World
Jilly Cooper’s novels could well become classics
Dame Jilly Cooper, who has died at 88, had a remarkable career, turning herself from a sparkling writer for newspapers…
What Israel has learned from two years of war
Today marks two years of Israel’s Gaza war. The current conflict is perhaps now close to conclusion, depending on the negotiations…
Has Taylor Swift lost it?
The Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant once remarked that every successful musician has what he called ‘an imperial phase’, during…
What can we expect from the Simpsons sequel?
It is now more than three decades since President Bush the First declared that American families should be “more like…
Exclusive poll: do the Tories really have a leadership problem?
The Conservative party conference is in full swing and the Spectator is hosting a myriad of events across the next…
Do cities need the National Guard?
“They are the ones who are making it a war zone,” Governor J.B. Pritzker of Illinois bloviated on CNN recently,…
Mel Stride bewilders me
What is the purpose of Mel Stride? I don’t ask this to be personal I just genuinely don’t know. In…
Introducing Japan’s own Iron Lady
Japan is still in many ways a traditionalist – not to say a sexist – society. But the times they…
The generosity and graciousness of Jilly Cooper
Over many years as a journalist, writing for newspapers as well as authoring books, I’ve dealt with a sizeable number…
How Islam and the Bible are fueling France’s ‘baptism boom’
You have probably heard that something extraordinary is happening in the Catholic Church in France. The French bishops’ conference announced…
Why the snobs were wrong about Jilly Cooper
Dame Jilly Cooper, who died today, finally achieved the acceptance that she’d always deserved. She wrote numerous volumes of witty,…
Burnham’s Labour barbs at Tory conference
It’s not just Conservative politicians popping up at the Tory party conference this year: Labour’s Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham…
What’s wrong with ‘angry, middle-aged white men’, Gary Neville?
Just when you thought we could all stop talking about flags, Gary Neville has arrived with his size ten boots…
Did Bibi miscalculate?
In her new memoirs, 107 Days, Kamala Harris recounts that in July 2024 she had an important meeting about Israel and the…
This is Labour’s last chance to save the ECHR
One of Kemi Badenoch’s biggest announcements ahead of Conservative party conference was her pledge to leave the European Convention on…
Boris: I went too far on net zero
The former prime minister may not be at Conservative party conference, but he’s still managing to create headlines. Boris Johnson…
Kemi takes a pop at Scottish lobby
To the Scottish Tory reception at Conservative Party conference, where leader Kemi Badenoch gave a rather punchy address before popping…
Jews don’t need Tommy Robinson
It is doubtless apocryphal, but it’s said that when Ernest Bevin heard someone say that Aneurin Bevan was his own…
The mainstreaming of leftist violence
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Democratic lawmakers and commentators found themselves in a quandary. On the one hand,…
Sébastien Lecornu’s exit is a humiliation for France – and for Macron
In a sensational development, Sébastien Lecornu has resigned as prime minister of France. His departure, after 27 days in office,…
Are the Tories really the party of ‘fiscal prudence’?
The message the Tories want you to leave their conference with is that they are the party of prudence. The…
Britain’s Jews must stay and fight
Britain once prided itself on being different from France, Belgium and Germany, where Jewish blood was repeatedly spilled on European…
We’re all doomed if English literature students can’t read books
The question has changed, as one Oxford don noted wanly on social media, from ‘What are you reading at university?’ to ‘Are…
Badenoch’s ECHR pledge could be the start of a Tory revival
Kemi Badenoch’s announcement that the Conservatives are now irrevocably committed to pulling out of the European Convention on Human Rights…
Judges are finally rediscovering their common sense
Believe it or not, some judges in this country are starting to show signs of having a connection with reality…
