The Week
Hitting home
From ‘The munitions strike’, 27 July 1918: It is necessary for the Government to make it clear that the present…
Letters: Dementia may be terminal, but then so is life
The Stauffenberg plot Sir: Matthew Olex-Szczytowski argues that the German officers who tried to kill Hitler did so only to…
May’s Brexit plan has failed. She needs a new one – and fast
Handling Brexit was never going to be easy for Theresa May, given that the Tories have been fighting a civil…
Portrait of the Week: Brexit votes and Trump’s double negatives
Home The administration of Theresa May, the Prime Minister, staggered on, as Conservative MPs exchanged angry words in the Commons,…
What Uber rides taught me about immigration
It was blessedly cool inside the Romanesque nave, its massive arches resisting the heat as they had done everything else…
Why is the Trump balloon known as a ‘blimp’?
Blimpish beginnings Protesters flew a ‘blimp’ depicting President Trump as a baby in central London. Why are balloons known as…
Strangers and brothers
Everyone talks about the importance of ‘charisma’ in a politician. But while it may take one a long way with…
Australian letters
Russian meddling Sir: Please help me out here: just what, exactly, did the Russians do, and/or try to do to…
What Britain needs is a disruptor-in-chief like Donald Trump
It is appropriate that the 45th President of the United States has come to Britain this week on a working…
This is what happens when you put Brexit in the hands of unbelievers
Well, we did it. No, not Brexit, the World Cup or my (somewhat less) ambitious scheme at Legal & General…
Portrait of the week: Theresa May’s Brexit deal in doubt as Boris Johnson and David Davis resign
Home Boris Johnson resigned as Foreign Secretary the day after David Davis resigned as Brexit Secretary, both in reaction to…
Where does authority really lie in the UK? The ancients would have known
Forget David Davis, Boris, the cabinet, the commentariat. It’s time to concentrate on the big picture and the central question:…
Letters: Matthew Parris’s marriage proposal is absurd
Marriage proposal Sir: Matthew Parris’s proposal that marriage be abolished, and civil partnerships installed in its place, is absurd (‘The…
The Spectator stood for humour and civilised debate 190 years ago. It still does
In the basement of The Spectator office, there is a 12-volume version of the paper in its original incarnation. That…
England beat Colombia in World Cup penalty shootout
Home In an attempt to distract the nation from the toothache of Brexit, the government announced a £4.5 million scheme…
Dominic Lawson: The day Boris claimed I was an MI6 agent
Happy 190th birthday, dear Spectator. And in what fine health you are, at such an advanced age. This was hardly…
The hidden dangers of bouncy castles
Trapped Twelve Thai boys and their football coach were found in a cave ten days after being trapped by rising…
John McDonnell might soon regret handing out copies of Cicero
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has given all his cabinet a copy of Cicero’s advice on how to win arguments. This…
Carmakers holding back investment in Britain is not just about Brexit
Technical issues Sir: Martin Vander Weyer’s supposition that car manufacturers are holding back investment due to Brexit seems to be…
The NHS is 70 – but it’s an unhappy birthday
When Nye Bevan launched the NHS on 5 July 1948, most of the British population could not expect to celebrate…
Portrait of the week
Home The Commons voted in favour of a new runway at Heathrow by 415 votes to 119. Boris Johnson, the…
Why are men so obsessed with dieting?
In this gloriously sunny week, the cavalry horses are off on their summer break to Bodney, Norfolk. They can be…
Fat was not a Greek issue
The UK obesity crisis is again in the headlines, and ‘life-style’ is the culprit. The ancients may have come up…
What happened to the teams who scored more than six goals in a World Cup?
Nursing numbers Was there ever a time when the NHS wasn’t in crisis? According to a report by NHS Health…
Letters: Judging students by achievement is a greater scourge than diversity at any cost
Harvard’s racial quotas Sir: While I largely agree with Coleman Hughes that racial quotas are counterproductive (‘The diversity trap’, 23 June),…
