The Week
Australian Letters
No Christmas Sir: To follow up on Chris Ashton’s ‘the real War on Christmas’ (Spec Aus Christmas Special) might I…
What David Cameron must do to win (properly this time)
Almost exactly five years ago, the Conservatives fired the starting gun for a general election — and shot themselves in…
Portrait of the week
Home King’s Cross railway station was out of operation, stranding thousands, and Paddington saw badly delayed services after Network Rail…
Bruce Anderson’s diary: If you want to understand the SNP, it helps to be an ex-Trot
An embarrassing confession: in the late 1960s, I was a Trotskyite. But that period of political adolescence has its uses.…
Reasons for Ed Miliband to be cheerful (we had to stretch a bit)
Election omens Reasons for Ed Miliband to feel confident in 2015: — Only three parliaments since 1945 have run to…
An ancient Olympic tradition that Fifa would love
Those nice people at Fifa seem to be having a terrible time from the British press, which never stops accusing…
From the archives
From ‘News of the Week’, The Spectator, 2 January 1915: The first German aeroplanes which have visited us since the…
Letters: Why Ofsted should be disbanded
Disband Ofsted Sir: Dennis Sewell’s damning indictment of Ofsted (‘Ofsted in the dock’, 13 December) stopped short of the logical…
Why do the Liberal Democrats see the over-65s as a "time bomb"?
We are living longer, healthier and more prosperous lives than ever — it’s one of the greatest advances of our…
Portrait of the year
January Floods covered 28,000 acres of the Somerset Levels. Ukip suspended an Oxfordshire councillor for saying floods were God’s punishment…
Joan Collins’s diary: The joy of fake Christmas trees
Every year Christmas comes earlier and earlier in America. Cards, baubles and imitation trees were being sold in the big…
100 years of Pyrex, processed cheese and nudes in movies
Marking a century Some things which celebrate their 100th birthday in 2015: 3-D films The first was shown at the…
How the Romans taught Latin (N.M. Gwynne would not approve)
Barely a week passes without someone complaining about the teaching of English or foreign languages, usually because it involves too…
From the archives
The Vantage Point of Peace
Australian letters
Gay Marriage Sir, I don’t give a tinker’s curse about gay marriage (Brendan O’Neill 6 Dec.) and am tired to…
George Osborne's ambition deficit
When George Osborne first became Chancellor, he asked to be judged on his ability to reduce the deficit. He does…
Portrait of the week
Home The government spent days announcing how the Autumn Statement would allocate funds. ‘Frontline’ parts of the National Health Service…
Stig Abell’s diary: My days in court with the Sun
Soon after I joined the Sun as managing editor (among other things, I used to review novels for The Spectator),…
When a cricket ball cost Britain an heir to the throne
A fatal shot The sad death of Australian batsman Philip Hughes was a reminder that a cricket ball can kill.…
Aristotle had David Mellor’s number (Andrew Mitchell’s, too)
Andrew Mitchell and his ‘effing pleb’ of a policeman, David Mellor and his ‘stupid sweaty little shit of a taxi…
From the archives
From ‘The Honourable Spy’, The Spectator, 5 December 1914: Decency is violated by the military spy when he becomes, for…
Australian Letters
Friend or foe? Sir: The editorial piece ( Spectator Australia, 29 Nov.) and following article by James Allan deal broadly…
Playing chicken with Vladimir Putin
An official end to the Cold War was declared at a summit between President George H. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev…
Portrait of the week
Home Theresa May, the Home Secretary, spent a few days announcing things. She broadcast on the Andrew Marr Show on…
Jeremy Paxman’s diary: Why must Songs of Praise chase advertiser-friendly viewers?
The most unfashionable show on television, Songs of Praise, has had a makeover. The BBC had apparently discovered that the…
