war, so far, has not thrown up any supreme…
Letters
No Stitch Up Dear Qanta: Our names are Andrew O’Keefe and Monique Wright, and we were the hosts who interviewed…
The attack on Charlie Hebdo is an attack on freedom
The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo lambasts, attacks and lampoons absolutely everybody. Its targets include all religions, all identity groups,…
Portrait of the week
Home The electorate was bombarded with contrary claims by parties beginning campaigns for the election in May. David Cameron, the…
Nicky Haslam’s diary: Marie-Anna Berta Felicie Johanna Ghislaine Theodora Huberta Georgina Helene Genoveva and other big names
I was once bundled into a police car in Palm Springs to explain why I didn’t have snow-tyres on my…
Revealed: five British royals who definitely slept with underage girls
Teen queens The Duke of York denied allegations in court papers that he had had sexual relations with a girl…
What MPs need is an oath with consequences
Before taking their seats in Parliament, all MPs must swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen. Mark Durkan, MP…
From the archives
From ‘Lord Curzon’s speech’, The Spectator, 9 January 1915: We are glad to record, though in no way surprised to…
