The Week
Diary
It’s been a strange summer. After a stroke, holidays are not what they used to be. We went to Juan-les-Pins…
Varro on The Apprentice
Budding businesswoman Luisa Zissman, with her A in A-level English, has enquired whether ‘Bakers Toolkit’ or ‘Baker’s Toolkit’ is correct.…
Barometer
Your name here Supporters of Merthyr Town Football Club objected to having their ground renamed the Cigg-e Stadium in a…
Letters
Piggies in the middle Sir: Your feature ‘The strange death of the middle class’ (24 August) assumes that young people…
Freedom and security
It is good to see the Guardian suddenly rediscover its interest in the sanctity of a free press. Just five…
Portrait of the week
Home The cost of the HS2 railway line was expected by some in the Treasury to rise from £43 billion…
Diary
There isn’t a Scottish politician in living memory who hasn’t been on the Caledonian Sleeper. I always imagined Donald Dewar…
Ancient Athens, modern Egypt
Whatever problems Greeks and Romans faced, a politicised priesthood was not one of them. They might have made three observations…
Barometer
We will remember them A German diplomat called on Britain to commemorate but not celebrate the centenary of the Great…
Letters
Some doctors write Sir: Professor Meirion Thomas (‘Dangerous medicine’, 17 August) may be an excellent surgeon but he is uninformed…
Along the wrong lines
We would not want to return to the days when the transport secretary was actively engaged in the running of…
Portrait of the week
Home The population of the United Kingdom rose by 420,000, to 63.7 million, by the middle of last year, with…
Diary
If you haven’t scuffled you haven’t lived, and our local scuffle is the best of the best. A scuffle is…
Lucretius vs Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins has been confusing his categories again, comparing Trinity College, Cambridge, with Islam. His attack on religion does precisely…
Barometer
Ward ceremony There have been 29 health secretaries since 1948. How many have wards that — though not necessarily named…
Letters
Absent friends Sir: Alec Marsh (‘Welcome to Big Venice’, 10 August) accurately observes that Londoners are priced out of central…
Causes and effects
When spending money is declared to be a good in itself, it is certain that much of it will be…
Portrait of the week
Home Retail sales enjoyed their fastest July growth in seven years, thanks to demand for beer, sun cream, swimwear and…
Diary
Hay-making was easy this year, and over in good time for a holiday. I am opposed to holidays, having worked…
Epictetus on Twitter
One definition of addiction is repetition of a behaviour despite adverse consequences. Twitter users will know all about it, especially…
Barometer
Other people’s rocks Spain threatened to introduce a €40 border-crossing charge and find other ways of making life difficult for…
Frack the South
David Howell never really succeeded as energy and then transport secretary in Mrs Thatcher’s governments. After she sacked him in…
Diary
The astonishing level of enthusiasm over the birth of the new prince goes far beyond the pleasure that people naturally…
Letters
IQ and social mobility Sir: It seems not to have occurred to our leaders that ability is not evenly distributed…
Letters
The Spectator 10 August 2013 9:00 am
In defence of bats Sir: I am saddened by the ‘us versus them’ stance taken by Melissa Kite (‘Bats vs…