The Week
The ancients were defined by actions, not attributes
Diversity is ‘about empowering people by respecting and appreciating what makes them different, in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, religion,…
Portrait of the week: Vaccination, inauguration and a food box denunciation
Home The government undertook to offer a first dose of vaccine to the adult population of the UK by September.…
To reopen schools, we need to vaccinate teachers
At the start of the Covid-19 crisis, Chris Whitty often made the point that a pandemic kills in two ways:…
A tighter lockdown risks being a less effective one
When lockdown was first proposed in March, one of the many arguments against it was that people would tolerate being…
Letters: Lockdowns ruin lives
Lockdown damage Sir: I am sick and tired of people taking the moral high ground and looking down on ‘lockdown…
How close have protestors got to entering parliament?
Parliamentary objections The US Capitol was raided by Donald Trump supporters trying to prevent the confirmation of Joe Biden’s election…
The ancient belief in the power of words to protect us
In his 37-book Natural History, Pliny the Elder (d. ad 79) wondered why we wished people ‘Happy new year’ (primum…
The cult of Donald Trump
The thing we most need to understand right now is how you deprogram people who have been in a cult.…
Portrait of the week: Queen gets vaccinated, Trump supporters riot and gorillas catch Covid
Home The government, in the face of overwhelming numbers of people with Covid-19 being admitted to hospital, told everyone to…
Sir David Barclay, 1934-2021
When Sir David Barclay, along with his twin brother Sir Frederick, bought The Spectator in 2004, the magazine came as…
What have we learnt from this pandemic?
So great have been the government’s failures over Covid that it would be easy to forget to give credit where…
The comment that baffled Boris
Real men are not supposed to confess to feeling fear. But I am frightened, second time round, about the plague.…
Letters: Is cycling really conservative?
Veritas vincit Sir: Professor Dawkins eloquently and engagingly defines true truth for us (‘Matters of fact’, 19 December). It seems…
How quickly could we vaccinate the entire country?
A ferry tale Gerry Marsden, who died aged 78, was credited with making the ferry across the River Mersey world-famous.…
Portrait of the week: New year, new lockdown
Home Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, announced harsher coronavirus restrictions in England, resembling those last March, except that bubbles continued.…
The Greeks wouldn’t have accepted Cambridge’s ‘respect’ policy either
Professor Toope, the vice-chancellor of Cambridge university, had proposed a motion ordering all members of the university to ‘respect’ each…
Portrait of the year: Coronavirus, falling statues, banned Easter eggs and compulsory Scotch eggs
January Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, signed the EU withdrawal agreement, sent from Brussels by train. Sajid Javid, the Chancellor…
Letters: The case for immunity passports
Joy Sir: Alexandra Coghlan identifies the coincidence between the rise of recording and broadcast technology and the flourishing of the…
Ring out, wild bells: 2021 will be a year of renewal
Save for those old enough to have lived through the second world war and its immediate austere aftermath, it would…
Do divorces really increase after Christmas?
Now and then Were households allowed to mix at Christmas during the plague? Samuel Pepys’s diary entry for 25 December…
The joy of a cancelled Christmas
Among the greatest bores right now are those friends who insist on telling you, usually as if it’s some kind…
Is any song more lucrative than ‘Happy Birthday’?
Last orders The new tier restrictions have made life difficult for pubs. How many are closed? — According to the…
Letters: Eton is failing to protect freedom of speech
Eton mess Sir: As much as I am a great admirer of Charles Moore, as a former Eton master and…
Nick Robinson could learn a thing or two from Plato
Today presenter Nick Robinson has been reflecting on the political interview. He contrasts his interviews with scientists about Covid with…
Jeremy Vine: Save our cycle lanes
‘Stopping the diary/’ wrote Philip Larkin, ‘Was a stun to memory,/ Was a blank starting.’ I never really understood those…
